Understanding the Microsoft Dynamics ERP Family and Evolution of Business Applications (Dynamics NAV, GP, AX, and SL)

The Microsoft Dynamics ERP family is a rich, dynamic set of enterprise resource planning solutions designed to enable any organization, regardless of size, to maximize its operational potential. Initially, the products of this family are designed with particular business needs in mind. From small to mid-sized enterprises with financial and supply chain management to large global organizations handling sophisticated, multi-national operations.

Over the years, the Dynamics ERP family has been changing effectively thus aligning with Microsoft's continuous effort to provide end-to-end, agile, modular, and innovative ERP solutions. These applications are well-recognized around the world and used by many organizations to optimize their business efficiency and growth.

These solutions, Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Navison), Dynamics GP (Great Plains), Dynamics AX (Axapta), and Dynamics SL (Solomon) were set to target different business needs and sizes.

Although all four solutions NAV, GP, AX, and SL are part of Microsoft's Dynamics, they target different kinds of organizations due to size and industry needs. NAV became Dynamics 365 Business Central and moved to the cloud to meet modern SMB demands.

AX has become a part of Dynamics 365 as Finance and Supply Chain Management, with huge enterprises receiving modular, scalable cloud solutions.

However, GP and SL have not moved much towards cloud-native solutions and are more traditional. These systems continue to be relevant for niche markets or industry-specific markets that have maintained on-premises ERP solutions.

In a nutshell, Microsoft has been gradually moving the Dynamics family to the cloud as part of its broader cloud-first strategy contained within the Dynamics 365 umbrella. To this charge, NAV and AX have been at the forefront, while GP and SL have remained in place for those businesses that require specific on-premises functionality.