Every business needs efficiently managed finance and operation functions to thrive. They’re the backbone of any organisation, allowing you to keep processes moving smoothly.
Having the right management system is crucial to streamlining finance and operations. Microsoft is the market leader here, offering two prominent options under their Dynamics 365 umbrella: Business Central (BC) and Finance & Operations (F&O).
Both platforms have significant overlap, which can make it tricky to decipher the best option for your business.
If you’re weighing up D365 BC vs F&O, this guide is for you. We’ll explain the key differences and who is the best fit for each solution.
Understanding Business Central_
Business Central is a comprehensive business management solution designed specifically for small to medium-sized businesses. It acts as a central hub, streamlining core business processes and providing a unified view of operations. It delivers essential functionalities in a user-friendly and accessible package.
Key features of Business Central include:
- Robust financial management, encompassing general ledger, accounts payable and receivable and bank reconciliation
- Basic supply chain management capabilities, handling purchasing, inventory and sales order processing
- Integrated sales and CRM functionalities for managing customer relationships and sales pipelines
- Project management tools allow for resource allocation, task tracking and project costing
- Basic manufacturing capabilities for light assembly and production needs
One of Business Central’s primary strengths is its ease of use. Its intuitive interface and familiar Microsoft environment make it easy for users to adapt quickly. Furthermore, its quick implementation cycle means businesses can start reaping the benefits sooner rather than later.
Being a cloud-based solution, it also offers flexibility, accessibility and automatic updates, reducing the burden on internal IT resources.
Adding to Business Central’s capabilities is the integration of Microsoft Copilot. This AI-powered assistant is designed to enhance productivity and provide intelligent insights directly within the BC environment. Copilot can assist with tasks like:
- Generating product descriptions: Copilot can create compelling and accurate product descriptions based on existing data, saving time and improving consistency.
- Analysing financial data: Copilot can provide quick insights into financial trends, helping users identify patterns and make informed decisions.
- Drafting sales emails: Copilot can help users create personalised and effective sales emails, streamlining communication and improving customer engagement.
- Forecasting inventory needs: By analysing historical data, Copilot can assist with more accurate inventory forecasting.
Understanding Finance & Operations_
Finance & Operations (F&O) is a powerful, enterprise-grade ERP solution designed for large, complex organisations with global operations. It provides comprehensive capabilities for managing intricate financial processes, optimising supply chains and driving operational efficiency across diverse business units.
Unlike D365 Business Central, F&O is built for advanced customisation and handling the demands of multinational corporations. It also excels in managing intricate business processes.
Its core features include:
- Advanced financial management, supporting multi-currency transactions, consolidation and comprehensive financial reporting
- Complex supply chain management, enabling demand planning, advanced logistics and detailed inventory control
- Extensive manufacturing capabilities, F&O supports discrete, process and lean manufacturing methodologies
- Advanced project management tools, including resource planning, project costing and time tracking
- Global compliance features for adherence to international regulations and localised requirements
One of F&O’s key strengths is its scalability. It can handle massive data volumes and support complex operational flows, making it ideal for growing enterprises. Its customisation capabilities allow for tailored solutions to meet specific industry needs and unique business processes. Furthermore, F&O offers robust reporting and analytics, providing deep insights into operational performance.
The integration of Microsoft Copilot in F&O holds significant potential for enhancing productivity and decision-making. Copilot can assist with:
- Financial forecasting and analysis: Copilot can analyse complex financial data, generate forecasts and provide insights into potential risks and opportunities.
- Supply chain optimisation: Copilot can help optimise inventory levels, predict demand and identify potential supply chain disruptions.
- Automating compliance reporting: Copilot can assist in generating and validating complex compliance reports, reducing manual effort and ensuring accuracy.
- Generating and analysing complex project proposals: Copilot can analyse data from previous projects and generate new proposals based on that data, saving time and improving proposal quality.
- Assisting with complex data entry and validation: Copilot can validate large amounts of data and assist in data entry, reducing errors and improving efficiency.
What are the key differences between D365 BC vs F&O?
While BC and F&O cover similar business areas, there are critical differences to be aware of.
This table covers the main differences, and we dive into more detail below.
1. Scalability_
BC is designed for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The focus is on streamlining core business processes, making it suited for organisations with simple operational needs. While it can scale and support growth, this will work best while you remain in the SMB category. It typically covers one to 500 users.
F&O, on the other hand, is designed for large, complex enterprises, up to 2000 users. It can handle complex global end-to-end operations and high transaction volumes, making it ideal for those with more extensive needs.
2. Functionality_
BC offers essential functionalities like financial management, sales, purchasing, inventory and basic manufacturing. It also provides a standardised approach. While customisation is possible, this isn’t deep. Due to this, BC is easy to use and can be quickly implemented.
F&O has more advanced functionality, including complex supply chain management, advanced financial reporting and extensive manufacturing capabilities. It also offers extensive customisation options to meet unique business requirements.
