For a global IT services and consulting company, its business systems need to support operations at scale while remaining ready for future technology changes - including the eventual move to the cloud.
Founded in 1992 and headquartered in the Netherlands, the company relies on an integrated technology environment spanning data, applications, and infrastructure to serve more than 2,500 customers across 19 countries with a team of over 9,000 professionals. As part of its modernization journey, it needed to upgrade its Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 BE environment to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 23x on-premises.
The goal was not only to complete the upgrade, but to create a cloud-ready foundation for future scalability, and to do it with a Microsoft Dynamics upgrade partner who could deliver that on a fixed, predictable timeline.
Project Snapshot
| Category | Details |
| Industry | IT Services and Consulting |
| Location | Netherlands |
| Technology | Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 BE, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 23x |
| Service Type | Upgrade |
| Target Environment | Business Central 23x On-Premises |
| Key Objective | Create a cloud-ready solution for future scalability |
| Key Result | Successful upgrade with smooth UAT and no tickets or issues reported |
Challenge: modernizing an existing NAV environment without disrupting the business
The company was running Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 BE and needed to move to Business Central 23x on-premises.
As a global ICT solutions provider, maintaining a reliable business environment was essential. The upgrade therefore needed to move the existing system forward while preparing it for future scalability and potential cloud adoption.
The target was clear: modernize the existing NAV environment and create a cloud-ready Business Central foundation without disrupting the business during the transition.
Solution: upgrading to Business Central 23x in a structured 12-week project
Xpand upgrade team supported the company in moving its Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 BE environment to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 23x on-premises.
The upgraded environment was designed with future scalability in mind.
Converting approximately 450 objects from the legacy NAV 2017 environment while building toward a cloud-ready, on-premises architecture, giving the client a fixed scope and timeline to plan around rather than an open-ended migration.
A key part of the project was confirming that the upgraded solution worked exactly as expected before go-live. The customer completed user acceptance testing (UAT) following the upgrade, against its own real business processes.
Result: a successful upgrade with smooth UAT
The upgrade was completed successfully within the 12-week timeline, with the customer reporting a smooth UAT and no tickets or issues.
The project delivered:
- Successful upgrade from Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 BE to Business Central 23x on-premises
- Approximately 450 objects converted within a 12-week timeline
- Smooth user acceptance testing
- No tickets or issues reported during UAT
- A cloud-ready Business Central environment
- A stronger foundation for future scalability
Business value
The project gave the company a more modern Business Central environment while maintaining its on-premises setup intact, with no forced cloud migration and no disruption to how the business already runs.
More importantly, the upgrade created a cloud-ready foundation for the company's future technology roadmap. This means the business can continue evolving its Business Central environment as its requirements and scalability needs develop, without repeating this scale of migration project.
For a global organization operating across multiple countries and serving thousands of customers, having a modern and future-ready business system provides an important foundation for continued growth.
Why Xpand as a Microsoft Dynamics upgrade partner
Business Central upgrades require more than simply moving from one version to another. They need to be planned around the existing business environment, scoped honestly, and validated carefully before the upgraded system goes live.
Xpand combines Microsoft Dynamics expertise with practical experience in upgrading and modernizing existing NAV environments, helping organizations move toward newer Business Central versions on a fixed timeline and pricing, while preparing their systems for future development.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a NAV 2017 to Business Central upgrade take?
In this project, the full upgrade, covering around 450 objects, was completed in 12 weeks, moving from the legacy NAV 2017 BE environment to Business Central 23.x on-premises. Actual timelines vary with the number of objects, customizations, and integrations involved.
Does upgrading from NAV 2017 to Business Central 23.x mean moving to the cloud?
No. Business Central 23.x can run on-premises, so an upgrade can modernize a company's ERP platform without an immediate move to SaaS, while still building the groundwork for a future cloud transition.
What does a smooth UAT look like after a NAV-to-Business-Central upgrade?
In practice, it means the customer's own team tests the upgraded environment against its real business processes and finds no blocking issues – as in this project, where UAT closed with zero tickets reported.