Frequently Asked Questions

Western Computer is a Microsoft Inner Circle partner, a designation held by fewer than 1% of Microsoft partners globally, with nearly 40 years implementing Microsoft Dynamics and 1,750+ go-lives across North America. 
 

We specialize in a focused set of industries: distribution, manufacturing, food and beverage, wine and spirits, home building, and remanufacturing. That means we understand your operational challenges before the first discovery call, not after. 

We have more than 200 G2 reviews, the majority five-star, and primarily serve mid-market companies with 50 to 1,000 employees and $20M to $500M in annual revenue. That track record is verifiable and we encourage you to check it. 

Yes. Our primary industries are distribution, manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, wine and spirits, home building, and remanufacturing. We also serve rental management companies and private equity-backed businesses managing portfolio operations. 

We do not try to serve every industry. If your business is not in one of these areas, we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit rather than take on a project where we cannot add genuine industry value.

We have more than 150 Dynamics experts across the United States and Canada, including solution architects, developers, functional consultants, customer success managers, and support specialists. Our team is distributed across North America, which means we can serve clients in any time zone without requiring on-site presence for every engagement. 

For projects that benefit from on-site work during critical phases like go-live, we travel. Most of the day-to-day work is done remotely. 

We primarily serve mid-market companies, typically with 50 to 1,000 employees and annual revenues between $20M and $500M. We are not the right partner for a 10-person startup or a Fortune 100 enterprise. 

If you are in that range and operate in one of our core industries, we are likely a strong fit. If your company is outside that range, we will say so directly during the first conversation rather than starting a process that is not right for either side. 

Business Central is designed for smaller to mid-sized companies that need a single connected system for finance, operations, and reporting. It is the most common starting point for companies moving off QuickBooks, Sage, or an older version of NAV. 

Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management (F&SCM) is built for larger, more complex organizations with multi-entity structures, multi-country operations, or high-volume manufacturing and distribution requirements that go beyond what Business Central handles natively. 

Both run on Microsoft's cloud. The right choice depends on your company size, operational complexity, number of legal entities, and supply chain structure. We help you evaluate both during the discovery process and will recommend the one that fits your operation, not the one that generates the larger project. 

You are not required to move immediately, but planning now is better than waiting until you are forced to act. 

Microsoft continues to support older NAV versions, but support windows are narrowing and the product receives minimal new development. Business Central is the modern replacement. It runs on the cloud, receives continuous updates, and includes Copilot AI and Power Platform integration that NAV does not have. 

Microsoft has ended mainstream support for NAV 2016, NAV 2017, and NAV 2018, and older versions receive minimal development. Business Central is the modern replacement. It runs on the cloud, receives continuous updates, and includes Copilot AI and Power Platform integration that NAV does not have. 

Whether you move now or over the next one to three years depends on your current risk profile, customization complexity, and operational readiness. We offer a structured NAV to Business Central assessment that tells you exactly where you stand before you commit to anything. Most clients find it useful to understand the risk picture even if they are not ready to start a project. 

Both are cloud ERP platforms. Dynamics 365 is generally the stronger choice for companies that already work in the Microsoft ecosystem (Office 365, Teams, Excel, Power BI) and want their business applications connected to the tools their team uses every day. 

NetSuite tends to be chosen by companies with simpler operations or existing Oracle relationships. For distribution and manufacturing specifically, Dynamics 365 has deeper native supply chain functionality, stronger warehouse management capabilities, and broader third-party ISV support. 

If you are evaluating both, we are happy to walk through the comparison in the context of your specific operation rather than a generic feature checklist.

Microsoft Copilot is AI built directly into Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365. It allows users to draft, summarize, and automate work inside the applications they already use, without switching to a separate tool. 

Microsoft Copilot is AI built directly into Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365 that allows users to draft, summarize, and automate work inside the applications they already use, without switching to a separate tool. 

