Microsoft’s unveiling of its all-embracing Dynamics 365 Business Central has caused something of a stir for SME decision-makers looking to implement a new or upgrade a legacy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, not least because where this feature-rich software is physically located is giving their deliberations fresh impetus to look at this D365 cloud ERP solution.
What is D365?
Dynamics 365 Business Central is an end-to-end business management system that manages finances, operations, sales and customer services – and is geared to unifying business operations and supporting them as they grow and change. (Read an introduction to D365 Business Central here.) Its undeniable USP, however, is the full gamut of trusted Dynamics NAV functionality that’s built in and, in one unquestionably slick move by Microsoft, has been bought to the cloud.
The basic difference between a cloud-based ERP solution and an on-premise deployment is essentially where the solution is installed and managed. On-premise platforms are installed locally on a client’s hardware and servers and managed by its IT staff while cloud ERP, aka Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), is provided as a service and hosted on remote data centres that are dedicated to hosting applications on multiple platforms. In the case of Dynamics 365 Business Central, the software is hosted on Microsoft’s Azure servers.
So what is the appeal of D365 cloud ERP?
Cloud ERP is renowned for its ability to reduce costs, but there is much more to it than that with a host of other advantages users should factor into their decision-making process also. For example:
- As a pay-as-you-go, subscription-based software model like Business Central, Cloud ERP can offer a number of cost-saving benefits, including lower up-front costs and a predictable, fixed monthly fee.
- You pay only for the computer resources you need as IT support services are provided by the data centre – eliminating the need for an in-house IT team.
- System upgrades and enhancements are implemented automatically by the provider so the latest, most advanced version of your ERP solution will always be in use.
- Data is consistently backed up and supported by a disaster recovery plan.
- Cloud services are easy to adjust to suit fluctuating storage and computing needs.
- Companies and their users have access to all real-time, business-critical applications that can be accessed via the Internet anywhere, any time.
- Cloud ERP deployments don’t require any hardware or IT infrastructure and can be rolled out across multiple locations faster than on-premise systems.
- Organisations can enjoy the flexibility and freedom to scale their productivity software in line with business growth.
If you want to find out more about Dynamics 365 Business Central cloud ERP or want to discover if Business Central is the cloud solution for you, contact the TVision team.
