What does digitalising a company mean?

It is the process of connecting and automating a business's processes on integrated systems, so the information is single, up to date and flows between departments without repeated manual work. It isn't about stacking up programs, it's about making them work together on the same database. A company is truly digitalised when its managers consult real-time data, repetitive tasks run themselves and growth doesn't demand multiplying the administrative structure.

How much does it cost to digitalise a company?

It depends on the scope and the processes involved. The sensible approach is to tackle it in phases: the investment is spread out and starts generating return (time saved, fewer errors, fewer overrun costs) from the early stages, instead of facing a single upfront expense. For a standard Spanish SME, a first phase of Business Central + critical extensions typically sits between EUR 30,000 and 80,000 of initial cost, recoverable in 12-24 months depending on the starting point.

Is digitalisation only for large companies?

No. SMEs are often the ones that gain the most from digitalising, because they free small teams from administrative tasks and gain the capacity to grow without multiplying their structure. Today's platforms like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central scale to the size of each company: the same platform serves a 10-user SME or a 200-person group, with the same per-user licensing model.

How long does a digitalisation project take?

It varies with the starting point and the scope. With a phased approach, the first visible results typically arrive in 2-4 months (faster financial close, first dashboards in production, automation of critical processes), while the rest of the processes are incorporated in a planned manner across 6-12 months. What matters is not the total project duration but that each phase delivers measurable value.

Do I need an ERP to digitalise my company?

An ERP (integrated management system) is the most solid base to digitalise, because it centralises information and automates processes on a single platform instead of stacking up disconnected applications. It isn't mandatory to start there, but it is the option that scales best: it avoids redoing work as the company grows. Platforms like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central cover finance, operations, sales and service in the same environment, with native integration with Microsoft 365 and Power BI.

Where do I start if I want to digitalise my company?

With a diagnostic: identify which processes consume the most time or generate the most errors, and prioritise them by impact. From there, define a realistic roadmap in phases, where each phase delivers a measurable result (not just an installed module). At Davisa we offer that initial diagnostic session free of charge to support the decision before we propose technology.

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Digitalised vs Non-Digitalised Company: Lead or Fall Behind

The differences between a digitalised company and one that isn't, and how they give you the edge to lead your market with efficiency and control.

7 min

Digitalised vs non-digitalised company: comparison between leading the market and falling behind with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Davisa

The companies leading their sector today didn’t get there by luck. They made, earlier, a decision that many are still postponing. And the gap between a digitalised company and one that isn’t is no longer just a matter of technology: it is the line that separates whoever sets the pace of their market from whoever is always running behind.

For years, digitalising was an advantage: whoever took the step got ahead of their competition. Today that advantage has turned into the border between growing and stagnating. The good news is that the decision is still in your hands, and the moment to make it is now.

In this article you’ll see, in plain language, what separates a company that is ahead from one that is dragging, where that difference shows up in results, and how to take the step that puts you in front.

What it really means to run a digitalised company

Digitalising isn’t “having a program” or stacking up loose applications. A company is digitalised when its processes are connected, its information is single and current, and repetitive tasks are automated instead of depending on the team’s manual effort.

The difference shows in who has control. In the digitalised company, the manager knows at every moment how the business is going and decides with the data in hand. In the one that isn’t, the information lives on paper, in emails and in isolated systems, and decisions are taken late and blind. Commanding your business, or letting disorder command you: that is the real difference.

The differences that decide who wins

The following comparison sums up, at a glance, where the match is played between a company that leads and one that hasn’t yet taken the step.

Comparison between a digitalised and a non-digitalised company in efficiency, data, costs, scalability and adaptation

Below we develop each point, because every one of these differences translates, sooner or later, into competitive advantage and into results.

1. Efficiency: your team focused on growing, not on paperwork

Automating repetitive tasks frees up hours that your competition is still spending manually. That time you save is time you devote to selling, improving and growing. It isn’t about going faster for the sake of going faster: it’s about playing in a different league.

Whoever holds the information, commands. The digitalised company accesses its data instantly and decides with judgement; the one that isn’t reacts late, when the problem already costs money. Having the dashboard in front of you is playing with your cards open while the rest bet blind.

