Last month, Microsoft announced the arrival of its new-and-improved Microsoft Dynamics NAV platform during the Directions North America conference in Orlando, according to ZDNet. This updated iteration, codenamed "Tenerife," represents another step in the evolution of a powerful product that continues to move forward with the marketplace.

The roots of NAV
In 1984, Technical University of Denmark students Jesper Balser, Peter Bang and Torben Wind developed and released PC Plus, an application that allowed organizations to track accounting and warehousing operations, according to ERP Software Blog. The three software developers built out the solution over the next three years and in 1987 launched NAV, which became the first enterprise resource planning solution to leverage client-server functionality. IBM went on to invest in the application, launching a proprietary platform called IBM-Navigator.

Balser, Bang and Wind eventually launched their own company, called Navision, and began distributing their solution independently, developing an enterprise user base that stretched across Denmark. In 1990, the trio debuted an updated version based on the AL language. This digital dialect gave users and implementation partners the power to customize NAV installations via more than 1500 modular components.

American businesses started implementing NAV in 1994 using a disk operating system. Within a few years, the product became ubiquitous in the states. Adoption accelerated with the release of the third iteration of NAV, which featured cutting-edge data storage and management tools that supported databases that could hold accounting, distribution and manufacturing information. During the late 1990s, Navision rolled out Microsoft integration capabilities in an effort to court the growing number of enterprise Windows users.

In May 2002, Microsoft acquired Navision for an estimated $1.3 billion, CRN reported. The Redwood, Washington-based firm integrated the Danish software provider into its Business Solutions division.

NAV under Microsoft
Soon after its acquisition of Navision, Microsoft launched an internal ERP product development initiative called "Project Green," according to Redmond Channel Partner. In September 2005, the technology giant announced that it intended to split the all-in-one solution developed under "Project Green" into multiple products designed for small-to-medium-sized businesses bearing the Dynamics moniker, including Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

"We have designed the next generation of our business solutions, which we're calling Dynamics, around 50 of the most common roles in a midsize company," then Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told the publication. "These solutions expose and connect the specific activities, processes and reports people need for real jobs inside a company, whether they're the president, the finance manager, the warehouse worker or the support clerk."

In the years since, Microsoft has updated the product numerous times, expanding its functionality to match the needs of ever-evolving organizations. Now, an estimated 110,000 companies worldwide rely on Dynamics NAV, according to ERP Software Blog.

In July 2016, Microsoft announced that it would bundle Dynamics NAV with its customer relationship management solution to form the cloud-based application suite Dynamics 365, ZDNet reported. The company also opted to include an ERP accounting add-on, developed under the codename "Project Madeira," with the Software-as-a-Service package. Last month at the Directions North America conference, Microsoft offered more fleshed-out release plans and publicized the "Tenerife" update, which will ultimately replace Dynamics NAV within the new Dynamics 365 suite, according to MSDynamicsWorld.

The solution comes with a number of exciting new updates, most notably, a representational state transfer application programming interface component that gives enterprise users the power to integrate their ERP implementations with Microsoft Graph and Azure Active Directory, as well as other third-party applications. These components constitute the latest evolution of Dynamics NAV, which continues to power businesses across the globe.

Here at Accent Software, we provide world-class Dynamics NAV implementation services for companies of all size. As a certified Microsoft Business Solutions partner, we offer vendor-vetted services, installing transformative solutions capable of boosting productivity and bolstering bottom lines. Connect with Accent Software to learn more about our offerings.