Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. GP – Should You Migrate?

Thinking about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. GP and whether it’s time for an upgrade? In this post, we’ll cover some of the things you need to know about migrating from Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains to Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC).

From time immemorial, running a business can be likened to the challenging and strategic game of chess. And, of course, you must chart a flexible winning strategy. Flexible enough to combat any strategic and unexpected movements from your opponents or any other unforeseen moves in your chosen path.

Predicting anything that might come your way seems entirely impossible. However, you can deploy some strategies to prepare for any circumstance you might encounter. One of the best ways to mitigate these unforeseen risks is to choose an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution or software system that is highly robust and agile.

Do you have a strategic plan already tailored toward guiding your company’s future? If not, now is the time to sit back and chart a course for your growth.

First, we will look at Dynamics GP and Dynamics Navision (NAV) as legacy systems of BC.

Looking back through the history of Microsoft technologies, you will find Dynamics GP and NAV as two of the most significant legacy systems launched by Microsoft. It may interest you to know that GP and NAV are the two most regarded and immensely popular ERP systems of all time.

Under heavy investment by Microsoft, GP and NAV were greatly enhanced and expanded. History documents that they were renamed Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics NAV in 2001.

However, like other aspects of the modern world, technology evolves with different advancements and innovations every second. Admittedly Microsoft has become one of the biggest and most formidable enterprises in modern technology and will not allow the status quo to deter innovation. For instance, Microsoft launched a new and native cloud ERP solution in 2016 codenamed “Microsoft Dynamics Business Central.”

Interestingly, that time also witnessed a tremendous digital transformation in the business world. Businesses were beginning to realize the need to embrace innovation. This led to the groundbreaking welcome of Microsoft Business Central, a modern cloud-based ERP solution. And indeed, the launch of Microsoft BC revolutionized the entire industry, and it is considered a perfect fit for companies and businesses embarking on their digital journey.

Now that you know a bit about the GP and NAV as legacy systems to BC, it is pertinent to learn about GP migration to BC.

Looking to transform your mode of work? Have you ever thought of what an easy, user-friendly interface will do for your employees? Migrating from Dynamics NAV and GP to BC can do a lot more for your business. Here are the key reasons you should migrate.

With Dynamics 365 BC in place, you would be sure that your business is fully secured and protected; and that can be simply done with the Microsoft Cloud. More so, you would also enjoy a significant reduction in costs, especially in infrastructural maintenance, upgrades and integrations. In this case, Microsoft will begin overseeing everything for you. When you move to the Dynamics 365 system, your data will automatically synchronize with the cloud from on-premises. Ultimately, you can enjoy a replica of the cloud abilities for your business even though you are not required to move fully into the cloud storage.

In addition, GP to BC clients will get a 40% licensing discount for 3 years if they initiate their implementation process by the end of 2022.

Looking for a modern and intuitive interface? Dynamics 365 BC has an interface that allows users to navigate quickly, seamlessly and efficiently. Details of individual users of the system are compiled with graphs and reports. Indeed, Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC boasts of a customizable user interface that guarantees role-based functionalities. Apart from that, it makes it easy to use – thus boosting productivity.

Of course, Dynamics GP is a system that processes information in batches or bits. However, the new Dynamics 365 BC is entirely configured with features and functionalities that eliminate issues of hung batches or ineffective posting for simultaneous transactions. In fact, it offers completely new data processing solutions that promote automatic system integrations.

As the name suggests, Dynamics 365 is integrated with Microsoft Office 365. This translates to an ability to integrate and incorporate several other unique Office 365 products. For instance, you would find it easy and seamless when you try to edit emails within BC. The entire systems help users search for recipients faster and more efficiently with little effort.

By choosing to migrate to BC, you have unlocked the door of easy access to your applications. Whether it is your tablet, laptop or mobile, BCl can be easily accessed from a wide range of applications and devices. Besides, you can also access Dynamics 365 BC from several operating systems such as Apple, iOS, Google Play or Windows – you would enjoy unlimited flexibility.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC is undoubtedly rich with incredible features, functionalities and integrations. From finance to manufacturing, shipping, sales, project accounting and more, Dynamics 365 BC can help you manage your business efficiently and effectively while streamlining your business processes for increased growth and productivity.

More Dynamic GP companies are rapidly taking advantage of the transformation BC brings to the table. Hence, they are actively upgrading to BC to enjoy more advanced features, modern and intuitive user experience, advanced integrations, tools and AI capabilities.

Here are some product-specific benefits of Dynamics 365 BC to your organization.

With almost no coding experience, customizing or personalizing your software is easy and hassle-free, especially with its intuitive drag and drop feature. More so, the capability of your solution can be easily extended with custom apps. You will find these apps available in Microsoft AppSource or through extensions.

The Dynamics 365 BC has a whole lot of built-in features and functionalities compared to Microsoft Dynamics GP. Some of the advanced features you will enjoy range from automated reconciliations and cash flow projections to standard budgeting capabilities, Microsoft 365 integrations and many more. In addition, Dynamics 365 BC also features an in-built Customer Relationship Management (CRM) with incredible features to help users plan, manage and support business efforts.

Want a system that addresses your business needs? The cloud-based Dynamics 365 BC is a perfect choice. This software offers an efficient and effortless integration with the Microsoft Power Platform. This lets you gain actionable insights with tools like Power BI. In addition, you can create no-code custom applications using Power Apps and automated business workflows to streamline the processes of repetitive tasks. To cap it all, Dynamics 365 BC uniquely and seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365.

Dynamics 365 BC offers a series of preconfigured dashboards that are available to use out of the box. You can also modify or customize these dashboards depending on your business requirements, thus making it easy and hassle-free to track your data. Interestingly, Microsoft also developed tools and paths to make the entire migration process from GP easier compared to other ERP solutions. This is indeed a win-win situation for you and your business.

There you have it! Perhaps some of the features and benefits of migrating from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC. In subsequent pieces, we will take you through the factors to consider when migrating and the step-by-step processes.

Whether you run a small or mid-sized business, Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 BC is a cloud-based ERP that offers several incredible benefits for your business. Unlike Dynamics GP, Dynamics 365 BC provides distinct advantages that allow you to transform your business into the cloud with other advanced features and functionalities.

Do you want to determine whether migrating from GP to BC is perfect for your organization? Schedule an assessment session with us now. You can sign up on our website for a free BC assessment. With that, you will gain much deeper knowledge about BC and the migration process, including the cost, timeline and everything in between.