Upgrade Your ERP System to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Streamline Your Operations

Expert Solutions to Boost Your Business’s Productivity, Efficiency, and Scalability – Business Central

Are you looking to upgrade your ERP system? CIO Advise offers expert solutions designed to streamline your operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. Our latest ERP technology, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, provides real-time visibility into your business processes, enabling you to make better decisions based on up-to-date data.

Benefits:

  • Streamline operations: Upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to streamline your business processes and increase productivity.
  • Enhanced security: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers advanced security features to protect your data and ensure compliance with industry regulations.
  • Real-time visibility: With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you get real-time visibility into your business operations, enabling you to make informed decisions based on up-to-date data.
  • Data analysis and reporting: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides accurate data entry, analysis, and reporting, helping you make better business decisions.
  • Business scalability: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is scalable and can grow with your business, adapting to your changing needs.

Ready to take your business to the next level? Contact us today to learn how our expert solutions can help you upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, streamline your operations, and reduce costs.

Plan your Move to Dynamics 365 BC: Free Migration Assessment

Your Dynamics GP solution has helped you manage and grow your business, but technology and customer needs are changing. Moving to Dynamics 365 Business Central in the cloud can ensure you are using a modern and always up-to-date solution without the hassle and cost of upgrades and maintenance. 

With Dynamics 365 Business Central you can:

  1. Be ready for current and future business challenges, including hybrid work, supply chain disruption, labor shortages, and security threats. You’ll always have the latest technology, kept up to date for you.
  2. Gain long term ROI by eliminating the upgrades, hardware, and downtime incurred with existing on-premises systems.
  3. Improve productivity and collaboration by simplifying access to information through embedded integration with Microsoft 365 and Teams.
  4. Optimize business performance with comprehensive reporting, AI, and predictive analytics. Identify potential issues before they happen and make better decisions to increase sales, improve service, and drive profitability and growth.

Get started with a free assessment

Let us help you analyze your current Dynamics GP environment, identify migration barriers, and begin to build your plan to move to Dynamics 365 Business Central.

The assessment tool takes less than five minutes on average to analyze your existing environment and generate your personalized report which includes:

  • A summary of the modules, features, and ISV solutions in use. Confirmation of product version, data consumption, and other industry specific requirements.
  • An assessment of your readiness to move to Business Central.
  • Guidance on next steps including scope of implementation and proposed migration plan.

Contact us today to schedule your free assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the migration assessment free or are there any licensing requirements?

The migration assessment is available at no cost, and licensing is not required. Contact us for access to the tool.

Do I need to purchase a Dynamics Business Central license in order to run the assessment tool?

  No, a Business Central license is not required to run the tool.

Will the assessment work on any version of Microsoft Dynamics GP?

  Yes, the assessment will work on any version of Dynamics GP and Microsoft SQL Server.

Will the assessment tool run on any device?

  The tool can be run from any computer with a connection to the SQL server running the GP database. An internet connection is required to upload the results. To browse the Dynamics file set more easily, we recommend running the tool on a PC that also runs the Dynamic GP client.

How long does it take to complete the assessment?

  On average, the tool will complete its assessment in less than five minutes.

Do users need to be logged out of GP to use the assessment tool?

  No, users can continue to work as usual in GP while running the tool.

Will the tool change any data in my GP system?

  No, the assessment tool only READs and collects metadata from your GP SQL Server database.

How long does it take to get my report after I run the assessment?

  You will receive an email the same day with a link to your report.

What happens after I get the report?

  Share the report with your partner and schedule time to further assess your migration readiness.

What is your data security and privacy policy?

  We analyze anonymous metadata such as the name and version of your solutions, number of customers and vendors in your system, and the number of transactions and modules used in your ERP. We do NOT analyze or collect your financial or customer data.

What happens to our data after the assessment is completed?

   The migration assessment tool is designed and managed by Velosio to help you take the next step in digital transformation. The metadata collected from your system will be stored to help understand trends and improve the GP Cloud Migration tool.

