Making use of the most appropriate technologies to bring with them digital changes, improvements to productivity and to grow your business have all become common themes within the business world. Some of the best solutions in the market right now for this are Microsoft’s solutions: Dynamics 365 and Power Apps. Through the use of these platforms, you are able to centralise data, build and automate workflows and simplify operations. Because both solutions operate similarly, many businesses are looking to assess exactly when to use either solution or the main differences between the two solutions.
In our latest blog article, we will compare the two solutions to help you to make the right decision for your business.
Before we get started, let’s define both
What is Dynamics 365?
Dynamics 365 is a portfolio of intelligent business applications that delivers superior operational efficiency and breakthrough customer experiences enabling businesses to become more agile and reduce complexity without increasing costs.
What are Power Apps?
Microsoft PowerApps allow you and your workers to create highly effective applications with a simplistic point-and-click approach to design with no coding experience needed. Simplify your tiresome business processes into easily manageable applications that are created to solve your business pain points. Select from a wide range of templates or start from scratch. Seamlessly connect your app to data and add logic. From here, you can then publish your app to the web, iOS, Android & many more.
In what ways are Dynamics 365 and Power Apps similar?
Granted there are some significant differences between the two which we will discuss further down this article, however both Dynamics 365 and Power Apps do have similarities:
Cloud-Based
It goes without saying, but both Dynamics 365 and Power Apps are based in the Cloud, enabling you to easily scale up, have good accessibility and are easy to get up and running without having to have a complicated IT infrastructure in place.
Works well within the Microsoft ecosystem
You will notice that both Dynamics 365 and Power Apps work well with other Microsoft products such as Microsoft 365, Azure and the Microsoft Power Platform enabling you to both increase collaboration and make better more data-driven decisions.
The ability to customise
You will find that both platforms can be tailored to your specific business requirements. However, it is important to note that Power Apps can be built from scratch whereas Dynamics 365 often comes with some pre-built functionality for specific departments such as sales, customer service, human resources and many more.
In what ways do Dynamics 365 and Power Apps differ?
Scope and Capabilities
As we’ve alluded to above, Power Apps deliver a whole range of different functionalities, meaning almost anything is possible and can be created to resolve certain business problems or issues. On the other hand, Dynamics 365 comes with some pre-built functionality for specific departments such as sales, customer service, human resources.
Focus and Target Audience
You will notice that Power Apps can appeal to a much bigger audience including other business users and IT professionals wanting to find more efficient ways of replacing manual processes and building bespoke apps. Dynamics 365 has been predominately designed to work for more SMEs who are looking for a fully scalable CRM and ERP solution to help control the main parts of their business functions.
The Costs
Dynamics 365: Even though you may have to initially invest more, its game-changing features and scalability make it much more of a longer-term investment for those businesses looking to grow in the long term.
Power Apps: You will find that given that Power Apps are based on a pay-as-you-go pricing model and a lower cost of investment will make them perfect for startups and SMEs looking to take their first steps towards a full digital transformation.
How to make the decision between Dynamics 365 or Power Apps
When looking to pick between the two options, you need to consider the following things:
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What your business requirements are - Assess the specific needs of your business, including complicated processes, business size as well the need for either CRM or ERP functionality.
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If you discover that a certain Dynamics 365 application meets your specific requirements then it makes sense to choose this option, however if you are looking for something very specific which doesnt fit a certain mould then you may choose to go down the Power Apps road.
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What budget is available – Consider the costs associated with each solution such as licensing & implementation costs as well as the ongoing cost of keeping the solution up to date and up to scratch. You will usually find that Power Apps are usually a much cheaper option when it comes to licensing, however they may require more development as time goes on.
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What resources and expertise do you have in your business – Review exactly what skillsets you have in–house to take care of both the development and maintenance. Power Apps could be the logical choice if you have limited resources, whereas Dynamics 365 may require more specific support around the platform. The best course of approach that we would advise is to work with a Microsoft Solutions Partner such as Advantage who can guide you through which is the best option for you.
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How scalable do you need it to be – Plan for the future and how you are going to scale up your business. Dynamics 365 gives you a much more streamlined way of doing this, making it easier to do so quicker than Power Apps could.
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, Advantage has expertise in both Dynamics 365 and Power Apps, which means that we are fully qualified to advise you on which option is right for your business. In order to help us do this, for a limited time only, we can offer a no obligations fully funded Microsoft Workshop to assess which option will best suit your business in both the short term and the long term.
In Summary
As described above, we have gone through how each solution should be used, however you are able to use a hybrid approach if you can’t decide. To put this into context as an example, you could use Dynamics 365 Sales or Marketing to streamline sales and marketing efforts and use a Power App to manage any bookings/calls that come as a result. Better still, you will find that these two applications work well together giving your business a more rounded platform to enable you to track all information as well as processes.
Next Steps?
If you are a business that has read the above and are keen to explore our Quick Start Dynamics 365 packages or want to talk more about our Microsoft Power Apps offering or want to take up our offer for a no obligations fully funded Microsoft Workshop then please give our team of Dynamics 365/Power Apps experts a call today.
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