In Dynamics 365 Business Central, Copilot can help with tasks like generating sales order descriptions, suggesting inventory replenishment, and summarizing financial data. In Microsoft 365, it works across Outlook, Teams, Excel, and Word to help your team move faster on routine work. 

Copilot requires a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot license in addition to your Dynamics 365 subscription. We help clients assess which users will see the most value before recommending how many licenses to purchase.

There is no single answer, and any partner who quotes a fixed price before understanding your requirements is guessing. 

Implementation cost depends on your user count, number of locations and legal entities, complexity of your current processes and any existing customizations, how much data needs to be migrated, and which Dynamics 365 modules you need. For a mid-market distribution or manufacturing company, a Business Central implementation typically ranges from $75,000 to $300,000. Finance and Supply Chain Management projects are generally larger. 

Our free ERP cost estimate tool on the website gives you a realistic range based on your specific situation in about five minutes. It is a useful starting point before any conversation with a partner. 

Dynamics 365 uses a per-user, per-month subscription model. License tiers are based on what each user needs to do. Full users who need read and write access across all modules pay more than team members who only need limited access to view data or complete specific tasks. 

Licenses are purchased through Microsoft or through a Microsoft Cloud Solutions Partner like Western Computer. We help clients buy the right license mix from the start rather than over-purchasing across the board. The right structure depends on your user roles and how your team interacts with the system.

Yes. Microsoft charges for software licenses on a subscription basis. Western Computer charges separately for implementation services, customization, training, integration work, and ongoing support. 

Some partners bundle licensing into their service agreements. We keep them separate so you always know exactly what you are paying for and can adjust each independently. If you decide to move your support to a different partner at some point, your license relationship with Microsoft stays intact. 

We are transparent about this distinction from the first conversation. 

As a general rule, an ERP or CE implementation can take 6 to 12 months or more, depending upon many factors, including your requirements, the complexity and scope of the project, changes to the initial scope, responsiveness during the project, and so on. It’s important to work closely with your implementation partner to determine your timeline, accommodating all applicable variables.  

Yes, and for many companies we recommend it. A phased approach lets you go live with core financials and operations first, stabilize the system, and then add more complex functionality in later phases. It reduces risk, makes change management more manageable, and means your team is not trying to learn everything at once. 

How you phase depends on your operation. Common approaches include phasing by module (finance first, then warehousing), by location or business unit, or by company if you have multiple legal entities. We will recommend the right approach during scoping based on your priorities and risk tolerance. 

Determining your core team is one of the most important steps you will take in preparation for the project. With the right resources in place, your project will run much more efficiently. Think of who in your organization is best suited to handle the project's demands and knows your current system and workflows well. Roles include a project sponsor, project manager, and subject matter experts who understand your processes and can be available to answer questions and provide guidance to your partner. 

The biggest risk to any project is lack of communication and commitment of resources. To reduce the risk of derailing your implementation, ensure that you have: 

• A project team that is committed and available, 

• Managers or executives, including a project sponsor, who are prepared to make decisions, and 

• A plan for keeping stakeholders informed of what's going on with the project 

The most common causes for delays are turnover of key personnel—either on the customer’s or their partner’s side, change orders, scope creep, data that has not been properly prepared for migration, and lack of responsiveness or decision-making by leadership on the customer’s side. It is important to be aware of and have a plan to address these issues before the project starts.  

We start with a data assessment during discovery to understand what you have, what condition it is in, and what needs to come over. Not all historical data is worth migrating. We help you decide what to bring into the new system and what to archive for reference. 

For the data that does migrate, we clean and validate it before it moves and run parallel testing to confirm accuracy before go-live. Data migration problems are one of the most common causes of implementation delays, and we treat it as a distinct workstream with dedicated attention rather than an afterthought at the end of the project. 

This can vary depending on which application you choose. If you are implementing Microsoft Dynamics, we recommend that you buy your licenses in phases: a few licenses at first to support a small project team, then more licenses as your users are brought onto the new system to start testing. This approach is flexible and cost-saving. 

