In the world of ERP solutions, there are a large number of providers often with particular target markets. At the mid-level, there are three significant players Microsoft, SAP and NetSuite.
The following is a comparison of Dynamics 365 Business Central, SAP Business One and NetSuite.
| Area | Dynamics 365 BC | SAP Business One | NetSuite |
| Pricing | £52.80 per user per month – BC has simple all-inclusive pricing. Enhancements and upgrades are all included in the monthly figure, and there are no additional license costs. Also, there is a team member pricing of £6 per user per month, for view and reporting capabilities. | Although not published, conversations with consultants working within the software indicate £155 per user per month. Future enhancements are all part of software maintenance. However, these related to the role and level of access within the business, thereby making it complicated. | £99 per user per month – NetSuite pricing is tremendously complex. Many times, NetSuite customers end up paying more than their original quote. NetSuite has a low-entry fee with its subscription-based model. However, rates can alter at any time, and it’s more expensive in the long run. |
| Industry Customisation | BC combines the industry expertise of local partners as well as ISVs. They have developed add-ons, which are available from the Microsoft App Store and are purchased as a plug and play add-on with all the backing training materials and support. | ERP is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. SAP Business One and local partners work with you to design and implement a system that meets the unique needs of your business. Not only is SAP Business One developed specifically for growing small to mid-sized companies, but also subsidiaries with more complex needs. | NetSuite’s SuiteSuccess program is a combination of pre-configured editions for specific industries. Ideally suited for companies with more straightforward needs, it is prescriptive and tells the customer how they should run their business. It does not address the requirements that are unique to your company and industry. |
| Quality Service | BC is sold via the partner network, thereby ensuring the local expertise is present during project, implementation and delivery. Support is consistently maintained, and if unhappy with the partner, the customer can transfer to any other reseller through Microsoft. | SAP Business One uses a high-touch service model. A local partner, staffed by real experts, works with you to understand your operations and to design a system specific to your business. You have a choice of implementation methodologies, and your partner is there for consistent support. | SuiteSuccess methodology tells you how to run your business, instead of developing a solution specific to your business. With no partner to work with who understands your business, customers have remote-only interaction with an overseas support centre. |
| Data Availability | BC data centres are with Microsoft Azure. Therefore software, as well as the data centre, is owned and operated by Microsoft. The data centres are regional and replicated in the same region. | SAP Business One Cloud is a certified solution that is supported by multiple data centres around the world. However, these data centres are owned and operated by Amazon and therefore is not a SAP Business One data centre. | NetSuite has just three data centres and they are all owned by NetSuite. |
| Deployment Options | With BC, you can choose to have your ERP deployed through the Cloud, on-premise or a combination of both, depending on your needs. | With SAP Business One, you can choose to have your ERP deployed through the Cloud, on-premise or a combination of both, depending on your needs. SAP Business One customers can also switch whenever they want. |
NetSuite boasts that their product is Cloud only – but this can be very limiting. If you prefer to host and store your data within your walls, NetSuite does not have an on-premise offering. |
| Performance | BC is already optimised in terms of performance. As the whole product and data centre is under the Microsoft umbrella, all performance issues are already highlighted and dealt with as millions of users are using Microsoft Azure. | The SAP HANA advantage. SAP Business One users have access to the enterprise-grade HANA platform at an SME price. The volume of data for SME’s is increasing. SAP HANA can handle this volume while still delivering reports and analytics at blazing-fast speeds. | NetSuite performance has been an issue with customers. The performance of the system tends to degrade when additional workflows or custom scripts are included. NetSuite does not have anything in place, similar to SAP HANA. |
| Data Ownership | Access and analyse your data whenever you want. With BC, you own and control your data. | Access and analyse your data whenever you want. With SAP Business One, you own and control your data. | NetSuite does not allow direct access to your data. You must pay extra to access industry-standard interfaces, which makes it expensive to export your data outside of the NetSuite environment. |
| Flexibility with Upgrades | As BC can be on-premise or in the Cloud, you can have the system upgraded as you desire or have automatic scheduled upgrades. The automatic ones give you the option of when upgrades happen, with sandbox capability before the live upgrade. | In addition to your choice of deployment, you also have flexibility to choose when you have your SAP Business One upgrades deployed. The customer has complete freedom to decide when to upgrade, and there are no upcharges to set up a test environment. | NetSuite dictates when upgrades occur. NetSuite’s ERP systems are deployed within a multi-tenancy environment, and system upgrades are deployed simultaneously to all customers at NetSuite’s discretion. |
| Integration with Other products | Out of the box, BC integrates with the primary Microsoft (Office) 365 products and other Dynamics 365 products such as Power BI, Power Automate, etc. It appears as an icon in the Office 365 “waffle”, thereby allowing for same sign-on details to be used instead of separate usernames and passwords for each application area. | SAP Business One integrates with other products, but needs consultancy services involved. Separate usernames and passwords are required for Office 365 applications and Business SAP One applications. | NetSuite integrates with other products, but consultancy services are needed. Separate usernames and passwords are required for Office 365 applications and NetSuite applications. |
| No. of Customers worldwide (approx.) | 160,000 | 60,000 | 35,000 |
References:
www.vision33.com
www.syvantis.com
www.news.sap.com
www.bluebridgeone.com
www.erpheadtohead.com
Some information required in the above list was not readily available online or in referenceable formats. As such some information has been obtained verbally through conversations with partners and consultants in the industry. If you feel any of the information above is out of date or inaccurate please get in contact with us or leave a comment and we will endeavour to change the above.
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