Written by: Paul White, Senior Director, Microsoft Dynamics ERP

Today at the sold out Directions EMEA 2013 conference in Vienna, Austria, we announced the upcoming availability of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 in October 2013. This release builds on the great momentum we’ve seen since launching Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 last year and further reinforces the value of Microsoft Dynamics NAV as a business solution from Microsoft that is quick to implement, easy to use, and with the power to support your business ambitions.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 reflects Microsoft’s long-term commitment to the NAV partner community and adds significant new value for our small and midsized customers in the following areas:

  • Great interoperability with Office 365 breaks down the walls between business data and how people get work done. Microsoft Dynamics NAV can now be deployed as an application to on-premises and cloud-based SharePoint sites, with single sign on and a consistent look and feel across the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client and Office 365. Deeper data integration capabilities will enable customers to extend Microsoft Dynamics NAV business processes with SharePoint workflows and Web parts, and take full advantage of Microsoft Excel and the Excel Web App.
  • Enhanced cash management capabilities will help customers better manage risk and drive business growth with features such as automatic and manual payment processing, bank reconciliation tools, and support for SEPA direct debit and credit transfer.
  • Powerful usability enhancements across both the Web and desktop clients make Microsoft Dynamics NAV even simpler to use and faster to deploy. A restyled user experience aligned with Office 365 makes it even easier for people to access, view and edit business data and processes.

In addition – reflecting our commitment to Windows Azure and to our hosting partner community – Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 supports multitenant deployments and comes with a range of tools designed to support large-scale hosting of the Dynamics NAV application – driving down costs and improving service levels for customers. These capabilities build on the launch of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 FP1 in June 2013, which enabled deployment of Microsoft Dynamics NAV in the cloud on Windows Azure – giving customers the option of knowing their solution is hosted on secure, enterprise-class cloud infrastructure from a trusted provider.

The positive feedback from our customers on Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 has been great to hear! For example, Mark Barfoot, Director of P2P Logistics, a UK distribution company that has been using Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 said, “Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 is a proven solution that fits perfectly with our industry needs and is hosted on Windows Azure. We don’t have to worry about servers, backup or software updates anymore. Now we can focus on running our business.”

Be sure to check back with The Edge blog for more updates from the Directions EMEA 2013 conference, and for more information on the Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 release as we get closer to our October general availability date.