Affordable ERP System: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
This article is about the Affordable ERP System of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365BC) ERP system. License prices, the richness of functions, scalability & upfront costs are discussed in this article.
This article is extracted and credited to Edocation. The full version was published on 20 January 2020 and is available at https://edocation.ca/blog/it/erp/affordable-erp-system-microsoft-dynamics-365-business-central/.
1. License Cost
There are three major types of D365BC licenses:
– Team Member: CAD 10.20* (8 USD) – this license works best for users who need only to read the data (e.g., a manager or a salesperson may only need to run a financial report) or be able to perform a limited number of actions (e.g., a field worker may only need to create a timesheet or prepare a quote, etc.).
– Essentials: CAD 89.60 (70 USD) – this license type is for users who need to be able to read, create, and otherwise manage the data (e.g., operation department members, accountants, IT admins may need to post a sales invoice, issue a corrective credit memo, process general G/L journal, etc.).
– Premium: CAD 128.00 (100 USD) – this license is for companies that use Manufacturing and/or Service Modules. It includes all the advantages of the other two license types. Also, it gives access to the setups and pages necessary to run the manufacturing (e.g., set up BOMs, Routs, complete a production order, etc.) and service (e.g., set up service items, issue a service order, etc.) modules.
Additional Note for Licenses
It is possible to combine Team Member with any other two license types. However, it is impossible to combine Essentials with Premium licenses. For example, it is possible to purchase 3 Team Member licenses for field workers and 2 Essentials licenses for the accounting manager and inventory manager. However, it is impossible to purchase Premium licenses as well. In other words, there can only be one major/full license type in the system – either Essentials or Premium.
As compared to other ERP systems, including D365F and D365SCM, D365BC licenses are more affordable.
Importantly, educational institutions (students and faculty members) and nonprofit organizations may be eligible for discounts on any license type. This makes D365BC affordable in a variety of industry and sector contexts and for universities, colleges, and charitable organizations.
If you would like to discuss how many and what type of licenses your company should benefit from most, contact us. We can also help you understand Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central license prices for nonprofit organizations, students, and faculty.
2. Rich Features
D365BC is well known for its easy, quick, and flexible financial reporting and other features. Users can run and create financial reports, generate complex inventory, job/project/service, and other data. The user interface, which may be familiar for people who use other Microsoft applications (e.g., Excel), makes the work comfortable and efficient. It is also possible to modify the interface for added efficacy. Free documentation, forums, and educational videos from around the world are available to all D365BC users.
Microsoft Power Platform (incl. Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents) integrates seamlessly with D365BC. Other Microsoft products (e.g., Outlook, Excel, etc.) and beyond can be integrated through the open API or with the help of Power Automate if API is inaccessible and further improves the efficiency and effectiveness of workflows.
Creating financial reports, processing complex business data, integrating with Power Platform, and using other features of D365BC can be achieved without any external (developers’) help; therefore, companies using D365BC can save time and money by taking advantage of the rich functions without having to deploy other software or requesting external help.
3. Scalability
D365BC is scalable – it grows with the company. This ERP system can sustain the growth quantitatively (e.g., more users, more companies, more integrations, more financial reports, etc.) and qualitatively (e.g., new modules, new environments, new features, etc.).
It is also possible to scale the system down. This may be necessary, for example, to increase efficiency and to decrease the monthly license cost. For instance, it is possible to start using 4 Team Member and 4 Essential licenses instead of 8 Essentials licenses. It is also possible to have one device license (e.g., workshop computer) instead of 50 individual licenses for each workshop worker.
Thus, companies can easily scale up or down with D365BC to be more efficient and keep the system more affordable.
4. $0 Upfront
There are three popular hosting environments on which D365BC can be deployed: on-premises, on Azure (AKA “Personal Cloud”), and on Cloud (AKA ‘SaaS’). On-premises deployments require hardware and software infrastructure (the server, the backup environment, etc.) in place before installing D365BC. This option usually requires an in-house IT department to manage the infrastructure. Thus, the infrastructure and its maintenance need to be budgeted for by the companies planning to host D365BC on-premises.
Azure deployments of D365BC require no hardware infrastructure but require software installation and a proper environment set up to meet the business needs. Therefore, while this method allows companies to save on hardware, some upfront cost (to prepare the environment – usually taken care of by a Microsoft Partner, such as Edocation) is needed.
Lastly, on Cloud hosting environment is an easy and cost-effective way of getting started with D365BC as it requires neither hardware nor software infrastructure. Moreover, even D365BC deployment can cost $0 with Edocation packages.
Thus, it is possible to meet business objectives by deploying D365BC on-premises, on Azure, and on Cloud. The cheapest way is usually on Cloud deployments, which Edocation can implement starting from $0.
Bottom Line
D365BC is an affordable ERP system. Its licenses are available starting from CAD 10.20 per User/month; students, faculty member, and nonprofit organizations may get their licenses at an even lower price. Rich features of the system help increase value per dollar spent. This ERP software scales up and down easily to meet business needs efficiently and effectively. Finally, $0 upfront cost ensures that small, medium and big companies can get started with Microsoft D365 Business Central on budget.
* All the license prices specified in this post are for on-Cloud hosting. These prices are from the official Microsoft website and were accessed on the day of the publication of this post; the prices may change, and they are not a sales quote – contact us to confirm the prices. The prices are subject to the applicable taxes (calculated separately).
