Workflow examples / Anonymous customer project in progress
A phased Microsoft cloud and AI project for a manufacturing company. Customer identity and business records are kept private.
A manufacturer exploring AI faced a decision larger than choosing a model. The company was considering assembling a system from open-source AI platforms and running it on a self-managed server. At the same time, its accounting system was QuickBooks Enterprise hosted on a server, and sales activity started with emails and phone calls.
Hexalinks advised a Microsoft cloud approach, beginning with Microsoft 365 Copilot and a practical evaluation of Dynamics 365 Business Central. The aim is to give the business a more connected foundation without asking the team to adopt a full sales CRM all at once.
Start with the foundation the business needs
A self-hosted approach would have made infrastructure and the integration of separate components part of the project. Hexalinks recommended a different starting point: use Microsoft’s ecosystem and introduce capabilities in stages.
The recommendation was about this manufacturer’s direction and capacity to manage a system. Open-source software is not inherently unregulated, and cloud adoption alone does not establish compliance. The useful question was which approach gave this business a manageable path forward.
Microsoft 365 Copilot: the first implemented step
Hexalinks enabled and configured Microsoft 365 Copilot for the company. This was the first implementation step in the broader plan, introducing AI assistance within its Microsoft 365 environment.
Microsoft 365 Copilot offers model choice in supported experiences, including models from OpenAI and Anthropic. The available experiences depend on licensing, rollout and administrator settings; this example does not imply that every model was enabled for this customer. Microsoft’s model-choice overview explains the product direction.
Microsoft 365 Copilot and the AI capabilities in Dynamics 365 products are distinct parts of the ecosystem. Deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot does not by itself connect every business system or activate every Dynamics agent.
Evaluate Business Central using the company’s own data
The next step is the proposed move from server-hosted QuickBooks Enterprise to Business Central. Rather than asking the company to judge the platform from an empty demonstration, Hexalinks quickly imported its data into Business Central so the team could perform a meaningful evaluation.
That evaluation is currently underway. The data import gives the team a basis for assessing the system against its own business information. It does not mean the production migration is complete, that all historical data has been validated, or that QuickBooks has been retired.
Project roadmap
A phased path, with today’s status clearly marked.
- Implemented: Microsoft 365 Copilot enabled and configured.
- Completed for evaluation: Company data imported into Business Central.
- Underway: The manufacturer evaluates Business Central using that data.
- In development: Custom agents are being built in Business Central.
- Planned approach: Begin with Business Central relationship management before a fuller CRM later.
A manageable first step for sales
The company’s sales activity begins with emails and phone calls. Introducing an extensive CRM immediately would add a larger process change alongside the accounting and cloud work.
Hexalinks’ proposed approach is to start with Business Central’s relationship-management capabilities, giving the team an initial structure for sales relationships while leaving a fuller CRM for a later phase.
Business Central includes features for contacts, interactions and sales opportunities, as described in Microsoft’s relationship-management documentation. Which features the manufacturer adopts will follow its evaluation and agreed implementation scope.
Custom agents are being built alongside the evaluation
Hexalinks is currently building custom agents in Business Central. That work is in development; this example does not present the agents as live production tools or assign capabilities that have not been described and verified.
The broader goal is to reduce disconnected systems and establish a shared operational foundation. That is the direction of the project, rather than a result we are claiming has already been achieved. Microsoft 365 content and Business Central records also remain distinct systems even when they are integrated.
Progress worth describing accurately
The concrete progress so far is the Copilot setup, the Business Central data import for evaluation, an active customer evaluation, and custom-agent development. The customer can assess the next platform using its own data before committing to the full transition.
No measured productivity gains, cost savings or migration-completion claims are included. The lesson is the sequencing: introduce a useful first capability, make the evaluation relevant to the business, and pace the next process change around the team.
Build a path your team can follow
If your business is weighing AI tools, a cloud move and a new business system at the same time, those decisions deserve a connected plan. Start with what the team needs to evaluate, what can be implemented now, and what belongs in a later phase.
Talk through your cloud and AI roadmap with Hexalinks
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