3. Financial management_
A common misconception we come across is that BC doesn’t have advanced financial management capabilities. This isn’t true. BC has automated bank reconciliation, cash flow projections, fixed asset tracking and support across multiple currencies. In short, it has everything a small to medium sized business would need to thrive.
However, F&O’s financial capabilities are more advanced. This is largely because it’s built for bigger organisations, requiring complex reporting, audit trails and more.
Both BC and F&O provide inter-company reporting, allowing to streamline processes between different legal entities. However, in F&O, this is more centralised, which may be a necessity if you have strict compliance standards to adhere to.
4. Implementation and cost_
BC generally has a faster and less complex implementation process, usually between one and six months, due to light-touch customisation and functionality. This also results in lower upfront costs and more affordable licensing, with prices starting from £57.50 per user, per month.
For F&O, implementation is typically longer (around six months to a year) and more complex due to the advanced level of customisation. You can also expect higher costs, with licenses starting from £147.90 per user, per month.
5. Customisation and integration_
BC does offer customisation, with a wide range of extensions and apps to utilise. It can also work alongside tools like Copilot and Power Platform to drive greater customisation. This is on top of its seamless integration with other Microsoft 365 applications.
Typically, these are simple integrations, which can make them easy to manage long-term and speed up implementation.
F&O provides more extensive customisation capabilities with advanced development tools. There is also deep integration with a wide range of enterprise systems and technologies. Even very complex integrations are possible.
6. Long-term management_
BC is designed for agility and adaptability, allowing SMBs to scale as they grow. This also streamlines management of the system. It’s user-friendly, making maintenance easy as your business evolve.
Cloud-based updates provide continuous improvements and new features, reducing the need for major upgrades.
F&O is also built for scalability, with an emphasis on addressing the changing needs of large enterprise. Again, you’ll benefit from cloud-based, regular updates.
However, it is more difficult to manage, largely due to the extensive configuration and customisation options involved. This means it will require more specialised IT resources for ongoing management and maintenance.
7. AI_
Over the last few years, BC has been increasingly incorporating AI features, primarily through Microsoft Copilot integration. Copilot assists with tasks like product description generation, financial analysis, and sales email drafting, placing emphasis on enhancing user productivity and providing intelligent insights within core business processes. As regular updates continue, we’re like to see more AI features within BC.
F&O leverages AI for advanced analytics, predictive forecasting and automation of complex processes. It can be used for supply chain optimisation, financial risk assessment and compliance reporting.
AI capabilities are also deeper, allowing data-driven decision-making in large-scale operations. It can also handle very large data sets.
8. Reporting_
BC offers built-in reporting tools for standard business functions. It provides integration with Power BI for more advanced data visualisation and analysis. Reporting is user-friendly, with a focus on providing insights into core business performance.
F&O provides more robust and comprehensive reporting capabilities for complex financial and operational data. This includes advanced analytics, real-time dashboards and customisable reports, designed for in-depth analysis of global operations and complex financial structures. Once again, Power BI can be embedded to elevate reporting.
D365 vs F&O: which does your business need?
Choosing between Business Central and Finance & Operations hinges on a thorough evaluation of your business’s specific needs and characteristics. You’ll want to ask questions like:
- Do we handle a high volume of transactions and require sophisticated financial management?
- Are our supply chain and manufacturing processes complex and globally distributed?
- Are our processes standardised, or do they require extensive customisation and industry-specific functionalities?
- How many integrations with other systems are necessary? Are these integrations relatively simple, or highly complex?
- Do we operate in industries with strict compliance and regulatory requirements, such as manufacturing or finance?
- How do we anticipate our business growing in the next 3-5 years?
Factors like your size, budget and timescale for system implementation will also come into play.
Who is Business Central best for?
Business Central is likely the best solution for you if you sit at under 500 users, with relatively simple processes that can fit a standardised approach. It’s ideal for anyone seeking a cost-effective, all-in-one solution.
These businesses often require a system that can be deployed rapidly and is simple to manage. They can benefit from strong financial management tools, basic supply chain features, streamlined sales processes and AI power.
Companies in industries like wholesale distribution, professional services, and light manufacturing often find Business Central to be a perfect fit, providing the necessary tools to scale and grow.
How is Finance & Operations best for?
Finance & Operations is better if you’re a larger organisation, up to 2000 users, with complex manufacturing, finance or compliance requirements that mean you need a system with greater customisation.
This includes global organisations with multiple locations and currencies, companies requiring advanced manufacturing and supply chain capabilities and businesses needing industry-specific solutions. These businesses often operate in industries like manufacturing, retail and distribution, where complex processes and global reach are essential.
If you’re still not sure what’s the best option for your business, our Dynamics 365 consultants can discuss your needs and guide you to the right path.
Getting started with Business Central_
We specialise in Business Central deployments, having been named a finalist for Microsoft’s Business Central Partner of the Year in 2024. If Business Central is the right solution for you, we can work with your organisation to prepare, customise, implement and maintain your new ERP system.
We can also identify ways to help you get more value from your system, leveraging cutting-edge advancements in AI, automation and more. Find out more about how Business Central is driving value for business, backed by Copilot, below:
