Business Central ROI from NAV and AX

For many companies, the ERP system has quietly become a bottleneck.

What once supported growth now limits flexibility. Legacy NAV or AX environments require increasing maintenance, complex customizations, and infrastructure investments, while decision-makers are left to navigate critical choices based on incomplete or static data.

The question is no longer if modernization is necessary. The real question is: What is the business case for moving to Business Central, and how fast will it pay back?

To answer that question exactly, Microsoft and Forrester have developed a structured analysis and evaluation tool called the ROI Calculator. This is not a theoretical calculator. It is grounded in Forrester’s Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) methodology and based on interviews and surveys with organizations that have already migrated.

And the results are significant.

According to the Forrester study, companies migrating to Dynamics 365 Business Central achieved 265% ROI, with payback in less than 6 months.

For decision-makers, that shifts the conversation from IT costs to a strategic investment.

From assumptions to documented business value

When boards and management teams evaluate ERP modernization, discussions often revolve around cost, disruption, and risk. The ROI calculator shifts the focus to measurable outcomes.

The Forrester study behind the calculator shows that organizations migrating to Business Central experienced:

• 12.5 – 15.6% productivity improvements across finance, operations, and sales
• Avoided third-party consulting and reporting costs
• Reduced legacy infrastructure and support costs
• Increased sales efficiency and profitability

In the composite financial model, this translated into:

• $729,000 in total benefits over three years
• $529,000 net present value
• Payback in under six months

These are not hypothetical assumptions. They are built on structured interviews and survey data from 160 decision-makers across industries.

The Microsoft ROI calculator operationalizes this framework and adapts it to your organization’s numbers, users, revenue, and infrastructure costs.

Why this matters for decision-makers

For leaders, ERP transformation is rarely about technology alone. It is about:

• Protecting margins
• Scaling without proportional cost increases
• Improving cash flow visibility
• Supporting hybrid work
• Enabling better, faster decisions

Legacy NAV or AX systems often require overprovisioned infrastructure, ongoing partner consulting hours, and manual reconciliations. In contrast, Business Central is a cloud-based platform that scales with demand and integrates natively with Microsoft tools such as Excel and Power BI.

But even when leadership agrees on the strategic direction, the investment decision requires data.

That is where the ROI calculator becomes critical.

A Real-world example: 145% ROI in production

In one production company scenario using the ROI tool, the calculated outcome showed:

• 145% return on investment
• Payback in under six months

For manufacturers operating in competitive markets with tight margins, this is not an incremental improvement; it is a structural advantage.

“Many companies feel that their current NAV or AX solution ‘still works,’” says Angelo Dalle Molle, Business Development Manager for Business Central at AlfaPeople.
“But when we calculate the total cost of ownership and compare it to the productivity and profitability gains with Business Central, the numbers often tell a different story.”

The tool makes hidden costs visible, such as manual processes, delayed reporting, partner dependencies, and lost sales opportunities.

Business Central as a strategic platform, not just an ERP upgrade

The Forrester study highlights not only cost savings but also improved decision-making and customer experience.

When finance closes faster, when sales teams access real-time customer data from the field, and when supply chain decisions are based on accurate, live information, the organization moves from reactive to proactive.

That shift cannot be captured solely through license comparisons.

“The ROI calculator allows management teams to evaluate Business Central from a strategic perspective,” Angelo Dalle Molle explains.
“It transforms the ERP discussion from ‘What does it cost?’ to ‘What value does it generate over three years?’”

For SMBs and Mid-sized Enterprises navigating growth, acquisitions, or increased compliance requirements, that distinction is essential.

Reducing risk in the decision process

One of the greatest barriers to ERP transformation is uncertainty.

• What if implementation takes longer than expected?
• What if productivity gains do not materialize?
• What if costs escalate?

The TEI methodology accounts for risks through conservative adjustments in both benefits and costs.

This makes the Business Central ROI calculator not a sales estimate, but a structured financial model designed for executive-level evaluation.

For CFOs and CEOs, this provides a critical resource: defensible numbers.

From evaluation to action

The modern journey from NAV or AX to Business Central is not simply about moving to the cloud. It is about positioning the company for scalable growth, improved margins, and faster decision-making.

The Microsoft ROI calculator enables leadership teams to:

• Quantify productivity improvements
• Estimate avoided infrastructure and consulting costs
• Model revenue and profitability impact
• Calculate payback period and ROI

Instead of debating assumptions, organizations can evaluate concrete financial outcomes.

And in many cases, the result is clear: standing still is more expensive than moving forward.