Dynamics NAV is Now Business Central - Goodbye, Old Friend!

You may have heard the announcement of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and started to panic about what’s going to happen to your beloved NAV ERP system.  Well, we’re here to clarify the confusion surrounding Business Central and give you the guidance you need to upgrade the application your business relies on.

What’s the deal?

If all of this is sounding like earth-shattering news, don’t worry, it’s not all wholesale change. Dynamics 365 Business Central builds on many of the familiar features you’ve become accustomed to in NAV while adding a host of impressive advancements that make the solution even more powerful. With the new offering now available, it’s actually a great opportunity to review how you’re using your current ERP to see if it’s still meeting your needs and to check out the next generation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV software. Great new features and an exciting roadmap could present some game-changing benefits for your business.

Microsoft is bringing together a spectrum of business processes to create a unified go-to system for all your financial and operational needs. The all-in-one business management solution encompasses Dynamics 365 functionalities, including; marketing, sales, finance, service and operations, as well as Office 365, Power Platform and Azure, to streamline and connect all your business applications for simplicity and efficiency.

Hybrid deployment

Although Business Central is primarily a cloud-first service, Microsoft has allowed for both on-premise and cloud availability to fit in with your preferred mode of delivery. So, when customers sign up for a cloud-based Business Central service, they also have the option to deploy it locally to their choice of hardware.

However, if users decide later to fully upgrade to the cloud, the process is just a simple step. With the rise of cloud-based services, Microsoft has made it easy by providing a tenant in their cloud for quick and fuss-free migration. After your data is replicated to the cloud, the tenant simply tells you that you’re “cloudy-ready” and all your data can be shifted from your on-premise hardware to the cloud in a short matter of time.

Business Central in the cloud offers some enticing benefits; designed to integrate business processes faster, make quicker decisions and connect with customers in real-time. But regardless of how you choose to deploy to Business Central, all users will benefit from the same refreshed user interface and features.

What Business Central has to offer:

Less strain on your financials

You’ll be happy to know that Microsoft now delivers Business Central as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution meaning there’s no big lump sum to pay for your license, instead, a manageable monthly plan is available.

Seamless transition from NAV

The transition from NAV is an easy, seamless experience. Since Business Central shares the same code base as NAV, the process won’t compromise the day-to-day running of your application and with our help, we can get you up and running in no time.

A refreshing desktop experience

Business central has a much more refreshing desktop experience than NAV, Microsoft has simplified the UI with better data visibility and readability to create a generally pleasant and more intuitive experience when navigating through the software.

Business Central everywhere

In a constant on-the-go business culture, Microsoft enhances your Business central experience with apps for both Android, iPhone and tablets.

Improved search capabilities

Say goodbye to hours of searching through tedious file trails, Business Central’s search tool allows you to literally tell it what you want it to do. The ‘Tell me’ feature replaces previous search tools in NAV, helping find documents and reports a fast, painless experience.

It’s not NAV, it’s us (well not really)

Whilst we’ve loved our many years spent with NAV, it’s time to move on to bigger and greater software. The upgrade to Business Central offers much better tools and insight into all aspects of your business, with hybrid deployment availability and overall better user experience. Accordingly, it’s enabling businesses to truly compete in a world of digital transformation. As Microsoft says: Business Central “brings the full power and heritage of Dynamics NAV to the cloud.” So, whilst saying goodbye might be hard, Business Central is still NAV – only better.

For a free demo that allows you to see Business Central in action or if you simply want support for any part of this transformative process, get in touch with us.