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First Azure-hosted Microsoft ERP service due in Fall 2012

The next version of Microsoft's Dynamics NAV ERP product, which will be available as an Azure-hosted service, is due out in the Fall of 2012.
Written by Mary Jo Foley, Senior Contributing Editor

Microsoft officials shared more specifics on the first cloud-hosted version of one of its four ERP products via a blog post on October 13.

Earlier this year, the Softies said that the company is planning to deliver cloud versions of all of its four ERP products: Dynamics AX, Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV and Dynamics SL. They also said the first of the four to go to the cloud would be Dynamics NAV, and that the next NAV release would be available hosted on Azure some time in 2012.

This week, company officials pinned down that date further, noting that Microsoft Dynamics NAV "7" (the codename of the coming release) is planned to ship in September/October of CY 2012, according to a post on the Dynamics Partner Community blog. The timing announcement was made today the Directions 2011 US conference in Orlando, Fla.

Microsoft officials demo'd the Azure-hosted NAV update at the conference, the post said. As part of that demo, the Redmondians also showed for the first time the ability to access Dynamics NAV through a Web browser.

More from today's post:

"This web browser capability is a very recent and very significant extension to the scope of the Microsoft Dynamics NAV '7' release and has not been announced or demonstrated before. The web browser capability will substantially enhance our SMB cloud capabilities, for both partner hosted and Microsoft hosted scenarios, and further strengthen our Microsoft Dynamics ERP value proposition of delivering 'Cloud on the Customers Terms.'"

Dynamics NAV 7 originally was slated to ship in the 2010/2011 timeframe. I'm assuming an on-premises version of the product will be released either following or around the same Fall 2012 time as the Azure-hosted version. I've asked Microsoft officials if this is the case and will update my post with their response.

Update: No word on what's slated for the on-premises release. A spokesperson said, "We are still early in the development cycle and will have more details to share around the delivery of Microsoft Dynamics NAV '7' at a later date."

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