Why Choose Dynamics 365 Business Central vs NetSuite?
When considering Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs NetSuite, a thorough evaluation of functionality, user-friendliness, scalability, and industry focus is essential. Let's examine some highlights of these top criteria for selecting leading ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions.
Cost
Dynamics 365 Business Central - Generally, Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365 BC) is more affordable for SMBs (small to medium-sized businesses), with pricing based on user licenses and specific modules needed. They provide transparent pricing with options for Essentials and Premium plans, making it flexible for different business sizes and needs
NetSuite - NetSuite's costs tend to be higher, reflecting its robust features and scalability. This pricing structure is ideal for larger organizations with intricate needs, operating on a subscription-based model that varies based on user count, modules, and customization levels. NetSuite’s pricing structure is complex and generally more expensive than Dynamics 365 Business Central, which has a simpler pricing model.
Functionality and GlobaL Reach
Dynamics 365 Business Central - D365 BC offers comprehensive ERP functionalities, including finance management, supply chain, inventory, sales, purchasing, project management, and service management. It is designed with robust global capabilities to support multinational companies. Microsoft’s robust security framework ensures that Business Central complies with global data protection regulations such as GDPR. D365BC also complies with international standards such as IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards).
NetSuite - Offers a comprehensive array of ERP capabilities encompassing financial management, CRM, e-commerce, inventory, supply chain, and human capital management. The NetSuite SuiteCloud Platform provides businesses with various customization options using SuiteScript, SuiteTalk, and SuiteFlow, empowering them to personalize the system according to their unique requirements. NetSuite is a good choice for businesses that need multi-currency and multi-subsidiary operations, positioning it as the perfect choice.
Customization and Integration
Dynamics 365 Business Central - Extensive customization options are at your fingertips, with a wide range of extensions ready for exploration on Microsoft AppSource. It seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft products such as Office 365, Power BI, and Azure, enhancing productivity and data analysis capabilities.
NetSuite - NetSuite has designed its user interface, business logic, and NetLedger (now known as Oracle NetSuite) using a specialized language called SuiteScript. This unique code language requires the expertise of developers or integrators familiar with SuiteScript. Essentially, SuiteScript is based on JavaScript, which explains the many pre-built integrations available for NetSuite. Interestingly, JavaScript has been around for 25 years. Former NetSuite users often face challenges in finding individuals skilled in SuiteScript.ght on the prevalence of pre-built integrations in the NetSuite ecosystem.
User Interface and Adoption
Dynamics 365 Business Central - The interface is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, particularly for individuals already familiar with other Microsoft products. Its navigation and layout seamlessly align with the style of other Microsoft tools, enhancing user experience and productivity. The popularity of Microsoft Office applications results in a smoother learning curve and adoption for D365BC users.
NetSuite - This is a modern and customizable interface, though it may appear more complex to users unfamiliar with ERP systems. The learning curve and adoption can be more difficult due to its comprehensive range of features and customization options, which require more in-depth training for users.
Scalability
Dynamics 365 Business Central - Designed to scale with growing businesses, suitable for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It can handle increasing transaction volumes and user counts efficiently. D365 BC is available both as a cloud service and on-premise, which provides flexibility depending on the business needs.
NetSuite - NetSuite is highly scalable and caters to businesses of all sizes, including large enterprises with complex requirements. Its cloud-native architecture ensures seamless scaling without performance degradation. Since NetSuite is exclusively cloud-based, it offers benefits like automatic updates, high availability, and reduced IT overhead.
Industry Focus
Dynamics 365 Business Central - has broad industry applicability with specific functionalities for manufacturing, retail, distribution, professional services, and non-profits. Vertical solutions offer industry-specific capabilities and extensions through the D365 BC partner network and AppSource.
NetSuite - NetSuite has established a significant footprint across diverse industries, including software, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail, e-commerce, and professional services. Tailored Industry Editions are readily accessible and feature pre-configured modifications designed to meet the unique needs of specific sectors, delivering functionalities and best practices right out of the box.
Support and Community
Dynamics 365 Business Central - Microsoft offers Dynamics 365 Business Central customers extensive support options through various support channels, including documentation, community forums, and direct support. Dynamics 365 Business Central certified consultants and resellers are typically the best resources for implementation, training and support. D265BC is based on Dynamics NAV, which has existed since the late 1980s. A large and active user community provides customers with peer support and knowledge sharing.
NetSuite - Oracle offers various support plans, including Basic, Premium, and Advanced Customer Support (ACS), tailored to different business needs. Similar to D365BC, it also has an active user community and extensive online resources, including training materials and user forums. As certified Dynamics 365 BC and Dynamics 365 F&O consultants, we get many comments from NetSuite customers who are considering switching off NetSuite due to disappointing implementation, training, and support.
Overall, Dynamics 365 Business Central is the perfect fit for small and medium-sized enterprises seeking an affordable and user-friendly ERP solution with seamless integration into the Microsoft ecosystem. On the other hand, Oracle NetSuite caters to larger enterprises that can handle getting up to speed with a more complex system. Implementations must have the resources to handle rapidly expanding companies with intricate global operations demanding extensive customization and scalability. While both platforms offer robust ERP functionalities, the decision ultimately hinges on the business's specific requirements, size, and industry focus.
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The Clients First Texas office is known for its vertical expertise in manufacturing, job shops, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) for aviation or heavy equipment organizations. We support leading Cloud ERP solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply and Acumatica Cloud ERP. Our MRO solution, ProMRO, integrates with Microsoft Dynamics 365. We also have customers in other industries, including make-to-order/engineering job shops, project manufacturing, field services, and wholesale distribution. In addition, we have a deep knowledge of legacy ERP solutions like Dynamics AX (formerly Axapta) and Dynamics NAV (formerly Navision).
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