At a Glance

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central requires regular minor and significant upgrades to remain secure, compliant, and fully functional. In 2026, making these upgrades is critical to access performance improvements, automation, regulatory updates, and security enhancements. Effective upgrade planning differs for cloud and on-prem deployments, and you may benefit from specialist partner support. Contact Brookland Solutions for support plans and upgrades.

Business Central Upgrades

If your business uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you likely rely on it for a powerful, cost-effective, and comprehensively connected solution. The platform’s easy configuration and built-in process automation simplify day-to-day operations, making it a strong ERP solution.

BC requires regular updates from Microsoft to support its comprehensive capabilities and to enable additional potential integrations to meet specific business needs. These changes mean Microsoft will occasionally introduce new Business Central features and sometimes retire outdated ones. Beyond being simple software updates, these regular Business Central upgrades ensure ERP remains functional and secure as your business grows.

But what do these version changes and upgrades mean for your on-premises or cloud deployment? Why are they essential in 2026? Let’s explore these further in this guide.

Understanding the Types of Business Central Upgrades

Currently, Microsoft releases major updates for Business Central every six months and minor updates monthly.

Minor Upgrades

Typically, minor upgrades are available at the start of each month, with no specific planning needed. These updates include essential application changes and regulatory updates. After the release of an update, you can test its impact in sandbox environments. This step is recommended especially if you have custom integrations or extensions.

Administrators can manually apply the update from the BC administration centre. Microsoft will automatically apply the update following its update window.

Major Upgrades

Significant updates are different, and certain Business Central technical upgrades sometimes require you to take action to avoid any disruptions. These upgrades are available twice a year, in April and October, with previews available up to 2 months before general availability.

If you have a standard Business Central version or applications from ISVs or AppSource, you may not require any support during an upgrade. Microsoft has systems in place to support these updates.

Major Business Central upgrades can bring in new features that make existing ones obsolete. Even though Microsoft will convert the old features into new ones, you need to plan for the conversion. This includes testing the new functionality in a dedicated sandbox environment, addressing any gaps, and capitalising on the latest features.

For custom developments, you may need support from your Business Central partner. Your partner’s role is to test extensions and add-ons developed by the development team during the new version’s preview. Unlike other partners, Brookland Solutions invests time in teaching our clients how to manage major ERP upgrades, such as Business Central. Contact us today to find out which of our support plans is best for your organisation.

Typical Upgrade Paths – On-Premise and Cloud

Let’s take a look at the two typical Business Central upgrade paths: on-premise and cloud.

On-Premise

For on-premises Business Central deployments, new releases must be manually installed on your servers to access the latest features and functionality.

Additional steps to consider planning include:

  • Create an upgrade plan, typically with your Business Central partner
  • Decide how often you want to update. Cumulative monthly updates, every major update, or every two years.
  • Review any hardware or software requirements to understand if the upgrade will operate correctly in your environment
  • Plan for any downtime for the update
  • Keep up with the latest announcements in the Dynamics 365 release planner

Cloud

If your Business Central environment is running in the cloud, Microsoft will automatically apply cumulative updates monthly and new releases biannually.

However, you may want to consider:

  • Managing Per Tenant Extensions
  • Creating a new sandbox environment to test the latest release or preview the version of the next release
  • Preparing for new releases and their features with the Dynamics 365 release planner

If you don’t know where to begin or experience trouble managing the updates, reaching out to a reliable Business Central partner can always help. 

Why Are Business Central Upgrades Crucial in 2026?

Upgrading Business Central has always been the best practice. But in 2026, it’s even more critical when you consider Microsoft’s platform strategy, increasing regulatory pressure, and the innovation in the cloud. Falling behind on Business Central upgrades may introduce unnecessary operational challenges.

Here are the most important factors that necessitate BC upgrades:

Higher Security and Compliance Expectations

Regular upgrades give you access to the latest security patches and improve identity and access management controls. Without these upgrades, you may expose your business to breaches and compliance issues, particularly when personal or financial information is involved.

Performance, Automation, and User Experience Improvements

Business Central releases deliver performance improvements, UI and usability enhancements, improved reporting and analytics, and better automation and workflow tools.

These features improve ERP functionality and value, going beyond what the system can do and more into how well your users can work. 

How Brookland Supports Seamless, Stress-Free Upgrades

Whether you’re running on-prem or cloud, Brookland Solutions can help you create an upgrade plan that works for your business. Our upgrade processes are designed to help you implement the latest versions of Business Central without breaking changes or causing disruptions.

When you partner with us, we take the stress out of the upgrade process with regular, scheduled support from our team of Business Central experts. Our consultants have experience across industries and can help you manage everything from minor version updates to major system upgrades effortlessly. We can also help you with a complete system upgrade from a legacy system or an unsupported ERP.

If you’d like to learn more about our approach, book a consultation with our team today.