Dynamics 365 Business Central support: your questions answered

Whether you’re searching for a Microsoft Dynamics 365 support partner to deliver your Business Central implementation and support, or looking to make a straightforward Business Central support swap, you’ll inevitably have lots of questions along the way. 

Here are ten questions on the tips of tongues when you talk to us about Dynamics 365 Business Central support and making Tecman your new Dynamics 365 partner. Let’s take a look at the answers… 

What makes Tecman the best fit for my manufacturing or distribution business? 

We might be Dynamics 365 specialists, but there are plenty of people in Team Tecman who double up as manufacturing and distribution experts, too. 

Because we specialise in manufacturing and distribution, we have a really good grasp on the operational challenges you face – and we know how to support you in getting the very best out of your Business Central system.  

Our sister brand, Clever Dynamics, has a whole host of apps created in-house to make Business Central hyper-relevant to the manufacturing and distribution sector. We also have Delivered!, our out-of-the-box Business Central implementation method created purely to help distributors roll out a tailored version of Business Central quickly and cost-effectively. 

What’s involved in the support onboarding process? 

We know that having an insight into what happens after you express interest in swapping your support partner can be reassuring, so we created this simple, step-by-step guide to switching your support to Tecman* so you know what to expect. 

Should I expect downtime when my support switches over? 

Once all the prep work has been completed, the physical switchover of your Dynamics 365 support is a straightforward process, so downtime is extremely rare, especially for SaaS customers. 

When it’s officially go-time, you’ll get a Microsoft-authorised link to allow us access to your systems. Once you click this link, our support services can begin without operational disruption.  

This process uses something called Granular Delegated Admin Privileges (GDAP), which gives us the ability to provide the agreed services as your new partner but ensures we can only access the areas of your system needed to do that. 

Any downtime (which could be caused by things like unresolved system issues, broken customisations or bespoke developments that haven’t been properly documented) is avoided thanks to Tecman’s thorough discovery phase and system health check, where we spot and address any concerns before your switchover gets the green light.  

Are there any restrictions when transferring Microsoft licences? 

If you’re transferring Microsoft licences between partners, there can be some restrictions. 

For SaaS customers, the Tecman team can take care of the licence transfer process for you once we have established the Microsoft Partnership Relationship transfer. For on-premises customers, we’ll help you with Microsoft’s Transfer documentation and then we can support you through the process, too. 

If you’re using any third-party apps that aren’t listed on Microsoft AppSource or adds where the source code is not available, these can be tricky to transfer to support effectively. If we do run into any problems with the app, our team will try our best to resolve them, but work carried out may be chargeable as we’d need to get our developers involved. If this doesn’t work out, there are typically three options to consider: moving to the ever-evolving, standard Business Central solution, swapping to an AppSource alternative or rewriting the customisation. 

Your contract with your existing partner might include restrictions on how and when licences can be transferred, too, so be sure to check notice periods, etc., before initiating your support switch.  

Any licence-related concerns are discussed during the discovery phase or, if there are any you were unaware of, flagged by our team when we assess your systems. The good news is that licence restrictions are often easy to manage and overcome. 

What happens if we’re using an old version of Dynamics NAV? 

If you’re hoping to move your Dynamics support to Tecman but you’re still using NAV 2009 or an even older version, these systems are no longer supported by Microsoft, which makes them increasingly difficult to maintain. 

While this means we can’t transfer your system directly to Tecman support, we might still be able to look at a full reimplementation to Business Central, if that’s something you’d be interested in. 

If you’re using a newer version of NAV (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), we can transfer your existing system to Tecman support. But with all versions of NAV exiting Microsoft support by January 2028, this move would need to be temporary, as we would plan and perform a full reimplementation to Business Central. 

An unsupported system leaves your ERP vulnerable and puts the day-to-day running of your business at risk, so the sooner you can complete the move to Business Central, the better. 

What happens if we have unresolved issues with our current Dynamics 365 support partner? 

Any unresolved issues with your system – whether related to your current partner or otherwise – would typically need to be resolved before you can transition to Tecman support. However, there are times when we can still onboard customers with issues – but we’ll always make sure there’s a plan in place to resolve them! 

Our team will be with you every step of the way, and while we’re happy to liaise with your current partner on your behalf (with your permission), it’s worth noting that there are certain scenarios where this isn’t possible, for example, when requesting source code for customisations (more below). 

We don’t have the source code for our customisations. Can we still switch our support? 

If you have customisations, you’ll be asked to request the source code from your existing partner before making the move to Tecman support. Without the source code, we wouldn’t be able to guarantee a fix if something goes wrong with that particular part of your system. 

If we go ahead without the source code and run into problems with the customisations our team will try our best to resolve them, but work carried out may be chargeable as we would need our developers involved. The alternative options are reverting to the standard Business Central offering, swapping to an AppSource alternative or rewriting the customisation. 

Does Tecman offer Cloud Control services to manage updates? 

Absolutely! Our Cloud Control services manage updates for SaaS customers and play a very important part in ensuring system stability during those updates. 

There are 12 Business central updates a year: two major (you might know these as the wave releases) and ten minor. Cloud Control supports them all, including platform updates, app deployments, sandbox environments and storage configurations. 

Does Tecman provide a dedicated onboarding manager for support switchovers? 

Yes, if you’re switching your Dynamics 365 support to Tecman you’ll have a dedicated onboarding manager to guide you through the transfer process. 

They will kickstart your introductions, schedule and tailor your discovery sessions, organise your training and stay in touch with you throughout the process to ensure everyone is on the same page and that things are progressing as expected. 

Does Tecman hold ISO certification? 

Yes, Tecman is ISO 27001:2022 certified – and while this certification is incredibly important, we see information security as a lot more than a tick-box exercise to earn us a stamp of approval. 

We want our customers to feel comfortable and confident placing their trust in our services, so we created an information security hub page, packed full of information on all the ways we keep data safe, for you and for us! 

In the hub, you’ll also be pointed to our third-party Trust Center, which gives comprehensive details on our compliance and a live status for the measures we have in place. 

Whether you’re interested in swapping your existing Dynamics 365 support to Tecman or looking to invest in a full implementation project before moving to support services, we’re here to answer any questions you might have. 

Talk to us about your support situation.

*This guide showcases Tecman’s own process. While the fundamentals are likely to be similar for other partners, the stages of onboarding for support services will vary.