Business Central

06 Aug 8 Benefits of Migrating to Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud (SaaS)

Posted at 10:58h in Triangle Know How by

According to a report recently presented by IBM Spain, in 2019, for the first time, the cloud market for companies in Spain will exceed the “no-cloud” technology business (54% cloud vs. 46% non-cloud). In addition, 98% of companies are planning to use a hybrid cloud in the next three years.

Many businesses invest time and money in starting with an ERP, in order to get take their company to the next level, but they don’t innovate when they decide to stay in the same version for many years. Keep in mind that you are paying your Annual Enhancement Fee to Microsoft to have the possibility to migrate, but you are not getting any benefit from it since you are not taking advantage of the enhancements of the new versions. What is clear is that, without a migration strategy, the ERP project becomes boring and leaves little room for modernization.

Having a migration plan is essential to remain competitive and adapt to the new market rules. It makes no sense to remain unaware to improvements, functional, operational, reporting, performance, and Artificial Intelligence. In addition, it is essential that this migration strategy is supported in the SaaS modality, but first we should ask:

What is a SaaS?

The Software as a Service model allows users to have access to an application based on the cloud and access it through the Internet. In these services, you log in through the Internet, often from a web browser or any device connected to the network. No local installation is required. The service includes both the infrastructure, hosting and the license to use the product, which is usually in a monthly subscription.

8 Benefits of Migrating to Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud (SaaS)

  1. Cost and time

The time and initial cost of starting an ERP SaaS solution is significantly lower than on premise, since there is not an installation item and the set-up is more agile.

When analyzing the costs, you must not forget those derived from electricity, hardware, IT maintenance and space that require on-premise installations.

  1. Always updated

Technology advances and in the ERP sector as well. Dynamics 365 Business Central, previously known as Navision and Dynamics NAV, has announced two new versions annually. Companies that work in the SaaS mode will always be with the latest version without adding any cost. This means keeping up-to-date with developments both at the functional and development levels.

In addition, as you will be taking advantage of the new functionality that will make your day to day more efficient, it is very likely that you will save customized developments of functionality that you want and that Microsoft is already incorporating to the new versions. For example, forecasts with AI, automatic billing, sending the SII, new workflows, etc.

On the other hand, in terms of modifications and customizations you should bear in mind that, if they are developed with the appropriate development methods, they will be portable to future versions without any problem. The same thing doesn’t happen on-premise, where customizations may not be so easy to transfer from version to version.

  1. Short update cycles

Traditionally, on-premise migration projects require months of analysis, planning, development, testing, etc. In the SaaS mode, which has two annual releases, you will experience a shorter update cycle.

Start testing the benefits of the new version in a complete copy of your production data before uploading. Focus on inspecting what new features your growth strategy can support and when you’re ready to update the production version. It’s that simple

  1. Forget about infrastructure maintenance

If you work on the SaaS model, it will not be necessary for you to perform any server hardware updates or repairs ever again.

Free your IT team from the tasks related to server maintenance and backups so they can dedicate themselves to other jobs that add value. Think that Microsoft has a great team that will be responsible for the security and update of the servers and also backups.

In addition, as you will updated continuously, and you will have the confidence that you never forget an update that could compromise the security of your data.

  1. Adjustable monthly

The costs associated with licensing can be regulated monthly, so that you can size the number of users according to the anticipated needs. Take full advantage of the elasticity and scalability provided by the SaaS model of Business Central Cloud in terms of monthly adaptation of licenses.

  1. Performance

SaaS systems are designed to ensure maximum performance and are able to adapt to your changing needs. In contrast, in local installations performance and application speed will depend on your own servers and the agility of your IT engineers. The cloud is much better suited to changing businesses and gives you a quick scalability of the platform.

  1. Overcome the gap

The cloud opens the door to a whole world of innovation that you will be oblivious to if you work on-premise. As information is more easily shared, your ERP becomes a collaborative tool. Being always to the latest version, you can benefit from the industry news (Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Insights, and Flow). In this way, you will get the most out of your competitive advantages and avoid falling into the innovation gap.

On the other hand, do not forget that if you work in SaaS mode you can also integrate your ERP with the other market applications that make up your apps ecosystem. Take full advantage of Flow’s possibilities for integrations and the apps available in AppSource to connect all your relevant business applications to Business Central.

  1. Accessible everywhere

The SaaS model allows you to access your ERP data from wherever you are, at any time and from any device. You can access your ERP from any Internet browser or from the native apps for mobile and tablet. Also, think about the flexibility that it gives you if part of your equipment is in mobility (commercial, installers, maintenance, etc.). They will be able to complete their work without any impediment and without the need to complete any task when they arrive at the office.

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