Microsoft has told partners that it is launching a TAP program for Dynamics NAV 2013 on Azure, with a release targeted in the first half of 2013.  I.B.I.S. chief operating officer Dwight Specht elaborated on a recent ERP cloud strategy update from Microsoft on his blog.

The update from Microsoft covered several specific and more general points, including the fact that a TAP program for NAV 2013 in Azure is under way:

"NAV2013 is in a TAP program on Azure with several partners and will be the first cloud ERP delivery expected to release in Q1CY2013.  This will run on Azure, but the IAAS portion of Azure (in other words, it will be using virtual SQL Servers and Application Servers).  It is NOT running on SQL Azure."

The Q1 2013 date may already be old news - other recent reports from partners put the planned release of a NAV-based Azure solution in June 2013.  Regardless of exact dates, the virtual server approach appears to be in line with past assumptions - hosting individual Dynamics NAV instances rather than any sort of new multi-tenant or Azure-native architecture.

...