For those frequently asked questions about Business Central, here are the answers you may be looking for.
Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution by Microsoft. Designed for small and mid-sized businesses, this business management solution helps companies connect their sales, services, finance, and operations under one platform. We've rounded up the most often asked questions about Business Central and answered them for you.
How will D365 Business Central benefit my organization?
Simply put, Business Central will connect and optimize an organization's operations across various departments. Some benefits of Business Central include lower costs, increased financial visibility, and advanced capabilities from project management, finance to supply chain and warehousing. Check out our article "Top 8 benefits of Dynamics 365 Business Central for Your Business" for the complete list of benefits.
Is Dynamics 365 Business Central available in the cloud?
As part of the Dynamics 365 suite of applications, Business Central is Microsoft's leading cloud ERP and is a true SaaS solution. However, you can also purchase it as an on-premises solution or host it on your own private cloud environment. For more information, you can refer to the following article: "How to Choose Between Cloud & On-Premises Dynamics 365 Business Central."
How is Dynamics NAV related to D365 Business Central?
Dynamics NAV is the predecessor of Dynamics 365 Business Central, and it was re-written for the cloud. Most of the base code of Business Central was adapted from Dynamics NAV. So essentially, Business Central is an updated, cloud version of Navision with some significant improvements to its functionality. To learn more about the differences between the two, check out our article "Dynamics NAV vs. Dynamics 365 Business Central: What You Should Know"
What is the difference between Dynamics 365 and Business Central?
Dynamics 365 is a CRM that is comprised of multiple applications. It includes the popular Dynamics 365 Sales app, Dynamics 365 Customer Service, and Dynamics 365 Marketing, to name a few. These are cloud-based solutions and can be used as standalone platforms or added-on as per your business needs. Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud-based ERP solution, and it does include some in-built relationship management functionality for small and mid-sized businesses. It covers a company's basic sales management needs, but if you want a fully-fledged CRM solution, you would need to integrate Business Central with Dynamics 365 sales.
Discover the benefits of Dynamics 365 Sales in our latest article, "9 Benefits of Dynamics 365 Sales for Your Company."
Which type of businesses and industries does Business Central support?
D365 Business Central is a comprehensive and flexible solution that works well for numerous industries, including finance, services, retail and e-commerce, production and manufacturing, transport and logistics, distribution, non-profits, healthcare, food producers, and more. When you work with a Business Central Partner, they can help you customize your solution with industry-specific add-ons. If you'd like to find out whether Business Central is a good fit for your type of business, register for our Business Central assessment. This is a complimentary, no-obligation assessment that evaluates if Business Central is right for you, along with the costs, timeline, and process of adopting this solution if it is.
Is D365 Business Central suitable for small businesses?
Yes. Business Central was designed for small and mid-sized businesses. Its ability to offer advanced ERP capabilities at a low price point makes it a top choice for small businesses looking to purchase their first ERP solution or upgrade from QuickBooks as their company grows.
To ease the ERP journey for small businesses, here at Kwixand Solutions, we offer fixed-priced implementations for Business Central. These are lean implementations that are ideal for small businesses that want to constrain their budget and risks.
Can I customize my Business Central solution?
You can customize your Dynamics 365 Business Central solution through extensions. These allow your developers to make changes to the software without changing its base code – which means customizations do not impact the automatic updates. You can also extend the capabilities of your solution by purchasing custom apps and add-on solutions, either developed by a Business Central Partner or through the Microsoft AppSource. Check out our custom Subscription Management App for Business Central available on the AppSource. If you're looking for a specific app for Business Central, our team can develop one for you.
How does Business Central work with Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)?
Office 365, now known as Microsoft 365, is used by most businesses, so if you're one of them, you'll be glad to know that it integrates seamlessly with Business Central. You can easily link your business data with Outlook and Excel to improve your customer and employee experiences. For instance, you can create new sales quotes, sales orders, and invoices right within Outlook through this integration. Business Central also easily integrates with the rest of the Microsoft suite of applications, such as Power BI, Power Apps, and more.
To watch Business Central in action, get in touch with our team to schedule a personalized demo for your business.
How does pricing work for D365 Business Central?
Business Central offers two packages – Essentials and Premium. They are essentially alike, except the Premium level offers additional functionality for manufacturing and service management. Whichever package you select, you are charged on a subscription per user per month basis. The subscription also differentiates between the types of users. So, there's a full user – who requires most of the functionality. These are typically employees within finance, sales, and customer service teams, controllers, and supply chain managers. Then there are team members – which are additional users who tend to use the system lightly for checking reports or data entry and don't require access to the full capabilities. Check out our article on Business Central: Essentials vs. Premium Licensing to better understand how the solution's licensing and pricing works.
How can my company get set started with D365 Business Central?
Microsoft doesn't offer consulting services, so to purchase Dynamics 365 Business Central, you'll need to get in touch with a Dynamics 365 Partner who specializes in Business Central. Based on your organizational needs and resources, your partner will work with you to implement the solution, offer support and training, and help you with any custom integrations or development you might require.
If you'd like more information, contact the team at Kwixand Solutions to speak to a Business Central consultant.
