Empowered for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Empowered for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a powerful ERP straight out of the box. However, adding certain additional functionalities can further enhance business operations and deliver improved outcomes. While add-ons can add new features or change existing ones without modifying code, some process requirements may need bespoke development.
This is where Empowered for Business Central stands out. It’s an industry-specific extension that improves the standard functionality of Business Central SaaS. Empowered was created as a solution with pre-built functionalities to address common challenges, while reducing the need for custom development.
With Empowered for Business Central, you can:
- Get extra functionality that is not included in Business Central 365
- Get a comprehensive package
- Go live faster with Business Central 365
- Switch on and off functionality based on the need
- Have access to all newly released features for the same price
Book a consultation with our team to learn more about Empowered and if it’s the right fit for your business.
Empowered for Business Central – Industry Suites
Empowered Business Central is available in multiple suites with industry-specific focus. Each suite is designed to support common operational workflows in that industry.
Empowered Business Central for Retail is a collection of bridging industry solutions which enrich the Business Central experience for the retail industry.
It includes:
- POS and cash register support
- Advanced retail pricing, promotions, and discounts
- Payment terminal integrations
- Better item visibility and attribute management
Empowered Business Central for Professional Services supports service-led businesses in managing projects, time, and clients better.
Benefit from:
- Advanced project and sub-project management features
- Time registration and detailed time tracking
- Costing and margin visibility
- Complaint and case management workflows
Empowered Business Central for Manufacturing is a solution to support planning, production, and quality-driven operations in manufacturing.
Expect:
- Centralised production planning and scheduling
- Manufacturing-grade quality control processes
- Rental management for tools/equipment
- Paperless factory floor visibility
Empowered for Wholesale and Distribution businesses supports multi-warehouse and logistics-dependent environments.
Capabilities include:
- Lifecycle management for stock and suppliers
- Improved stock and pricing control
- Inbound logistics and container handling
- Advanced pricing for high-value trading
The Challenges Empowered Addresses
Businesses look beyond standard Business Central when they want solutions for specific workflows unique to their operations.
Common challenges that businesses need bespoke solutions for include:
Managing Complex Job Costing and Margins
In construction, services, and project-led businesses, costs are spread across multiple jobs and phases. They need to track labour, subcontractors, materials, and overhead costs in great detail. Moreover, margins need to be monitored in real-time.
A specialised solution like Empowered allows better visibility into projected versus actual costs, along with better job and project cost tracking.
Improving Advanced Contract and Revenue Management
Many businesses follow long-term contracts and have complex billing schedules that go beyond simple invoicing.
You may need a specialised solution to manage contract lifecycle, retentions, claims, reconciliations, and percentage-of-completion.
Detailed Operational Reporting for Better Insights
Many SMEs can struggle with overly relying on spreadsheets for insights, inconsistencies in inter-departmental data, and delayed visibility into performance.
Standard Business Central does provide solid financial reporting. However, specialist solutions like Empowered can deliver real-time insights into project status or operational efficiency. It can provide better support to managers and directors in making informed decisions.
Read More
Empowered Business Central was developed to address the various challenges in the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem. Integrating Empowered enables Business Central to deliver more standard functionality to end users, resolve major business challenges, and scale businesses without additional resources.
Empowered vs Custom BC Development – Which One is Right for You?
When your business is looking for solutions beyond standard BC, typically, you have three approaches:
- Bespoke Business Central add-ons and extensions
- Standalone ISV tools
- Structured Enhancement Solutions like Empowered for Business Central
Understanding the differences among these approaches is essential to making the right long-term decisions.
Empowered vs Bespoke Business Central Extensions
Tailored BC extensions are built specifically for one organisation and are ideal for genuinely unique requirements. However, Empowered is a pre-built, structured solution rather than a one-time development effort.
Bespoke extensions offer maximum flexibility, but Empowered supports faster deployment and lower long-term maintenance.
Empowered vs Standard ISV Tools
Standard ISV tools, such as project management tools and reporting systems, operate outside BC and are connected through APIs or connectors.
In contrast, Empowered operates natively within BC, maintaining data in a single system while avoiding duplication.
When Empowered Might Not Be the Right Fit
Empowered for Business Central promises strong capabilities for many businesses, but it may not be the optimal solution for highly specialised or narrowly focused needs.
Empowered may not be ideal for:
- Highly unique needs outside established industry patterns
- Organisations that need minimal improvements beyond standard BC
- Narrow, specialist functions that can be met by ISV tools
- Restricted budgets that look at short-term fixes over long-term solutions
Read More
In these scenarios, Empowered can still play an important role as a structured foundation. Where Empowered delivers part of the required functionality, it can be complemented with tailored Business Central extensions or third-party tools to bridge the remaining gaps and deliver a fully aligned solution.
How Brookland Solutions Supports Empowered for Business Central
Brookland Solutions is a longstanding Microsoft Partner with over 2 decades of experience serving the varied needs of SMEs. Our team of consultants have extensive experience and expertise in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central services, from standard implementations to bespoke solutions.
We look at addressing the challenges your organisation wants to solve. We only recommend Empowered for Business Central as a part of a well-rounded strategic solution that adds operational value to your business.
Read More
Our role as a partner includes:
- Understanding and assessing your industry-specific requirements in depth
- Implementing and configuring the Empowered solution aligned with the existing setup, with UK-compliance
- User adoption, training, and ongoing support
- Long-term support to remain compatible with regular BC updates
Book a consultation with our team to discuss your requirements and find out whether Empowered is right for you.
