Microsoft Dynamics NAV Vs NetSuite
Is business intelligence of strategic importance?
While NetSuite delivers a dashboard and some out-of-the-box reports, its
reporting engine and customization capabilities are limited. For more
complex, forward business planning or industry driven reporting needs, ODBC
connectivity lets companies link to their choice of Third party Business
Intelligence which must be purchased separately.
With Microsoft Dynamics NAV BI and reporting tools users can build reports
without IT assistance and share them across the company (even with users who
do not have Microsoft Dynamics NAV) by using tools that do not have to be
purchased separately (such as SQL Reporting Services, Excel Services, and
others).
NetSuite requires a full user license for people who need only reports or
access to some of the data. With Microsoft Dynamics NAV, people who do not
have an account can access reports and data with the “light” user SKU
(Dynamics Client for Office).
As your business grows?
NetSuite is a hosted solution and therefore has some limitations to its
adaptability to meet your changing business needs. As NetSuite does not
support an on-premise model, the only option is to move to another vendor
solution. Such a migration can lead to complexities related to data
transfer, such as how long the customer has to move data, and if they have
to pay NetSuite during the transition phase.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV is scalable and grows with your business needs
without the need to migrate to another software application.
Software upgrades over which you have no control?
Because the NetSuite software upgrade cycle cannot accommodate all the users
of a multi-tenant environment, the upgrade could be disruptive and happen at
a time when you least favour it.
How critical is response time to your business?
Though NetSuite claims anytime, anywhere access, it all depends on Internet
availability and traffic. With no offline capabilities, user productivity
could decrease if the response time is slow or an Internet connection is not
available.
Performance also can affect response time. Because automated order entries
and electronic batch updates have become commonplace, NetSuite recommends to
limit the size of import transactions at any one time to avoid performance
issues
How important are business continuity and smooth operation with minimal downtime?
NetSuite states: ―Our services are delivered primarily out of a single data
centre. Any disruption of service at this facility could interrupt or delay
our ability to deliver our service to our customers. Our data facility is
located in an area known for seismic activity, increasing our susceptibility
to the risk that an earthquake could significantly harm the operations of
this facility.
Customers can choose to pay extra for accelerated disaster recovery
services, if they do not, and something were to happen to the data centre,
customers could experience lengthy down time that they have no control over.