Remote working and Dynamics clients

The Business Central Web Client

With that in mind, let's look at the primary User Experience for Business Central, the Web Client. The web client is device and operating system independent, and so will work with Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc. so you can connect and manage your Business Central system from anywhere with a web browser. Permissions and license allowing, you can access anywhere in the system with this client. Another strength for this interface is the ability to personalise. You can change pretty much anything in the Web Client including adding and removing fields, changing column lengths and new to Business Central 16, adding lists to your Role Centre.

Dynamics NAV and the Windows Client

For people using older versions of NAV and Business Central, you will more likely be using a Windows client. The latest version of the web client can do pretty much everything that you could do previously on the Windows Client (previously the installed software on your machine). However, the older versions of the web client had less features and felt a bit more “clunky”, and there was fairly low utilisation; if a remote option was needed companies have often opted for VPN access to the windows client over use of the web client.

We are seeing, however, that with the increase of remote working that there is an increased need to use the tablet client, which was available from version 2013 R2.

The Mobile and Table Client

“So why would I need any other clients if the Web Client can do everything” I hear you ask.

To put it simply, you don’t. However, what the Mobile and Tablet clients do is cater brilliantly for a slimmed down, simplified version of Business Central, to make the users lives easier.

We have mentioned office workers starting to use mobile devices out of the office, however there are other areas of business that can benefit. Take for instance a warehouse worker. By using the tablet client that has been specifically tailored to their job role they don’t have to battle through all the different areas of Business Central to get to what they need and they can wader around the warehouse checking or updating information.

The benefit for those using Dynamics NAV and Business Central is that this uses a similar HTTPS connection to the web client. The result is that for accessing NAV on a tablet or phone you do not need to go through connecting to a VPN to access the data.

And the Mobile client is the same principle, just smaller still. So, ideal for high level managers who don’t need to see the day to day detail, but at the touch of a button on their phone can see a snapshot of what’s happening in the business that day. An added benefit of the Mobile and Tablet client that can’t be ignored, is that you can tap into the features of that device, like the camera. This has endless possibilities for bespoke solutions, from scanning barcodes in a store, taking photo’s of receipts to log against expenses and if you’re out and about to even snapping business cards that can add the data directly to Business Central.

So, by having an ERP solution that can be used anywhere, who needs an office anymore?

Want help with setting up new clients?

If you would like to utilise the web, tablet or mobile clients to improve productivity for your staff, or even so that you have easy access to your business information, then talk to our experts about getting up and running^*. This is typically not a big project, perhaps half a day of services^**.

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The New Business Normal

In these unusual times, the way we conduct business is changing - for everyone. We call this The New Business Normal. In this series, we look at how we change with the times during the coronavirus pandemic and in the world that we will be working in thereafter.

Jesse Lawrence

Jesse is our marketing manager, keeping an eye on the latest news in the market as well as having worked on the GDPR legislation.