3. Customers who choose you and stay

A well-served customer comes back and recommends you. The digitalised company responds fast, personalises and serves across several channels because its team has all the information at hand. That agility builds the reputation that makes the market choose you and not the one next door.

4. More margin to make a move

Fewer errors, less paper, less rework: every euro that isn’t lost to inefficiency is muscle to invest, grow or squeeze on price when it suits you. Profitability isn’t just savings; it is room to manoeuvre and impose your conditions.

5. Growing without a ceiling

The digitalised company multiplies its volume without multiplying its structure: more business doesn’t mean more administrative chaos. The one that isn’t hits a wall and, to grow, needs more hands, more resources and more time. Digitalisation takes the brake off your ambition.

6. Getting ahead of the market, not chasing it

The market changes, and whoever moves first wins. The digitalised company spots the opportunity and reacts fast; the one that isn’t finds out late. Getting ahead is what turns you into the reference in your sector instead of a follower.

The mistake that separates the right call from falling behind

Here is the decision that really makes the difference. Leading doesn’t depend on having more technology, but on having the right technology for your company.

Stacking up disconnected tools — one for invoicing, another for the warehouse, another for the CRM and several spreadsheets for what doesn’t fit — isn’t digitalising: it’s manufacturing complexity. Each isolated system reproduces the problem you wanted to eliminate: duplicate data, information that doesn’t reconcile and processes that still depend on someone.

The companies that are ahead build their digitalisation on an integrated platform that connects finance, operations, sales and service in a single source of information, and that grows with them. That is why more and more choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: a scalable ERP platform, backed by Microsoft, that doesn’t fall short when your company moves forward. Making the right decision today is what separates whoever gets it right from whoever, two years from now, has to start over. It’s backing the winning horse.

What an integrated management platform actually does

When you digitalise on an integrated platform — a modern ERP — you put several very concrete capabilities to work for you:

A single database for the whole operation. Finance, purchasing, sales, inventory, projects or service share the same information. The “which version of the spreadsheet is the good one?” debate ends.
Workflow automation. Approvals, alerts, document generation or business rules run themselves according to the conditions you define, without manual intervention.
Real-time dashboards. Instead of waiting for month-end close to know how the business is going, you consult updated indicators — margins, cash, delivery lead times — when you need them, usually with Business Intelligence tools like Power BI.
Integration with the rest of your ecosystem. Through connectors and APIs, the platform talks to email, office tools, the online store or third-party applications, avoiding information silos.
Mobility and cloud. Secure access from any place and device, with capacity to grow in users and volume without rebuilding the infrastructure.

In the case of Business Central, all of this lives in the same environment: financial management, operations, supply chain and service, with native integration with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Excel, Teams), real-time reporting with Power BI, and automation and tailored extensions with Power Platform. That is what allows you to decide with an edge and grow without having to rebuild the system every two years.

The plan of those who choose to be ahead

Digitalising doesn’t mean changing everything at once. Those who get it right follow the same plan:

Diagnostic first. Identify where you lose the most time and money: that is your biggest lever.
Prioritise by impact. Start with what’s critical, not what’s flashiest.
Choose a base that scales. Better a platform that grows with you than solutions you’ll have to replace in two years.
Move in phases. Less risk and visible results soon.
Measure. What isn’t measured doesn’t get improved; set your indicators from day one.

The first step is the easiest: knowing where your company stands and how much ground you can gain.

Why do it with someone who has already taken others to the top

Technology is only one part; winning depends on knowing how to adapt it to your business. At Davisa we’ve been helping companies take the leap for more than 23 years, with more than 300 customers and as a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partner. We know the processes of specific sectors because we’ve developed specific solutions for them on the same platform: industrial maintenance and technical services with dvgmao, construction and real-estate development with dvproject, advanced financial management with dvfinance, AEAT tax compliance with dvimpuestos.

We don’t start from scratch with you: we start from what already works and we fine-tune it so the one who wins is you.

The step that puts you ahead

Digitalisation is no longer an advantage: it is the line that separates whoever leads from whoever chases. And the best moment to put yourself in front is now.

Are you going to set the pace of your market or watch it from behind? At Davisa we help you take the step: book a free diagnostic session on your real case and we’ll design with you the roadmap so your company moves to the version that puts you in front.