Monday, January 28, 2019
At 1ClickFactory, one of the largest cloud on Azure providers, we often get questions from our partners and customers, such as:
- Can the same license for NAV and Dynamics 365 Business Central be used?
- Are Business Central and NAV two different products or the same?
- Is it possible to migrate from NAV to Business Central?
To answer these questions and provide more guidance, we decided to write this brief yet comprehensive blog post.
The recent Microsoft releases have added various changes and confusion in naming, pricing and licensing model and types. One of the adjustments in naming is that from now on Dynamics NAV has been officially named Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. However, it’s important to note that only the naming has changed while the product remains the same.
This blog post will discuss the licenses that can be used on the on-premise version only. Microsoft’s proposed Business Central Cloud as SaaS solution will not be taken into account.
Dynamics 365 Business Central license types
Just as previously, you still have the option to choose between perpetual licensing and subscription licensing. The difference between these two types is that using the perpetual license means paying for it up-front and having permanent usage rights, while with subscription licensing you can use the software only during a certain term which is secured by periodic payments.
According to the latest information, from April 1st, 2019, Microsoft will no longer sell older Dynamics NAV versions to new customers. And if you are using older versions than NAV 2009, then following April 1st you will only be able to upgrade your license to Business Central. Furthermore, the NAV 2018 license cannot be used in Dynamics 365 Business Central and vice versa.
In addition, Dynamics 365 Business Central offers named user licenses instead of the previously offered concurrent user licenses on NAV. A named user license indicates that each user requires a separate user license and these licenses cannot be shared. However, an individual with a named user license may access the service through multiple devices. Microsoft has presented the methodology for how conversion is performed from concurrent users to named users and this information can be found on PartnerSource, Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premises Licensing guide.
Dynamics 365 Business Central user types
There are three main types of Dynamics 365 Business Central users within a license:
- Essential
- Premium
- Team Members
Essential and Premium types are very similar to full users. However, Essential users do not have the possibility to use the service management and manufacturing functionality. Moreover, Essential and Premium users cannot be mixed and matched at an organizational level.
Instead of NAV’s Limited User license, Business Central has a Team Members License. More information about Team Members in the guide.
Changes in pricing for subscriptions licenses
A significant change is planned from October 1st, 2019 which is related to the pricing of subscription licenses. The pricing for both the older NAV versions and for the Business Central version will be aligned and adapted.
If you want to read more about this topic, you can find more information about pricing and licensing on PartnerSource as well.
About 1ClickFactory Self-Provisioning for NAV/Business Central on Azure service
With 1ClickFactory Self-Provisioning for NAV/Business Central on Azure service Microsoft Dynamics Partners can easily deploy Dynamics NAV/Business Central solutions on Microsoft Azure through our platform in 1 hour or less. It’s self-service and available 24/7 on a highly secure and readily supported environment.
Find out more about the 1ClickFactory Self-Provisioning for NAV/Business Central on Azure service or contact us at service@1clickfactory.com about this topic if you are a Microsoft Dynamics Partner.