The Investments in implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can pay back in less than six months, according to Forrester research

April 2026

Small and medium-sized companies that have already outgrown basic operational management tools often cannot afford complex and expensive ERP systems required for scaling and optimizing business processes. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud AI-powered ERP system developed by Microsoft to meet the needs and capabilities of small and medium-sized businesses. The system is an affordable, comprehensive solution that covers all areas of a company’s operations and enables transparent management of finance, sales, service, production, supply chains and warehouse logistics in a single information environment, as well as providing reporting and analytics to support informed management decisions.

The recently published Forrester Total Economic Impact research helps estimate the potential financial impact of implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Leading research and consulting firm Forrester conducted interviews with four business leaders who have experience using the ERP system from Microsoft. The respondents noted that before the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, their organizations relied on inconsistent tools across departments and struggled with aging on-premises solutions and manual processes. This required regular system maintenance, led to errors and limited the ability to scale operations. After implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, the respondents were able to retire legacy solutions, automate manual processes and scale their operations, resulting in improved finance teams’ productivity and a noticeable increase in profitability.

Forrester consolidated the respondents’ experiences and modeled a single composite organization that, according to the study, could achieve the following results from implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central:

• more than 200% return on investment (ROI) over three years;
• over $460,000 net present value (NPV) over three years;
• payback of the initial investment in six months.

The research also identified several areas where a composite organization can achieve tangible, risk-adjusted benefits over three years of using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central:

• automation of numerous billings, accounts payable and accounts receivable processes, increasing finance team productivity by up to 50% and reducing period close by up to 30%;
• reduction in total cost of ownership of the system by more than 10% through cutting maintenance costs for outdated on-premises solutions;
• the ability to make fast, data-driven decisions based on real-time data, leading to increased profitability;
• faster reporting and a 30% reduction in audit preparation time through consolidated access to financial data and built-in Microsoft Power BI capabilities;
• automation of manual processes, reducing billing errors, accelerating invoice delivery and processing, and simplifying new customer onboarding;
• additional modules for marketing and sales teams that enable following the lead funnel, increasing conversion rates and improving financial performance;
• more efficient warehouse management, faster picking and packing processes, as well as reduced inventory cycle times;
• intuitive interface and improved user experience;
• increased team productivity with the built-in AI assistant Copilot and AI-powered intelligent agents.

“We had a mix of systems. And it was costing us a lot of money to maintain. We had some people who built it in certain languages and when they left, we had to go find other people who could maintain it. We wanted to start consolidating everything down into one system. That’s why we moved to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central”, commented one of the respondents, the COO of a professional services company.

“It puts everything in one place. So timekeeping, expense reports, accounts payable, accounts receivable, all this stuff is in one place, and it’s just much easier”, emphasized the Senior Vice President of project delivery and operations at a manufacturing company.

“Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central has enabled us to harmonize our processes…making them more efficient and thereby saving both cost and time spent on administrative or routine factors”, noted the CFO of a financial company.

If you would like to experience the financial effect of using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or receive a consultation on the cost and options for implementing a cloud AI-powered ERP system specifically for your company, please contact Innoware specialists by phone at +971588894591 or email erp@innoware.ae