Microsoft is phasing out Microsoft Dynamics NAV, the on-premise ERP, which helps companies manage business-wide systems and processes. Microsoft recommends existing Dynamics NAV users upgrade to Dynamics 365 Business Central. Let’s first understand What is Dynamics Business central.
Dynamics 365 Business Central is a new-age business management solution that enables companies to connect all their operations under a single platform. It unifies processes across manufacturing, supply chain, operations, customer service, sales and marketing, and finance departments.
The companies can opt for either the on-premise or the cloud-based version of Business Central.
As the name suggests, Dynamics 365 Business central on-premise resides locally on a company’s server, and the users can access it without the internet. Cloud-based Business Central version is hosted on Microsoft Azure servers and is accessible 24*7 through a web browser on any device from anywher
Microsoft has announced the end of support for various NAV versions, i.e. there will be no further updates to the NAV ERP. It will also stop providing any extended support, i.e. there would be no security updates for the NAV versions.
Read More – Product lifecycle policy for different NAV versions with corresponding dates.
The lack of support from Microsoft will make the system vulnerable and increase the risk of external threats. Also, as time passes, the system will become obsolete and unable to adapt to changes in technology. Finding IT personnel proficient in NAV will become increasingly difficult with time.
Some companies using MS Navision are postponing the decision to upgrade as they feel Business Central is a new system and are not familiar with it. Yes, it is a new-age ERP, but it is built upon the Microsoft Dynamics NAV foundation and offers numerous benefits over NAV
Reasons of Why you should upgrade from NAV to dynamics 365 Business Central are listed below:
Business Central’s on-cloud version is cost-effective for any company. The company has to pay a licensing fee monthly or annually, based on the number of users. It is hosted on Microsoft Azure. The company spends less on hardware like servers, security solutions, software installation, etc. Microsoft also updates Business Central twice annually, and hence the maintenance costs are less. Since Microsoft does all the heavy lifting, you can have a lean IT team to manage it.
Microsoft guarantees a 99.9% uptime, offers better features and functionalities than NAV, is mobile-friendly, and provides 24*7 access through a web browser from anywhere.
Users can automate routine tasks, thus saving a lot of their time and boosting their productivity. The users can easily create reports per their requirements and share them with others as per the role-based permissions assigned to them.
Microsoft has a team of experts managing the security of the solution and takes regular backups.
Dynamics 365 Business Central integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products like Power BI, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Azure, etc. It also provides a single sign-on option to users for the entire suite of Microsoft products. It can also integrate with third-party applications, further enhancing its capabilities.
Business Central provides a user-friendly modern interface. The look and feel are consistent and similar to other Microsoft products. It provides a consistent user experience across different devices.
As mentioned earlier, it is available in 2 versions. The company can pay monthly licensing fees for the on-cloud version. The company can add new users easily and scale it quickly.
A company can buy perpetual licenses for the on-premise version by paying a one-time fee.
Few ideal scenarios for an organization to upgrade from Dynamics Nav to Business Central are listed below:
Benefits of upgrading NAV to Business Central are listed below.
Businesses today are spread across geographies with employees working in a hybrid environment. Microsoft Business Central enables employees to access their data from anywhere, anytime, and from any internet-enabled device.
Read More – How Business Central helps to boost employee productivity?
It is easy to deploy, be it on the cloud or on-premise. It gives a similar customer experience, quick go-live, and can rapidly onboard users. As the business grows, it is easily scalable without compromising its performance.
In addition to its compatibility with other Microsoft products, its capabilities can be further enhanced by integrating it with various applications available on Microsoft AppSource. It also supports 25 languages to help companies deal with vendors and customers across different locations.
Users can create reports in real-time to gain actionable insights based on KPIs relevant to them. Its no-code interface enables users to create reports; with limited or no IT support. Users can also create workflows and automate processes. The system also provides real-time insights and suggestions to the users based on previous data and assists them in optimizing workflows. These features enable employees to enhance their productivity.
Microsoft Business Central has a capable in-built financial management module that helps companies manage cash flows, bank reconciliations, budget management, project cost optimization, and predicting late payments.
