Comparing Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics SL Right Now
If You’re Comparing Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics SL as ERP Options for Your Company, This Article Will Help
Are you currently comparing Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics SL as options for your business? At first glance, it can be difficult to determine the true differences between these two strong solutions.
Consider:
- Both ERP solutions are well regarded
- Both are well supported
- Both are strong choices for any company looking to ease the burden of financial management
- Both options work extremely well for companies in industries such as distribution, professional services, construction, and field services
- Both are developed by world-class software publishers
- Both have won a variety of awards
When looking over this information, it can seem like an impossible task to decide which ERP would be better for your specific company and for your specific needs. That task becomes even harder when you consider that the two ERP solutions are constantly evolving, so it’s possible that the solution that worked best for your company in previous years might not work best for you next year or carry you into the future.
ERP solutions are a large investment of both your organizational time and money, which means you’ll want to make the right ERP choice – for right now and for the future.
To help you make that choice, here are a few important considerations to think about while you are comparing Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics SL right now.
- Look to the Future When Comparing Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics SL
One of the most important points to keep in mind when trying to determine the potential future of any software publisher, is to follow the money. In other words, take time to research where the publisher is investing their funds because that will give you a good idea about what they plan to focus on next.
- Acumatica is investing its money into Acumatica-specific R&D and in industry-specific acquisitions to enhance their ERP.
In practical terms, this means 74% of Acumatica employees are in R&D and that the organization prides itself on being a technology company that focuses on developing, enhancing, integrating, and delivering the most cutting-edge, modern ERP.
- Microsoft is investing its money into building their cloud offerings such as Azure, as well as investing heavily in a range of hardware and software products. Their biggest ERP focus is Dynamics 365.
From Xbox video game consoles and Surface laptops to Windows 10 and Office 365, Microsoft has a wide focus area for their organization. Of course, this makes sense for one of the tech companies that founded the personal computer revolution decades ago – what makes less sense is that they’re investing quite a bit into multiple ERP solutions including SL, GP, and of course Dynamics 365.
In fact, Microsoft’s heavy focus on Dynamics 365 investments and earnings suggests that they’re probably following a strategy of moving all their ERP customers to 365 eventually, which may or may not work for users of the other ERPs.
- Investigate the Latest Developments When Comparing ERPs
Enterprise Resource Planning solutions (ERPs), like all technology, have a limited lifespan. For example: If you’re a Windows user, you’ve likely been receiving many messages in recent months about the end of support for Windows 7 and the need to migrate to Windows 10. Similarly, ERP versions also reach end of support, which requires migration to a new version.
- Acumatica delivers twice-yearly version updates to their software, which are included free for users and are packed with the latest developments.
As of the time of this writing (3/30/20), Acumatica is up to date with 2020 R1, their first update of 2020, and R2 is expected later in the year. All Acumatica updates arrive at predictable intervals, with two major updates per year.
- Dynamics SL delivers cumulative updates as needed, offering new features and integrations.
As of the time of this writing, Dynamics SL 2018 is on CU3 (cumulative update #3), and although Microsoft hasn’t announced a release date for their next update, they have released statements that the ERP will be supported through 2020 and beyond.
- Take a Deep Look at Relevant Features
Once you have an idea of the ERP’s potential future path and roadmap, and you know what version the software is currently on, you can start looking into the details that will impact your day-to-day business operations.
When comparing Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics SL, it is important to take a look at each new version’s latest features. Here is a quick breakdown of the two solution’s new features.
- Dynamics SL 2018 CU3 offers 8 new features:
- Option to look up terms using “contains” or “begins with”
- Multi-user approvals and editing available for GL Journal Transactions
- Better review options for AP Batch Release
- Better review options for AR Batch Release
- Ability to turn off/on End Date Validation in different financial modules
- Additional dashboard for Power BI
- Support for Microsoft Visual Studio
- Report Assistance, which displays each SL report and fields (this is a re-introduced feature)
- Acumatica 2020 R1 offers nearly 300 new features, which touch every module. Some of the biggest updates include:
- Fully integrated Acumatica Payroll module
- Smartsheet integration
- Embedded PDF viewing and editing from within Acumatica, no downloading and saving a local file
- Mobile camera uploads
- Mobile time tracking
- Optimized appointment scheduling
- Wave and batch picking
- Scanless, paperless picking that harnesses IoT
- AI-assisted image recognition and smart tagging
- Microsoft Teams integration that adds context to Teams chats
- Matrix functionality
- Dynamic action buttons that you can configure to streamline your operations
- Seamless eCommerce integration that is always up to date
- Warehouse robot integration
- One-step, machine-learning-powered automatic expense capture and entry that transforms your smartphone picture of a receipt into an expense
- And a lot more
Another critical feature to consider is Access to Training. Good software solutions must release new updates often in our modern, agile business world, and that means that you and your team must be constantly learning about the latest features and benefits you can leverage to get your work done faster and more efficiently.
- Acumatica provides free, comprehensive learning to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Training opportunities include the always up-to-date Acumatica Open University, the comprehensive Help Portal, and the vibrant Acumatica User Group Community, which provides free help, tips, encouragement, and information sharing in groups across the nation and across the world.
- Dynamics SL offers a traditional paid learning approach, with training provided by your consultant upon implementation, as well as on your request. Live webinar training is typically available.
Get More Information for Comparing Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics SL
Hopefully, this article offered you a clear direction on how to determine which ERP solution may be the right choice for your company, now and in the years to come.
Next steps:
- Start researching your ERP options, so you can start planning smart
- Check out ERP white papers and resources
- Contact the experts at SWK Technologies to schedule your personalized demo of each ERP
Get in touch with the SWK Technologies team to learn more about Acumatica and Dynamics SL.
Still have questions? Then take your time and learn more about cloud ERP, research ERP solutions, or evaluate the ERP systems you’re considering.