Benefits of Migrating to Dynamics 365 in the Cloud from On-Premises

Benefits of Migrating to Dynamics 365 in the Cloud from On-Premises

The cloud hardly feels disruptive in an era dominated by AI and big data.

After all, migrating from on-premises hosting to the cloud has been an urgent matter for years—a critical first step in any digital transformation journey.

The pandemic has further solidified the cloud’s place in the IT stack. We’ve seen organizations scramble to meet the needs of newly remote employees, as well as customers looking for better digital products and experiences to cope with the same challenges.

We’re seeing more organizations move on-premises applications into the cloud—in part, due to incentives from legacy software companies like Microsoft to migrate to new, cloud-based versions of old business tools.

In these next few sections, we’ll explain what Microsoft users stand to gain in migrating their Dynamics 365 On-Premises to the cloud.

Why Migrate D365 from On-Premises?

For starters, the cloud is essential for business growth—and survival.

According to IDC’s The Impact of Digital Transformation During Times of Change report, digital transformation initiatives like integrating customer touchpoints, operationalizing data, and gaining a 360-degree view of the customer became top priorities due to the pandemic. All priorities in that report (check out fig. 4) fall apart without the cloud.

An Algorithmia survey also found that 83% of respondents are increasing spending on AI significantly, with 76% reporting that AI/ML is a bigger priority than all other IT initiatives post-pandemic.

The findings also point toward a sense of regret among participants. 43% said AI/ML initiatives matter far more than they initially thought, while nearly a quarter said AI/ML should have been a priority much sooner.

The point is, organizations need cloud services to leverage technologies like AI/ML, IoT, and advanced analytics that help them compete. It’s hard to move fast and make good business decisions when your data lives in different systems—and brands are starting to face the consequences of avoiding the cloud.

 Key Benefits of a Microsoft Dynamics 365 On-Premises to Cloud Migration

Much of what your Dynamics 365 on-premises to online migration is about is remaining competitive and building a more “agile” business. But—if you’re looking to get more specific, here’s a look at some of the biggest benefits of moving to the cloud:

Bring All Data in to One Central Location

Migrating to Dynamics in the cloud provides complete visibility into your business—no matter how many locations are in the mix or whether your teams are working remotely.

With reporting tools that feature Power BI, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence, organizations get an agility boost—enabling faster, data-driven decision-making.

You’ll have a high-level view of your entire company, your customers, and the competitive and economic forces influencing customer behavior, needs, and expectations.

You can also unlock new business models and improve forecasting efforts. Or optimize project management and inventory planning for cost-savings. The list goes on.

The point is, when you’re working with on-prem solutions, teams can easily end up working with static reports loaded with old, incomplete, or inaccurate data. Which, in turn, undermines the entire business strategy.

It’s also worth noting that, even in cases where teams do have great data in their on-premises systems, they often have trouble accessing and acting on insights fast enough to keep up with competitors. This, of course, becomes a bigger issue when workers are spread across multiple locations or are working remotely.

Cost Savings

Implemented correctly, Dynamics 365 online stands to slash operating costs associated with labor, equipment, warehouse space, admin, deployment, and so on. Instead, it’s on Microsoft to handle updates, security, and routine maintenance.

According to a Forrester Total Economic Impact report organizations that made the move to the cloud were able to:

  • Reduce the TCO by an average of 10.25%
  • Slash deployment costs by 30-50%, on average, compared to on-premises customers
  • Save ~40% on administrative expenses like server backups, storage use, restorations, and software updates
  • Additional savings on disaster recovery costs, hardware, and storage management

Better Security

Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers more robust security than on-prem ERP solutions. The cloud is now much more secure than analog solutions and most on-prem options. Sure, you’ll still find plenty of “hard copy holdouts.” But things have changed since the early days of the cloud.

Part of the reason is that legacy giants like Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon got into the cloud game and built solutions for businesses operating in healthcare, financial services, and the public sector.

Cloud solutions like Microsoft Dynamics make it easier to control where your data is stored, who has access, and what resources your business is using at any given moment.

Migration can reduce the risk of ransomware attacks and data breaches and provide greater data security. Users also benefit from more control over who has access to the system and how sensitive information is processed and stored.

