The selection of a new print MIS/ERP solution is anything but easy! The choices can seem overwhelming, with many solutions having a lot in common. And once you’ve made a choice, it can be very unappealing and costly to change your mind. Therefore it’s super important to execute this process carefully and completely, taking into consideration all relevant aspects.
PrintVis provides powerful, print-specific MIS functionality within the base ERP of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365 BC). While we usually highlight the many different features and benefits that PrintVis brings to your graphics business (see here and here. And here. And here!), it’s also worthwhile to explore the tremendous perks of the base ERP that is Business Central.
While every organization may prioritize their needs and wishes differently, these 11 reasons are commonly referenced in decision-making processes that result in the smart choice of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
- A complete and modern solution
In many companies, the information system still looks like a kind of patchwork. Often there are simply too many applications, poorly integrated. Or when they’re not integrated at all you see different user interfaces, different content definitions and non-standard support of your business processes. This often leads to misuse, manual input, more mistakes and redundant data. Companies around the world select D365 BC because it is a complete and modern solution that offers a full integration of accounting, manufacturing, projects and customers.
- Large numbers of users with continuous growth
D365 BC and its predecessor Dynamics NAV (also known as Navision) together have more than 180,000 customers all over the world. D365 BC is the successor of Dynamics NAV and this solution has matured rapidly. Four years after the first release there already are more than 30,000 organizations using D365 BC – and that number currently grows at a spectacular 60 percent year over year. One of the main reasons organizations select Business Central is because it is a solution that wins the trust of large numbers of customers – which in turn fuels continuous innovation and further growth of the solution.
- Innovation that never stops
The extent to which an ERP vendor is innovative mainly depends on financial possibilities, skills, domain knowledge and dedication. Microsoft is the industry leader when it comes to the size of their research & development budgets. In the last fiscal year, the company has spent $24.5 billion on R&D. On top of that, the company has extensive skill sets and expertise in a variety of domains, from ERP and artificial intelligence to machine learning and employee productivity. From data analytics and CRM to Infrastructure as a Service. A choice for D365 BC is a choice for a stream of innovation that never ceases.
- The flexibility of the solution
Traditional ERP solutions were infamous for their inflexibility – and some of them still are! Once implemented, it’s hard to change these solutions. And if you decide to change, it is complex, expensive, and time-consuming – not a very wise approach in today’s fast changing business world, right? D365 BC is well known for its flexibility. The solution is easy to adapt, often based on parameters, so that customizations can be avoided. That’s good news for the D365 BC implementation partners who can develop great add-ons for the specific needs of sectors and industries. Customers can also do much of this work themselves, which limits dependency.
- The international availability
Today’s business world is basically borderless. Even small organizations can seize opportunities to do business across borders. This development makes the international availability of your ERP solution of choice a crucial element. Think about languages and currencies, while also being compliant with local customs and accounting rules. D365 BC is available today as a fully localized version for over 100 (!) different countries around the world. That’s more than any other ERP vendor offers. These countries together cover 80 percent of the worldwide GDP. A choice for D365 BC means the freedom to do business internationally – without borders!
- The international partner network
Having localized software versions in so many countries around the world is of course great, but as a customer you also need local BC skills and implementation capacity, as well as local support. Preferably in your own time zone, spoken in your own language and with people that understand your local culture and behavior. Microsoft has an extensive network of 4,000 certified implementation partners worldwide. These partners are active in every country where the company delivers localized versions of D365 BC. This ensures you of the best support on site!
- The availability of a detailed roadmap
Offering a great ERP solution to the market today is one thing – making sure that this solution is constantly being adapted and improved is certainly of great importance as well! After all, you want to work with your new ERP solution for many years, right? Microsoft provides detailed roadmaps for D365 BC and shares this information on a publicly accessible website. On this site you can see the functional and technical improvement plans for the upcoming versions. But you also have access to the availability and localization per country. And even to the availability of support and maintenance per software version. Clear, always up to date, and first-hand.
- The tight integration with other Microsoft products
We all know that no ERP solution is an island. After all, ERP data is relevant for many other applications in your organization. Microsoft recognized this in good time and made the Dynamics 365 solutions the central part of the company’s intelligent cloud platform. D365 BC is strongly integrated with the popular Office 365 application, including important end-user apps like Outlook, SharePoint and Teams. But there is also a tight integration with Microsoft solutions like D365 Customer Engagement/CRM, Power BI, Azure, Power Apps, portals and dashboards. Microsoft is committed to further expanding this platform approach.
- A popular and well-known User Interface
One of the most important parts of an ERP solution is the user interface (UI). That makes sense since the accessibility and the user-friendliness determine the extent to which your end-users use the system (properly). The BC UI looks familiar to the Office365 suite and to popular products like Outlook and Excel, which is logical since both products are built by Microsoft. Entire generations grew up and still use these in school and at university. So a choice for D365 BC leads to a better end-user adoption while also making savings on your training budgets – not just during your initial implementation but also during the use phase when you are hiring new colleagues.
- The availability of 3,000 standard solutions
Traditionally, heavy customizations can lead to big problems in ERP usage! Microsoft and their implementation partners (including PrintVis) decided to focus more on the benefits of standardization. The partners create add-ons or so called ‘extensions’ that they can publish on AppSource – the app store for Dynamics 365. Today there are already over 3,000 different extensions available on AppSource, for countless functions, markets and industries. They are all officially certified by Microsoft! For D365 BC customers this is a great way to expand functionality while avoiding customizations, and to do so good, fast, cheap and low risk.
- Microsoft’s ambition to make D365 BC the best ERP solution for SMBs in the world
When making a choice for a new ERP solution, every organization seeks security and business stability. This is logical of course because it concerns large and long-term investments. And you would definitely want to use the new solution for at least the next 10 years. Microsoft is the biggest IT vendor in the world, and the undisputed number one when it comes to research & development efforts. Microsoft has the clear ambition to make D365 BC the best ERP solution in the world for small and medium businesses. Many customers love this ambition and drive to invest and improve continuously, and to ensure continuity.
What better way to build trust and longevity?
A Pledge of Continuous Improvement
PrintVis is a print-specific MIS based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. For 25 years we’ve been adding and continuously improving the functionality that print companies need to manage all aspects of their daily production. And because PrintVis is a seamlessly combined solution on a proven, powerful ERP platform from Microsoft, you can trust that the system will still be reliably serving your business many years from now.
A Standard Solution for Minimized Implementation Time
PrintVis is a standard system with a deep vertical focus on the print industry and always focusing on repeatable implementations. We are continuously working on minimizing implementation time, so our customers will have a smoother and faster go-live.
If you would like to try it out yourself, you can start a free trial or if you prefer to see a demo you can book a demo here.
Let us know if you have questions about implementation or would like to connect with a PrintVis Partner – contact us now.
Join us next Thursday for a free, live overview demo of PrintVis!