For existing users of Dynamics NAV at some point in the near future you will have to select a replacement. As Dynamics NAV goes out of support over the next few years it is important to plan ahead and ensure your business is ready. But selecting a replacement can be a challenge, most finance systems are in place for 7+ years so most people in your organisation won’t have a huge amount of experience with implementing a new system.
This need for a replacement is driven by a number of different factors, including:
- Out of support – most version of Dynamics NAV are out of support and in 2023 all versions of Dynamics NAV will be out of mainstream support and will stop receiving updates
- Progress with technology – if your system was implemented 5+ years ago, then think about how much technology has came along in this period. Cloud technology, artificial intelligence and internet of things are just three areas transforming business and the applications those businesses use
- Digital transformation – according to IDC, 85% of enterprise decision-makers say they have a time frame of two years to make significant inroads into digital transformation or they will fall behind their competitors and suffer financially.
Selecting a replacement
When it comes to selecting a replacement system you need to go through a requirements exercise. It is important to consider what your current and future requirements might look like. With modern technology you need to consider cloud solutions and how you can access emerging tech like AI or machine learning.
- Productivity and automation – a primary driver for return on your investment is how much better your organisation is as a result and making your employees more productive by improving the applications and processes in your organisation is critical to achieving this success. How does the new solution achieve process automation and productivity gains?
- Scalability – for any solution you need to select a solution that fits your organisation both now and in the future. The key to this is cloud based solutions. You need a solution where you can easily add new users and capability over time. To avoid the pitfalls of your Dynamics NAV implementation you need a solution that can be easily updated and amended to meet your requirements.
- Data and MI – Reporting and data should be a key consideration. Being able to accurately track what is happening and forecast what will happen in your organisation will be key to achieving your results.
The upgrade path for Dynamics NAV
For users of Dynamics NAV the obvious upgrade path is to Dynamics 365 Business Central. Dynamics 365 Business Central is a new product based on Dynamics NAV. It has the same range of functionality and business processes but is now in the cloud with a new user experience.
Dynamics 365 Business Central is embedded with process automation and productivity improvements. It comes with full integration with Office 365 including Outlook and Excel. The new user interface also makes it easy for less experienced users to get navigate the solution.
As Dynamics 365 Business Central is cloud based it is completely scalable allowing you to start from one user and grow to as many as you need. The other benefit of it being cloud based is that it is accessible anywhere in the world on any device and is also embedded with artificial intelligence. Power BI is also embedded into Dynamics 365 Business Central, which makes it easy to see how your business is doing. The home page is role-based and presents core information from day 1.