TL;DR

 AP automation affects IT as much as finance. Tools that sit outside Microsoft Dynamics add extra systems, security considerations, and ongoing support work.

Solutions built inside Dynamics keep data, permissions, and workflows in one place, which makes them easier to manage and maintain over time.

When your finance team evaluates Accounts Payable (AP) automation, it may look like a back-office efficiency project. But the decisions made during that evaluation carry long-term consequences for your IT infrastructure, security posture, and organizational risk.

At TMC, we work with organizations running Microsoft Dynamics GP and Business Central every day. One of the most common challenges we see: finance selects an AP automation tool, IT inherits the support burden, and neither team fully anticipated the ongoing complexity that comes with it.

This guide explains two fundamentally different approaches to AP automation and why the architectural choice matters as much as the features.

 

Why AP Automation Is an IT Decision, Not Just a Finance One

Finance teams understandably focus on what AP automation does: faster invoice processing, fewer manual steps, cleaner approvals. But every tool that connects to your ERP raises questions that land squarely with IT:

•   Where does sensitive financial data live, and who controls access to it?
•   How does this system behave when Microsoft Dynamics is upgraded?
•   What happens when something breaks at month-end close?
•   How do we satisfy auditors asking about third-party data access?

If these questions aren’t answered before implementation, they become problems after it. Our role is to help your organization ask the right questions early, before a tool is embedded into critical workflows.

 

Two Approaches: Integrated vs. Embedded

Most AP automation solutions fall into one of two categories. Understanding the difference is essential to making a sound decision.

Integrated AP Automation

These solutions connect to Microsoft Dynamics via APIs or third-party connectors. They operate as separate platforms, with their own databases, user authentication systems, and update schedules. Integration can work well in certain contexts, particularly for organizations running multiple ERPs or with highly complex, non-standard workflows. But the separation comes with trade-offs IT teams feel acutely:

•   Additional systems to monitor, patch, and secure
•   API connections that can silently break during Dynamics updates
•   Separate user access policies that must be maintained in parallel
•   Expanded audit surface, with sensitive data moving between platforms

In practice, many IT teams find themselves spending disproportionate time troubleshooting integrations that were sold as “set it and forget it.”

ERP-Embedded AP Automation

Embedded solutions operate natively inside Microsoft Dynamics, not alongside it. This is a fundamentally different architectural model. Rather than connecting to your ERP, embedded automation becomes part of it.

For IT and executive leaders, this distinction matters for several reasons:

•   Your ERP remains the single system of record — no data duplication or sync issues
•   User access is governed by the same role-based permissions already in place
•   Security, backups, and compliance controls stay centralized within Dynamics
•   Updates follow your ERP’s lifecycle, not a separate vendor’s schedule

 

“The best automation doesn’t demand attention. It quietly supports your goals by bringing greater ease, control, and care to daily workflows.”

The Security and Compliance Advantage

Every external system expands your attack surface and your audit footprint. Standalone AP platforms require IT to manage separate user access policies and document how sensitive financial data travels between systems, adding time and risk to every compliance review.

With embedded AP automation, the security model is the one your team already manages. Permissions, approvals, and data access flow through Dynamics’ existing controls. For organizations subject to financial audits, SOX requirements, or internal governance reviews, this simplification is significant.

From TMC’s perspective, embedded solutions are generally easier to approve through internal security reviews, because there’s less to explain and less to validate.

Reducing the Long-Term IT Burden

One of the quieter costs of external AP tools is the ongoing support demand they create. IT teams routinely get pulled into payment workflow issues, printer and approval delays, and exception handling, not because these are IT problems, but because the tool sits outside the ERP and requires IT intervention to resolve.

Embedded AP automation helps restore natural boundaries. Finance manages their workflows independently within Dynamics. IT retains governance without becoming a constant escalation point. The result is fewer interruptions and more bandwidth for higher-value priorities.

This is exactly the kind of operational efficiency TMC helps clients build toward, reducing noise in IT operations so your team can focus on strategic initiatives, not reactive support.

Continuity During GP-to-Business Central Migrations

For organizations currently migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central — or running both environments in parallel — the stakes around AP automation are higher. Migrations are already complex; adding a mid-transition AP platform overhaul compounds the risk.

ERP-embedded solutions that work across both GP and Business Central allow organizations to preserve AP workflows and controls throughout the migration. Finance processes don’t need to be redesigned when the underlying ERP changes, and IT isn’t managing two separate automation systems during an already demanding transition.

TMC regularly supports clients through this migration journey, and we consistently see that minimizing external dependencies during transitions leads to smoother, lower-risk outcomes.

 

Questions to Ask Before Selecting an AP Automation Solution

When TMC works with clients evaluating AP automation, we encourage decision-makers to ask these architectural questions early, before a vendor demo shapes the conversation:

•   Does the solution live inside the ERP, or does it connect to it from outside?
•   Will it inherit existing Dynamics security roles and permissions automatically?
•   How many net-new systems will IT need to support post-implementation?
•   What happens to this solution when Dynamics is upgraded or migrated?
•   How does the vendor handle support during ERP lifecycle events?

The answers to these questions often reveal which solutions are built for long-term sustainability, and which ones create short-term wins with long-term costs.

How TMC Can Help

Technology Management Concepts helps organizations navigate ERP architecture decisions with a practical, advisory lens. Whether you’re evaluating AP automation for the first time, reconsidering a tool that’s creating more work than it saves, or planning a Dynamics migration, we bring the experience to guide you toward solutions that work for both finance and IT.

We’re not here to sell you software. We’re here to make sure the software you choose supports your organization’s goals sustainably, securely, and with the right level of ongoing oversight.

Ready to evaluate your AP automation approach?

Contact TMC to schedule an advisory conversation with our Microsoft Dynamics team.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What does ERP-embedded AP automation mean for our IT team?

It means AP automation runs inside Microsoft Dynamics, using the same security model, permissions, and controls your IT team already manages, with no separate platform to govern.

Will an embedded solution reduce our system footprint?

Yes. Embedded solutions eliminate the need for separate AP platforms, independent login systems, and external databases. Fewer systems mean fewer points of failure and less ongoing maintenance overhead.

Is embedded automation more secure than integrated alternatives?

Generally, yes, because it inherits your existing Dynamics security framework rather than introducing a parallel one. This typically reduces audit complexity and simplifies compliance reviews.

Can TMC help us evaluate which approach is right for our organization?

Absolutely. TMC works with organizations at every stage of this decision, from initial evaluation to post-implementation review. Reach out to our team to start the conversation.