Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2024

Thank you for the excellent cooperation in 2024

The year 2024 is coming to an end, and we would like to take this opportunity to wish all our customers and partners a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This year has also been busy and full of exciting projects and we would like to thank our partners and business associates for the good cooperation. It is always a great pleasure to work with you and we look forward to continuing the excellent cooperation in the new year.

Eventful and Busy 2024

In 2024, our consultants have been busy upgrading a number of older NAV/BC solutions to the latest version, implementing new solutions and handling tasks that help our customers run their businesses more smoothly and efficiently.

This is crucial, as companies' ability to optimize operations is often closely linked to their ability to compete and gain market share. We look forward to continuing the good cooperation in the coming year.

New Business Central versions

In 2024, Microsoft continued the release plan for Dynamics 365 Business Central, so during the year, as part of the Dynamics 365 upgrade waves in April and October, two new versions of Business Central were released, BC24 and BC25, respectively.

Business Central 24

The upgrades in BC 24 made Business Central further integrable with the Power Platform, more user-friendly and faster to get started with, for both new and experienced users. In addition, the introduction of a number of new AI functions gave users the opportunity to further streamline their work processes by reducing repetitive tasks in their daily work. With Business Central 24, AI truly became an integrated part of the application.

Business Central 25

With Business Central 25 2024 release wave 2, Microsoft added a wide range of new functions and improvements, but the biggest focus was undoubtedly on improving and adding new capabilities to the AI-based capabilities, including Copilot. This means that in Business Central 25, for example, you can create sales orders directly from Chat.

Directions EMEA 2024

This year we were also at Directions EMEA, which was held in Vienna. We believe it is important to attend the conference as it helps us keep our finger on the pulse of what is happening in our industry.

AI, agents and Copilot, artificial intelligence was the clear theme of the Directions EMEA 2024 conference. And AI is no longer a futuristic sci-fi concept and vision of the future – the technology is already here and is in full swing changing the way we work, and AI is already an integral part of Business Central.

Just as we look back with fascination today at a time when business administration was done without computer technology, we will soon wonder how we managed our work in the past without the help of AI.

With artificial intelligence used for automation and various application scenarios, Copilot in Business Central is already delivering value by increasing user productivity and offering guidance along the way.

And with the upcoming upgrade of Business Central, which will be released with Dynamics 365 2025 release wave 1, we will certainly see more AI-based features and capabilities. Microsoft has already unveiled Agents, which will be introduced in Business Central 26, and which is already available in preview for customers in the US.

We have written about some of the highlights from Directions EMEA 2024.

Business Central 26

Business Central 26 introduces a number of new and exciting features that make the system even more user-friendly, efficient and adapted to modern business needs.

Highlights include improved data visualization and analysis capabilities that give users easier access to key business insights. In addition, new automation tools are introduced that streamline repetitive processes and minimize the need for manual work.

Find out more about Business Central 26.

AI is bringing new opportunities

Artificial intelligence (AI) has once again been one of the most central topics of conversation in our industry this year, and for good reason. In 2024, developments in AI have continued to drive digital transformation forward at an impressive pace.

This technological development opens the door to completely new and unique business opportunities, but at the same time requires companies to be ready to adapt and transform. AI is already revolutionizing businesses across sectors, marking the beginning of a new era where innovation, efficiency and unprecedented opportunities are at the center.

However, we are only at the beginning of the AI ​​technology journey. In the coming years, AI will continue to automate, optimize and transform large parts of the economy as we know it today. Therefore, it is crucial for business leaders and decision-makers to stay up to date with the latest developments in AI in order to take the lead in technological development.

As a leader in this field, Microsoft has already integrated AI into many of its business applications. And as was evident at Directions EMEA 2024 in Vienna, there is a strong focus on AI-based capabilities in Business Central. For example, with the introduction of bank reconciliation in Copilot in Business Central 25, the completion of bank reconciliation became much faster.

How does Trump's victory affect us?

In January, the United States will have a new president. This time it will be a Republican and his name will once again be Donald Trump.

But what does Donald Trump's return to the White House mean for the Danish and Norwegian economies and our labor markets?

Donald Trump has long announced that he will introduce high tariffs of between 10 and 60 percent on foreign goods if he regains power in the United States.

Such tariff barriers on goods from China and Europe could, in the worst case, reduce Denmark's GDP and cost many Danish jobs, and the same could apply in Norway.

Denmark and Norway are small open economies that are dependent on global free trade and are therefore vulnerable to tariff barriers. In addition, the domestic markets in the two countries are very limited, and the two countries trade extensively with the United States and China and can therefore be hit extra hard.

However, several companies in Denmark have already moved part of their production to the United States, so if Trump introduces tariff walls and high tariffs on not only Chinese, but probably also European goods, Denmark has a great advantage in that much of the production is already established in the United States.

However, many are also convinced that the punitive tariffs that Trump will introduce will ultimately hit the American economy harder than the European one.

Invest in new solutions despite challenges

Although 2024 turned out better than many economists had predicted, forecasts indicate that 2024 could be a challenging year for the economy. Although central banks have put an end to interest rate hikes, several economists expect that past rate hikes will start to have a real impact on the economy in the coming year. This has led to warnings of a possible recession in both the US and Europe.

But for companies, economic uncertainty can also be an opportunity for growth through investment in new technology and innovative solutions. Competitiveness depends on many factors – and technological advances as well as operational and business optimization play a central role.

Companies that utilize new technology and continuously optimize their processes are stronger in the fight for market share and customers – both locally and globally. Therefore, it is important that leaders dare to think long-term and innovatively, so that they can stay at the forefront of technological development and strengthen their position in the market.

Do you need advice on how your company can optimize its business processes and become better equipped for the future? Contact us – we are ready to help. Here you will find our contact information.

Charity 2024

Christmas is said to be a celebration for children, and for most children it is fortunately also a time filled with joy and energy. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone. In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, we can easily overlook the children for whom Christmas does not bring light and joy.

That is why Active Business Solutions has chosen to support a number of charitable initiatives that make a difference for vulnerable children and young people – those who are unfortunately often overlooked during the Christmas season.

Below you can read more about the charities we have chosen to support this year.

A huge thank you to all volunteers and employees who make invaluable contributions to vulnerable children and young people all year round. We greatly appreciate your great commitment and dedication.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We look forward to all the new challenges and activities that await in 2025, we are as always looking forward to the future and believe it will be a good year - with hopefully also new customers.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us here at Active Business Solutions!