It supports multiple currencies, foreign exchange rates, variations in taxes and compliance regulations, and intercompany transactions. These features enable the accounting team to close their month-end and year-end books faster.
It can be integrated with Power BI and Excel to generate reports, get real-time updates on cash flow data, identify patterns and analyze trends to help improve overall business planning. Since it connects all the departments of a business, it provides valuable and accurate insights that help teams make confident financial decisions.
Read More – Key Benefits of Dynamics Business Central for Financial Industry
Business Central helps sales teams to identify and prioritize leads in their sales funnel. It also helps them identify various upsell, cross-sell, and resell opportunities during a sales cycle. Users can access all the customer data in a single view. Sales teams can customize their proposal and offer different pricing structures or discounts to their customers based on previous discussions.
The customer service team can review entire customer data available in a single view to provide the right solution.
They can assign the right resource to service the customers and keep track of the provided services, service agreements, and other essential parameters to deliver better customer service at each step. It helps delight customers and creates brand loyalty.
Project managers receive real-time insights on various aspects of a project. These insights help them allocate resources more efficiently, track actual resource utilization, and compare it to the planned one to determine project profitability.
The in-built mechanism helps businesses optimize their supply chains. They can deliver the right product at the right place at the right time based on the market demands. It also provides a 360-degree view of the inventory enabling quick movement of goods across different locations. It helps manage compliances across geographies, thus helping in efficient governance and approvals.
Read More – How Business Central helps overcome supply chain Disruptions
Users can create a warehouse layout within the Microsoft Business Central interface. They can select the best places to store items in the warehouse based on the product’s size, bin, and capacity specifications. It helps them quickly dispatch shipments as the warehouse layout is optimized. Also, it can fulfil an order faster, based on real-time data.
The manufacturing team can create detailed bills of material containing details of raw materials, resources, or subassemblies. It provides support during the assemble-to-order processes and can refer to the sales order to meet specified requirements. It can help managers record deviations in the output and make decisions across different bills of material and routes based on the consumption patterns
You might encounter the following challenges while upgrading to Business Central.
Upgrading is a time-consuming process. The company will have to manage the resources and ensure that daily operations are not affected in the transition period.
If Microsoft Dynamics NAV is integrated with other systems, the company should have a thorough data migration plan to ensure consistent and error-free data availability post-upgrade.
In case of any customizations, system analysis is essential to determine their feasibility and working post-upgrade. It may require a workaround in case of incompatibility or any other issue.
Another challenge would be communicating the need for the upgrade to the employees and ensuring their participation with minimum resistance.
Post-upgrade, employee training is essential to ensure they are comfortable with it and use it efficiently.
Business Central’s upgrade process varies depending on the NAV version deployed by the company, whether it’s an upgrade to an on-premise or an on-cloud Business Central version, etc. Microsoft has mentioned the detailed procedure of upgradation based on your requirements.
However, outlined below is a broad overview of the process.
Upgrading to Business Central Online | |
Microsoft Dynamics NAV | 1. Application Code Upgradation |
2. Data Upgradation | |
Upgrading to Business Central 2020 Release Wave 2 v17.0 | |
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 | Upgrade first to Business Central v14.0 |
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016 | |
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 | |
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 | |
• Business Central v13 | |
• Business Central (v14) | Direct Upgrade |
• Business Central (v15) | |
• Business Central (v16) | |
As we can see, Dynamics 365 Business Central offers numerous benefits to an organizations. If you are interested to know more about how to upgrade to Dynamics 365 Business Central for your business, you may connect to us at CCIT Services Pvt Ltd.
We are a leading Microsoft Business Central ERP and Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner located in Mumbai.
We are a trusted Microsoft Gold partner offering intuitive Enterprise Technology Consulting and Automation implementation. We also provide ongoing support as per your business requirement.
We help businesses in their digital transformation journey by delivering Microsoft Business Automation tools, Power Apps, Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Power BI, and other technology solutions services and support.
CCIT Cloud (CocoonIT Services) is an expert Microsoft Cloud Solutions and Implementation Partner. Organisations around the globe, partner with CCIT to harness the full potential of Microsoft Dynamics, Azure Cloud and Power Platform.