This is critical in a moment where we’re seeing more high-profile hacks targeting private organizations.

We’ve reached a point where it’s become a significant risk for companies to manage cybersecurity on their own–the costs of getting it wrong can be devastating. All it takes is one exposed endpoint or missed update and hackers can get into your system and wreak havoc.

According to the NTT Global Threat Intelligence report, traditional (read: legacy) approaches are inadequate against modern threats. Organizations need to reimagine their cybersecurity strategies and become more proactive and adaptive, rather than reacting to new regulatory requirements and threats. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible without the cloud.

Optimize IT Resources

Existing database administration resources can be reallocated to other areas within your organization–where they’ll be better positioned to focus on new priorities that drive business value.

According to Gartner, CIOs should reevaluate their current use cases to better optimize tech investments and focus on identifying new opportunities to invest in the innovative solutions that will carry them into the future.

Another report from McKinsey provides some suggestions—including identifying new business models unlocked by cloud technologies, looking for ways to improve the customer experience, and reinvesting cost savings into new revenue streams.

For businesses looking to reallocate existing IT resources, it’s important to look beyond available resources and identify opportunities where D365 can save you time—time better spent understanding customers and developing innovative solutions that align with their needs.

Anywhere Access

Arguably the most tangible benefit of migrating to the cloud is the ability to access data/business tools from any device or location/move seamlessly between laptops, tablets, smartphones, and desktops without losing critical data/hours of work.

The cloud is a must-have in the age of remote work, distributed teams, and global partnerships. It’s also important to recognize that even if your organization is a strictly in-person operation, on-prem hosting still won’t cut it.

If you have multiple locations–even multiple buildings on the same campus, external partners, or sales & field service reps that visit clients in-person, cloud-based business tools are essential. They enable collaboration and ensure that every person on your team is working with the same information.

Final Thoughts

Look, some people are motivated by the possibility of a brighter, more profitable future, others act out of fear—it’s a mindset thing.

If the benefits outlined above don’t convince you that it’s time to finally embrace the cloud, maybe the risk of inaction will change your mind. On-prem solutions open the door to security risks, create barriers to insights and collaboration, and waste time with manual, error-prone processes.

The point is you can’t avoid cloud migration forever. Reach out to our experts to begin mapping your journey to Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Comparing QuickBooks vs. Dynamics 365 Business Central

If you’re looking for a solution to manage day-to-day financial transactions and accounting for your organization, you’ve probably come across solutions like QuickBooks and Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Both are well-known business management solutions. However, the similarities end there, in this post we’ll examine the strengths and weaknesses of both solutions and how they compare.

QuickBooks at a Glance

The most universal accounting software available in the market, QuickBooks helps small and medium-sized businesses execute basic accounting and financial management tasks like generating invoices, tracking expenses, managing payroll, and receiving payments.

Even without an accounting background, QuickBooks ease of use and different plans to fit different budgets and requirements with increased functionality available while moving up the chain is part of why it is one of the most popular accounting software on the market.

Dynamics 365 Business Central at a Glance

Microsoft’s cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for small to midsized businesses to automate and streamline business processes, Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365 BC) is designed to adapt to ag rowing company and give organizations the flexibility to customize the application to fit their current business needs.

Much more than just accounting and financial management, Business Central allows organizations to connect sales, services, finance, and operations and manage their entire business from one platform.

Dynamics 365 BC provides companies with comprehensive tools and workflows to:

  • Connect functions across the enterprise
  • Integrate operations
  • Automate supply chains
  • Improve customer interactions
  • Make data-driven decisions to accelerate growth and revenue

QuickBooks vs. Dynamics 365 Business Central

Features

While QuickBooks is solely for accounting, Dynamics 365 BC offers a lot more features and capabilities as it is a full-scale ERP solution. Beyond finance and accounting, there’s modules for managing inventory, projects, customer relationships, HR, and more.

Scalability

QuickBooks is excellent for smaller businesses but once a company grows – new products/services, more employees, additional companies, etc. – it is unable to handle the complexities of additional business processes.

