Microsoft has named many of its products Dynamics 365, which often confuses a lot of people. In this short post, I will give a clear overview what is the difference between the two.
What is Dynamics 365?
Dynamics 365 refers to a family of ERP and CRM products by Microsoft:
History of Navision and Axapta
Axapta was first developed in collaboration between IBM and Danish Damgaard Data (founded 1983) and released in March 1998. In November of the same year, IBM returned all rights to the product to Damgaard Data.
Navision first originated from PC&C A/S, founded in 1984. The first accounting package was released in 1985 as a single-user application with basic accounting functionality. Because of the success of the product, the company renamed itself Navision Software A/S in 1995.
Damgaard Data merged with Navision Software A/S in 2000, which was later acquired by Microsoft in July 2002. Microsoft rebranded the two softwares under the names Microsoft Dynamics AX (former Axapta) and Microsoft Dynamics NAV (former Navision).
In 2017 Microsoft Dynamics AX was renamed to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. Now the product is divided into two Dynamics 365 Finance and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management.
In 2018 Microsoft Dynamics NAV was renamed to Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations vs. Dynamics 365 Business Central
While both are world-leading ERP platforms, Finance & Operations is designed more for large global enterprises and is fully localized by Microsoft. On the other hand, Business Central is more aimed toward small- to medium-sized businesses and all localizations need to be done manually.
Finance & Operations gives a wider range of functionality and you can piece together and customize the functionalities that you need. It is great with more complex supply chain and production processes, consolidating, optimizing picking routes, and the use of mobile devices.
Business Central is an all-in-one stand-alone solution with limited functionality and limited customization.
Because Finance & Operations gives a wider range of functionality, it can be a bit pricier solution, while Business Central's limited functionality can be a cheaper option.
How much does it cost to use Dynamics 365 for my business?
It is difficult to say without getting to know your business. The price per user can range from 97€ to 175€ per month. Contact us and we will give you a quote.