Introducing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Published: 22 March 2019

What is Dynamics 365 Business Central? Why is it replacing Dynamics NAV? What will happen to the existing NAV users? Microsoft’s announcement of Business Central taking over Dynamics NAV in April 2019 raised several burning questions among the current users and prospects. Here we share all you need to know about Dynamics 365 and how it will affect other Microsoft products…

What is Dynamics 365 Business Central and how does it differ?

From conversations with customers and prospects we understand that the top concerns are:

  • Is my Microsoft Dynamics NAV investment protected?

  • Is Dynamics 365 Business Central still the best ERP solution available?

  • What does the change mean to vendors?

According to Microsoft, Dynamics 365 Business Central is “an all-in-one business management solution for managing financials, supply chain, customer service, projects, sales and operations giving you an end-to-end view of your business with analytics and connected data.” The truth is, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the new name for Dynamics NAV.

The only major difference is its availability as a shared cloud, ‘Software as a Service’ product or as an ‘On-Premise’ solution. This means the option to having the software hosted on the internet and accessible from anywhere or if you so choose, have it installed locally on your own servers and launched directly from your PC (if you’re unsure on whether the cloud or on-premise is best for you, we have outlined the pros and cons of each on our cloud vs on-premise blog).

Therefore, whilst Business Central is the new brand name for NAV it gives us more choices on how to deploy the solution and provides us with a modern and future-proof platform for Xperience Dynamics and its customers to grow.

What does it mean if I’m an existing user?

If you are currently using NAV, Xperience Dynamics will continue to offer development, consultancy and support for your NAV solution. However, we advise you to start thinking about your 3-to-5-year strategy and to transition to Business Central. This is because Business Central will offer you integrated functionality, removing business silos and increasing profitability. Furthermore, without regular updates, your older systems may be susceptible to security vulnerabilities. Therefore, it’s vital to ensure your business remains up to date with the latest software and technology to compete within your industry. If you are thinking of upgrading, Business Central runs on the same code base as a traditional on-premise NAV deployment. This means that you can transition between NAV on-premise and Business Central with relative ease.

What does it mean if I’m a new user?

New customers will get the same depth of functionality as NAV but with a new cleaner and sharper user interface, as well as the option to be on-premise or in the cloud, it’s entirely your choice.

What does it mean for Xperience?

For Xperience Dynamics what it means is that we will be rebranding our own Certified for Microsoft products. NAVcontracts will become contracts365. NAVhousebuilder will become housebuilder365. And yes, you’ve guessed it, NAVservice will become service365. All will be available on-premise by the end of the year.

How can I learn more about Business Central?

Whether you’re looking for more information on Business Central or you’re using a different product and want to talk about migrating, Xperience is here to help. We understand no two businesses are the same. Therefore, we take the time to understand your business and its needs before making any recommendations and the solutions we provide are Microsoft Dynamics CfMD certified.

Get in touch to talk about your needs, objectives and how we can help you grow your business.

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