I often come across people who ask me: ‘At Vokeso, you implement Dynamics 365, don’t you?’

My answer is always: ‘Yes… but no.’

I see that there is a lot of confusion regarding Microsoft’s business solutions portfolio.

Telling someone you’re using Dynamics 365 is like saying you’re driving a Ford vehicle. There’s a huge difference between an F-150 and a Mustang!

Personally, I prefer the Mustang.

You will understand that Dynamics 365 is in fact a brand representing a portfolio of solutions for businesses. There we find the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software packages: Finance & Operations (F&O), Business Central (formerly NAV), Great Plains (GP) and SL (Solomon). The latter now being pretty much a vestige of times gone by. In this portfolio of solutions we also find Customer Engagement, which is Microsoft’s CRM.

To better situate yourself, here is a little more information on these platforms.

Dynamics 365 Business Central Finance & Operations is a first-tier enterprise level cloud ERP. It includes different modules which can be subscribed to separately including Finance, Commerce, Supply Chain Management and Human Resources. This solution is the most expensive ERP to subscribe to and implement at Microsoft.

Dynamics 365 Business Central is a second-tier cloud solution, also available on premise, which is primarily aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. It is a robust and functionally deep platform but not as much as F&O and therefore less expensive than the latter. Business Central is offered in two versions: the Premium version which includes all modules and the Essentials version which excludes manufacturing and service management.

Dynamics 365 GP is also a solution aimed at SMEs but it is only available on the cloud through an Azure deployment. This is therefore a hybrid deployment. Microsoft has just announced the end of support for GP as of September 30, 2029. It’s still a long way off, but it will come quickly. GP customers may consider migrating to Business Central and this is what Microsoft recommends.

Microsoft Dynamics SL, formerly known as Solomon, is also a management software package aimed at SMEs with a focus on finance and project management. Support for this solution was discontinued in September 2021 and it is no longer possible to purchase licenses unless you are already a client. Existing customer can benefit from extended support until July 2028.

Personally, I prefer Business Central.

In conclusion, Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement includes the Sales module to manage the sales cycle, Customer Service to support after-sales service, Marketing for… marketing, Field Service which supports interventions by technicians and Project Service Automation.

Interestingly, the latest version of Business Central now includes integrations between its Service Management module and Field Service.

Even though Business Central offers a CRM module, Customer Engagement remains the flagship of Microsoft’s CRM solutions.

Please don’t hesitate to write if you have questions or comments.

Cordially,

Sylvain.

 

Last updated: November, 2024