Recently featured in a blog by Roberto Stefanetti (Dynamics 365 Business Central MVP, blogger and author) if you’re weighing up the pros and cons of both Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central On-premise and the Cloud (SaaS), look no further than his Business Central battle cards.
Follow Roberto on Twitter here to find all of his great posts.
Aiding your businesses growth and allowing you to stay ahead of the curve, although Business Central is generally thought of as cloud-based, it can also be paired with Office 365 and other Dynamics 365 products for a fully integrated incidence.
Providing a side-by-side comparison, you can quickly and easily see what’s featured, or in fact not featured, to help you make an informed decision as to which one to go for.
Business Central Pros and Cons
With the October release of Dynamics Business Central fast approaching (1st October), the following pros and cons, sometimes also called battle cards, are based on the current version (as of September 2019).
You can find out what’s expected in the release here. But for the time being, we’ll focus the pros and cons on what’s available today.
| Feature | On-Premise | Cloud |
| Environment | On Local, on Hosting (Azure) etc., ALL system is under control. You need Hardware or Hosting | NO Hardware. Cloud (SaaS) is on Microsoft Public Cloud. The environment is managed by Microsoft, you can only access a management console (Admin Console) to create copies and backups of the environment (development and production sandbox). |
| File System | ALL control, you are local. | No File System, I do not have (to date) access to the system, I only have the request of Business Central. |
| Project Lifecycle | Limited by updates | Unlimited, always updated |
| Functionalities | Essentials and Premium | Essentials and Premium |
| Connection/Internet | Fast, runs on local, persistent connection, not internet dependent. | Internet dependent: If there is no connection or slow, you can’t work, a minimum of bandwidth is necessary. |
| Installation | Classic DVD distribution and Cumulative updated | Nothing, ready-to go, only access to Business Central instance |
| Updates | No Automatic Update, installable manually or scheduled by custom procedure. Cumulative updates released and published. (a couple a month + a couple big a year) | Automatic updates allow you to have a constantly updated Cloud product. (a couple a month + a couple big a year) |
| Performance | You need a IT Manager or Consultant | Scalable, managed by Microsoft (with Support ticket…) |
| Accessing | Web Client, Universal App, Outlook Client, no more Windows Client | Web Client, Universal App, Outlook Client |
| SQL Server | NO more SQL Server Runtime- Only SQL Standard or best version. | Not available |
| Database | Local (Full Access) | Not available |
| Windows Client | Not available (from October 2019) | Not available |
| Web Client | Available | Available |
| Licensing | Nominal (named users) | Nominal (named users) |
| Dual Use Right (SaaS and On-Premise) | The use can acquire Cloud can download a license for On-premise | Cloud Licensing offer “Dual Right license” |
| Intelligent Cloud | With relative licenses it is possible to connect to the cloud via Business Central, you can view the same information from in Cloud and on local. | |
| Scalability | Classic local environment, buy other server and resources or expand your system. | Business Central is hosted by Microsoft, on Azure in Public Cloud (Single-SignOn with Active Directory) Multi-tenant database, architecture based only on events and extensions (APP) – No system engineer is needed |
| Cost | May be more expensive than Cloud. Virus, Backup etc. System engineer is needed. | May be convenient (scalability) and utilization plan. Only at a monthly fee, cost scenarios can be made. No Virus, no system hacks, backup, accessible from anywhere with web client, nothing is installed, system always on. |
| Connectors (Flow, Power BI, PowerApps) | Connectors, you will configure Proxy, Endpoints etc. to connect to other apps and Web Services. You need activate SSL for secure connection. | Secure by Design (SSL native). A lot of Connectors ready-to go for Cloud. Only one-username\password to connect everything. Web Services ready to go after publishing. |
| Development | Only Microsoft AL & VS Code You need a developer license to develop | Only Microsoft AL & VS Code No development license is needed to develop |
| App Only | Development with APP | Development with APP |
| Debug | Available in Production Environment | Not available in production, only in Sandboxes |
| Table Objects | You can’t delete data from some tables |
Business Benefits Of Dynamics Central
Streamlining processes, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a comprehensive business management solution for small to medium-sized businesses.
It has many business benefits and advantages, from increasing your financial visibility (allowing you to make more informed decisions from your connected data), to optimising your supply chain and boosting sales.
Dynamics Business Central is highly adaptable, and can even help you deliver projects on time and under budget when using jobs and resources functionality, all the while remaining GDPR compliant.
Another advantage of Business Central is making it easier to run your business through mobile apps. Whichever way you choose to host your version of Business Central, TVision can help you implement, manage and maintain your finances.
For more information on the many advantages Dynamics Business Central and how we can help you, get in touch with one of our experienced team.
