One of the critical responsibilities of organizations seeking success is to keep up with fast-evolving technologies. As Microsoft’s mainstream support for Dynamics AX 2012 ends in October 2021, switch to D365 F&O (Finance & Operations), also known as Dynamics 365 Finance and SCM or Dynamics 365 commerce, is needed.
In this post, we’ll look at the key advantages of upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics AX to Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O. We will discuss why switching to Microsoft D365 F&O could be your best business decision. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Reasons to Upgrade to Microsoft D365 F&O
One of the reasons to ditch AX 2012 is that Microsoft has stopped upgrading Dynamics AX for a long time, which means the application is becoming largely irrelevant over time.
Furthermore, when most applications and businesses are migrating to the cloud, sticking with on-premises technology would place you behind your competition. In a nutshell, migrating to a web-and-cloud-based solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the best approach to keep your business afloat in this highly competitive market and get a competitive advantage.
10 Benefits of Microsoft D365 F&O Over Microsoft Dynamics AX
1. Web-and-Cloud Based Solution
The architecture is the first important reason to switch from Dynamics AX to D365 F&O. On the one hand, Dynamics AX is an on-premises platform, which means customers must host the application on their own physically onsite servers. Dynamics 365, on the other hand, is a cloud-based product hosted by and on Microsoft’s Azure cloud service. Cloud-based services have a lot of advantages, including the fact that you do not have to manage the entire ecosystem since it is maintained by the service provider itself. Moreover, unlike Dynamics AX, which can only be accessed via desktop, Dynamics 365 allows you to access the service via all the browsers and OS, and allows you to use it at any time.
2. Regular Software Updates
Another compelling reason to migrate from Microsoft Dynamics AX to Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the continuous enhancement. When you choose D365 F&O (Finance & Operations), you will get iterative software upgrades on a regular basis, making your software more powerful and feature-rich. The technology also allows you to pause three updates in a row. Furthermore, all the updates are not mandatory to be installed, and you can choose which new features to activate and which to disable. Continuous improvement will assist in getting the most up-to-date technology, thereby enhancing your business’s performance, productivity, and profit. Not to mention, regular system upgrades also relieve your IT personnel from the responsibility of upgrading or maintaining the system.
3. Extensive Set of Innovative Features
Another advantage to switching from Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365 F&O is the innovative and extensive set of features. D365 is said to have around 3700 features and vertical solutions tailored to specific industries. These features are associated with several horizontal functions like finance management, human resource management, manufacturing management, inventory management, purchasing management, quality management, sales management, and product technology.
All these functions and features work together to make D365 F&O the all-in-one ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution that every organization requires. These elements also operate in tandem to significantly boost business performance, efficiency, and customer happiness.
4. Intuitive Interface
One of the most noticeable differences between Dynamics AX 2012 and D365 F&O is the user interface. Dynamics AX offers a typical ERP user interface, and users must access the application from the desktop. In comparison, the UI of Dynamics 365 is modern and user-friendly. Unlike Dynamics AX, it can be accessed via web & mobile browsers, allowing users to use it from anywhere, at any time. All you need is an internet connection and a device to get started.Additionally, the Dynamics 365 F&O interface includes a section called Workspaces, where users may build custom queues and links to help them with their everyday tasks. Overall, Dynamics 365’s user-centric design allows users to access services more efficiently while also boosting individual and collaborative experiences.
5. On-demand Scalability
Dynamics 365, being a cloud-based ERP solution, allows scaling services as and when needed. In contrast to Dynamics AX 2012, where scalability was a big concern, Dynamics 365 F&O allows you to scale your services as your business grows. This also implies that you won’t have to make a big upfront investment. You can begin with the very minimum pack of services and gradually increase your resources as your company grows. Besides, you can also scale down or scale up the services based on the size of your team, budget, and modules & apps that your team requires. Ultimately, the subscription-based model of D365 F&O (Finance & Operations) makes it a more cost-effective solution since there is no resource wastage as you have to purchase only the services you require rather than a complete package.