On the other hand, Dynamics 365 BC can grow with your business to handle business processes such as inventory management, project management, reporting, and forecasting. It’s easily scalable and can be customized to serve any unique business or industry requirements.

Automation & Integration

Compared to Dynamics 365 Business Central, QuickBooks lacks capabilities and connectivity. Being limited to accounting functionality, businesses rely on third-party add-on which increases the cost of the overall solution, requires additional maintenance and training, and further complicates business processes.

With Advanced Integration with other Dynamics 365 or Microsoft/Office 365 solutions, Business Central connects workflows across accounting, sales, purchasing, inventory, and distribution; users can automate the business operations for a streamlined process.

D365 BC also supports third-party integrations through AppSource but those applications – as with all apps in the Microsoft universe – are built on a common data model so businesses are not dealing with compatibility issues, complex configurations, or middleware when non-standard features are needed.

Security & Audit Controls

QuickBooks easy setup also means fewer accounting and audit controls. As more users require access to the system, weak user permissions can limit some users or provide too much access to others. QuickBooks also fails to keep a consistent audit trail of changes to master records or user logins. And with some activities being done outside the system in spreadsheets or other avenues, this can be a huge issue for regulatory compliance.

With Dynamics 365 Business Central, businesses have more granular options to limit functions by permission, groups, dimensions, or accounts. For additional security, organizations can also enable built-in workflows. BC also offers a robust audit trail that tracks changes made to data with a historical log of activities, providing protection against errors and employee mismanagement.

Reporting & Analytics

QuickBooks provides basic reporting and generic insights but requires third-party add-ons to extend its reporting capabilities. With the ability to consolidate date from multiples sources, Dynamics 365 BC with

embedded Power BI has the flexibility and customizability for advanced reporting with dashboards and real-time data visualizations.

Final Thoughts

The main differentiator here is the comprehensive nature of Business Central. QuickBooks is an obvious choice for businesses that are just getting off the ground with only simple accounting requirements, but it may not come as a surprise that many businesses that started with QuickBooks eventually migrate to Dynamics 365 Business Central to scale and manage their business operations within a single platform.

If you’re ready to integrate your financials with the rest of your business and streamlines processes, reach out to our team to learn more about our QuickBooks to Business Central migration process and services.

Tell-tale Signs you’re Outgrowing QuickBooks

A popular entry-level accounting solution, QuickBooks is great for businesses that are just starting out and have basic financial management requirements; however, organizations may begin to experience some growing pains as their business continues to increase in size.

Fast-growing companies require a holistic solution with deeper functionality, more sophisticated reporting, and capabilities to streamline complex business processes.

Here are 5 tell-tale signs that you have outgrown your QuickBooks solution:

  1. Disparate Tools & Data: Are you adding on third-party application to extend functionality – such as inventory management – only to encounter integration and configuration issues which disconnects your data across different systems?
  2. Manual Processes & Spreadsheets: Are you spending countless hours consolidating, importing, and exporting data between systems and correcting data entry errors instead of value-add analysis and activities to grow the business?
  3. Security Concerns: Worried about protecting vital data stored in spreadsheets? Do you need to meet regulation and compliance standards and are lacking reporting and audit controls?
  4. Multiple Entities: Do you find yourself needing centralized data between business units, subsidiaries, divisions, or brands?
  5. Lack of Real-Time Information: With more customers, products, revenue, and sales channels, are you frustrated at being unable to make informed, data-driven decisions?

If any of these challenges sound familiar, the good news is outgrowing QuickBooks is a sign of success for your business and you’re ready for the next step in your growth journey.

Oftentimes companies that have outgrown their QuickBooks solution make the transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central – a comprehensive cloud-based ERP solution which offers:

  • Functionality across financial, supply chain, human resource, customer relationship, and project management
  • Advanced Reporting and analytics based on data consolidated from across the enterprise
  • Superior Security and Audit Trails with control over user access to information and functions and historical log that tracks changes made to data
  • Integration with other Dynamics or Microsoft 365 applications or easy third-party integrations via AppSource

Not sure if Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC is the right ERP for your business? Contact us today to schedule a call so we can explore your business’s ERP requirements.