Is Microsoft Dynamics AX Becoming the Betamax of the ERP World to NAV's VHS?

I have been pondering the co-existence of Microsoft Dynamics NAV and AX in the UK market for some time, and the topic has been enthusiastically debated among colleagues and friends in the Dynamics channel.  But recent developments in competitive situations have led me to think more carefully about what is happening in the Dynamics ERP marketplace in the UK and how it mirrors a memorable but dated technology battle.

But first off, for those of you under 35, let me explain what on Earth a Betamax is (at this point in time I am feeling very old!). Drifting back through the mists of time, we are talking pre-download here, pre-DVD, back to when TV programs were recorded onto magnetic tape.

When video recorders were released, there were two main formats, Betamax and VHS. It was widely acknowledged that Betamax was the technically superior format, but in the end VHS won through and Betamax slipped into obscurity. Why? VHS got the market because it was more affordable, therefore adopted by more people and it ultimately became the defacto standard for video.  And at the end of the day it did the same thing for less money and with more options.

Fast forward to today and the Dynamics ERP market in the UK, and I want to start by setting the record straight.

I speak to a lot of customers, prospects, consultants and businesses. To be honest, I will speak to anyone who will listen to us evangelise the greatness of Dynamics NAV. But in the last 12 months a worrying trend has started to appear and gain momentum, "NAV is end of life, AX is the future".

The impending death of NAV has been greatly exaggerated!

Microsoft has ...