6. Enterprise-Level Security
Another compelling reason to migrate from Microsoft Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365 F&O is robust enterprise-level security. Dynamics 365 is capable of preventing all forms of malicious attacks and data leakage. The security architecture of D365 F&O ensures that only verified users have access to relevant data and can execute the actions that they are authorized to perform.Further, the system provides you with total visibility of your data as well as security across your entire firm. This will eventually make it easier for you to discover risks and respond to possible attacks as needed. Additionally, Microsoft compliance management assists you in configuring your solution in accordance with regulatory requirements, keeping you safe from non-compliance penalties.
7. Multiple Integration Support
Dynamics 365 F&O, being one of the best ERPs as well as CRMs on the market, can be integrated with a variety of Microsoft products, including the Office 365 suite. In addition to Office 365, D365 F&O can also be seamlessly integrated with the latest Dynamics 365 CRM (Sales & Customer Service), Power BI, PowerApps, Power Automate and Cortana.Not only can it be integrated with Microsoft products, but it can also be easily integrated with a variety of third-party business applications and services such as SAP, Oracle, Service Now, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Marketing Automation Tools, OneNote, and 300+ connectors.
You can also integrate the D365 F&O with Microsoft Power Automate Connectors to boost productivity by automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Also, by integrating Dataverse, you can securely store and manage data used by business applications.
Microsoft D365 F&O’s simple integration feature enables businesses to collaborate with multiple business applications and services to enhance productivity and performance. Besides, it enables organizations to consolidate all platform data into a single location and comprehensively analyze them in order to revise or devise the strategy as needed.
8. Enhanced Customer Experience
All of the advantages of Microsoft D365 F&O over D365 AX 2012 allow you to improve business operations and provide better customer service. For example, multiple integrations will allow you to collect data from multiple platforms and integrate it into one. This will allow you to properly assess them and develop a customer-centric strategy or scheme that enriches the customer experience.Also, the on-demand scalability will allow you to serve customers even during peak periods with ease. Moreover, strong security will ensure that the customer’s confidential data remains entirely safe. All of these advantages will eventually boost customer trust in your brand.
9. Cost Savings
When you transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 from Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O (Finance & Operations), you can count on one major benefit– cost savings. The initial cost of upgrading may be slightly higher, but the long-term benefits provided by the solution considerably outweigh the one-time investment. As previously stated, D365 is a cloud-based platform that allows you to pay for only the services that you use.In addition, you won’t have to pay for the costly on-premise infrastructure required by Dynamics AX. You also no longer need to keep personnel to look after and maintain this ecosystem. Moreover, the system’s AI capability will assist you in reducing a variety of additional unnecessary expenses or resource leakage. All of these advantages will certainly save you a significant sum.
10. Combined Benefits of Dynamics 365 With Power Platform and Azure
Another significant advantage of upgrading from D365 AX 2012 to Microsoft D365 F&O is that you get the benefits of Microsoft Power Platform, D365 Apps, and Azure– a cloud computing service.
The Power Platform and Dynamics 365 Apps empowers organizations by providing exclusive services and features such as consolidating all business data into a single platform, improving data accuracy, simplifying compliance management, and streamlining reporting processes, among other things.
Similarly, Azure will offer you excellent flexibility and security, as well as an efficient pricing model and an Azure software development kit. It also has a simple and effective disaster recovery system, advanced data analytics and allows you to optimize costs.
In Summary
These are the 10 primary reasons why you should upgrade from D365 AX 2012 to Microsoft D365 F&O. We hope that this information has helped you comprehend why it’s time to move to Microsoft D365.
DynaTech Systems is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with CMMI Level 3 certification. We assist businesses in developing the best digital transformation strategy by harnessing the potential of Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure Cloud Platform, and our unique, industry-specific services. Are you interested in upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operation? Get in touch with us right away!