This is often what companies assume when planning an implementation. However, while the idea of starting fresh on a new system on January 1 sounds appealing, be aware that the most intensive, time-consuming stages of the project will occur over the holidays. Make sure you have a solid understanding of your project timeline, then look at your calendar to determine the best date for go-live. 

Typically, you will continue to have the support of your partner’s project team for four to six weeks after go-live. At that point, you have the option of engaging with your partner for managed services. Western Computer offers Managed Support Services experts who provide committed IT service and guidance, projecting your support costs, alerting you of potential issues, and keeping your solution performing and delivering. Also, we encourage all users of Dynamics products to engage with the user community and attend conferences and other educational events. In an environment where software is constantly evolving, it’s important to stay up to date on technology and best practices.  

We offer several options depending on how much ongoing involvement you want. 

Standard support gives you access to our helpdesk for break/fix issues and questions during business hours. Managed Support Services gives you a dedicated team that handles proactive monitoring, update planning, system health reviews, and faster response times, with predictable monthly costs instead of unpredictable per-incident billing. 

Many clients start with standard support after go-live and move to Managed Support Services as their system matures and they want more proactive involvement. We do not push everyone toward the more expensive option. The right choice depends on your team's internal capacity and how much you want to manage independently. 

Managed Support Services clients have access to after-hours emergency support for issues that affect business operations. Standard support clients have access during normal business hours. 

If your operation runs multiple shifts, has time-sensitive order processing, or operates across time zones, we recommend discussing your specific needs during the sales process so we can match you to the right support coverage. Do not find out your coverage gap during an incident. 

Microsoft releases two major updates per year for Dynamics 365 Business Central, typically in April and October, plus smaller monthly updates. You have a defined window to apply each major update on your own schedule before it becomes mandatory. 

As part of ongoing support, we monitor upcoming changes and flag anything that may affect your customizations, integrations, or workflows before the update lands. One of the main advantages of cloud ERP over on-premises systems is that you are always on a supported, current version. The old model of multi-year upgrade projects at significant cost is gone. 

Yes. We offer role-based training designed around how your team will use the system, not generic product training from a manual. 

Training is built into every implementation and can be delivered in several formats: live sessions during the project, recorded libraries for ongoing onboarding of new users, and refresher training as the system evolves. We can also train your internal trainers so you have someone who can handle routine questions internally without logging a support ticket for every new hire. 

It starts with a conversation, not a proposal. 

You book a demo or discovery call with one of our industry specialists, tell us about your operation and what is driving your evaluation, and we show you what Dynamics 365 looks like running in a scenario relevant to your business. If there is a fit, we scope the project, provide a detailed estimate, and give you time to make the right decision without pressure. 

The typical path from first call to signed agreement is four to eight weeks, depending on how complex your evaluation is and how many stakeholders are involved on your side. 

That is fine, and it is more common than you might think. Many of our longest-term clients first contacted us a year or more before they were ready to move forward. 

We are happy to answer questions, share resources, and stay in touch without any commitment on your side. If you want a useful starting point, our free ERP assessment gives you a clear picture of your current situation and a realistic cost range for a move to Dynamics 365, with no obligation. It takes about five minutes and gives you something concrete to take to your leadership team. 

It is a fair concern and one we hear often. Staffing instability is one of the most common complaints about ERP implementations, and it causes real damage when a lead consultant who knows your system leaves mid-project. 

Our approach: senior consultants lead engagements from discovery through go-live and stay involved in ongoing support. We document everything during the project so the system knowledge is never locked in one person's head. We also have lower-than-average turnover relative to the industry, which is reflected in the number of G2 reviews that mention specific team members by name years into the relationship. 

We cannot promise zero turnover. We can promise that if a consultant changes, the handoff is managed and your project does not restart from scratch.