8 facts you need to know about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Written by TD SYNNEX | 22 January 2026 10:02:09 Z

Modern businesses face a host of challenges: rising competition, tighter margins, and ever-increasing customer expectations. To stay ahead, they’re using technology to gain a competitive edge. ERP solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central are enabling businesses to scale without added pressure to hire, become more efficient, and support strategic decision-making. But what exactly is Business Central, and how does it help businesses grow?

What is Business Central?

Business Central is an all-in-one ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution that links operational and financial data together on a single unified platform with advanced automations, resource planning capabilities, and analytics.

As a certified Microsoft partner, we’ve seen firsthand how Business Central helps businesses become more efficient and strategic. Instead of relying on spreadsheets and disconnected systems, they’re able to use end-to-end business data (in real time) to make strategic improvements and quick decisions that drive growth.

For those interested in Business Central, here are eight facts you need to know about one of the fastest-growing ERP solutions on the market.

Fact 1: Business Central unifies your operations

Many SMEs still rely on fragmented systems – spreadsheets for finance, standalone inventory tools, and manual processes for purchasing. Business Central brings everything together, consolidating finance, inventory, sales, purchasing, and customer data into one platform.

This allows teams to work smarter and more collaboratively, for example, a sales team member can check stock availability without switching apps or logging in to a different system.

Fact 2: It provides real-time financial visibility

Business Central offers live dashboards, budget tracking, and reporting tools that give finance teams and business owners full visibility. Which means that delayed access to financial data is a thing of the past.

With Business Central, teams can monitor their cash position, invoices, and expenditure as they happen, rather than waiting for end-of-month reports. Automated reporting also ensures your business remains compliant with HMRC regulations without the usual administrative burden.

And, if you need to adjust pricing or launch a promotion, you can do so quickly and confidently to protect your margins.

Fact 3: Business Central scales with your business through modular adoption

Business Central supports modular adoption, allowing organisations to start with essential features and add capabilities as their needs evolve.

This helps organisations quickly see a return on their investment, as teams can focus on delivering value from a targeted set of tools during the initial rollout. This also makes onboarding and employee training simpler, further decreasing time to value.

This approach is especially valuable for businesses moving away from legacy systems. Modular adoption enables IT teams and senior leaders to map out a technology roadmap well in advance, while still retaining the flexibility to make last-minute changes. There’s no risk of being locked into a rigid contract or facing penalties, so businesses can adapt their strategy as their needs evolve.

Fact 4: It improves inventory and supply chain management

Inventory control is critical for SMEs, where excess stock ties up capital and shortages impact customer satisfaction. Business Central provides end-to-end visibility and automation to help manage stock levels and procurement more efficiently.

With Business Central, you can forecast demand and automate reordering, helping you avoid both stockouts and overstocking. The platform also enables you to track supplier performance and lead times, so you can make smarter purchasing decisions and strengthen your supply chain.

Fact 5: It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft technologies

Business Central integrates effortlessly with the wider Microsoft ecosystem, helping UK SMEs unlock advanced analytics, streamline collaboration, and significantly reduce admin overhead.

These integrations not only improve day-to-day operations but also ensure you get the most value from your existing Microsoft investments.

The most common integrations include:

Copilot: Copilot is embedded directly within Business Central and uses AI to automate repetitive tasks, generate reports, and deliver intelligent insights, enabling teams to make faster, data-driven decisions without manual analysis.

Dynamics 365 Sales: This integration bridges the gap between sales and finance, so sales teams can access real-time inventory and pricing data within their CRM, while finance teams can view orders and invoices directly in Business Central, improving coordination and reducing delays.

Power Platform & Power BI: By connecting Business Central to Power BI, you can build real-time dashboards, create cross-functional reports, and make data more transparent across departments.

Microsoft 365: Integrations with familiar tools like Outlook, Excel, Teams, and Word mean employees can access Business Central data within the apps they already use, which boosts productivity and reduces context switching.

Microsoft Entra ID: Single sign-on across Microsoft services simplifies identity and access management, and role-based access controls ensure the right people have the right level of access, improving both security and user experience.

Fact 6: Business Central is great for remote management and working

Business Central’s cloud-first approach ensures secure access from any location or device – pairing perfectly with the now commonplace hybrid & remote working styles.

This means that teams can access live business data whether they are working from home, on-site, or on the move, ensuring continuity and flexibility.

Also, by operating in the cloud, your business avoids the cost and complexity of maintaining on-premises infrastructure.

Fact 7: It includes enterprise-grade security and compliance

Business Central runs on Microsoft Azure and is secure by design. It includes encryption, single sign-on (SSO), audit trails, remote monitoring, and threat detection (at no additional cost!)

These enable your business to meet GDPR and other regulatory requirements with ease. While ensuring that financial and customer-related data is protected by multi-layered security protocols.

Fact 8: Business Central is highly customisable (and has CRM capabilities!)

Business Central can be tailored to suit your industry, whether you're in retail, manufacturing, or professional services.

You can add industry-specific modules such as point-of-sale, field service, or production planning to meet your unique requirements, and pre-built apps from Microsoft AppSource are available – so you can extend functionality without the need for expensive custom development.

Business Central also includes light CRM features to help SMEs manage customer interactions and service delivery. This means that all your customer order history, preferences, and service cases become accessible in one place, making it easier to deliver excellent service. Automated follow-ups and service reminders also help teams to drive customer retention and meet customer expectations.

Want to learn more about Business Central?

For a full breakdown of the benefits of Business Central (and tips on how to implement it), download our SME guide.

Or, if you need help with implementation or want to review your current technology setup, contact our expert team.

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