Peter Cremer - North America’s Seamless Migration to Business Central SaaS with Innovia Consulting

 Peter Cremer North America, a global leader in oleo chemicals, faced a critical challenge in 2025. After years of running Microsoft Dynamics NAV and later Business Central on-premise, the company realized that the cost and complexity of maintaining and upgrading its on-prem environment were no longer sustainable. The solution was clear: move to Business Central SaaS. But the goal wasn’t to reinvent processes—it was to execute a fast, efficient “lift and shift” migration without disrupting day-to-day operations. For Peter Cremer, the stakes were high. Their IT team needed to complete the migration in just 100 days, a timeline that left little room for error. They also wanted minimal changes for end users, ensuring that the transition would feel seamless. That’s where Innovia Consulting came in.

Why Innovia?

I Peter Cremer had previously worked with another Microsoft partner but struggled with poor communication and lack of support. Innovia stood out immediately for its responsiveness and relationship-driven approach. From the very first conversations, Innovia demonstrated a commitment to understanding Peter Cremer's needs and delivering on promises. Onsite visits and process mapping sessions built trust and confidence, and Innovia's reputation for project management excellence sealed the decision.

The Migration Journey

Innovia's team, led by experienced project managers, brought structure and clarity to the project. They introduced detailed project workbooks and UAT checklists that allowed Peter Cremer to track every functionality and testing milestone. This level of organization was critical in keeping the project on schedule. 

While Innovia handled the migration with precision, Peter Cremer faced internal challenges. Legacy integrations tied directly to SQL had to be rengineered, and permissions migration proved to be a major pain point. In addition, because Business Central supports 24x7 manufacturing operations, the cutover window was strictly limited to 5:00 PM Friday through 9:00 AM Sunday. Extending this timeframe would have resulted in significant additional costs.

Results Achieved

The migration was completed on time and under budget - a remarkable achievement given the aggressive timeline. Since moving to Business Central SaaS, Peter Cremer has seen measuable improvements. Barcode scanner performance has significantly improved, user sessions run more smoothly without timeouts, and employees no longer need VPN access to connect to the system. Reliability has also been outstanding, with near-perfect uptime since go-live. 

Perhaps most importantly, the user experience has remained consistent, requiring minimal retraining. This was exactly what Peter Cremer hoped for when they set out to "lift and shift" their processes to the cloud. 

Lessons Learned

For companies considering a similar move, Peter Cremer offers two key pieces of advice: plan extra time for permissions migration and engage users early in the process. Bringing employees to conferences and webinars helped build excitement and reduce resistance to change. And above all, choose a partner who communicates clearly and delivers on commitments - just as Innovia did. 

Peter Cremer's successful migration to Business Central Saas demonstrates the power of a well-managed project and a trusted partnership. With Innovia Consulting's expertise and dedication, the company achieved its goals quickly and efficiently, setting the stage for future growth and innovation.

Interested in partnering with Innovia Consulting? Give us a call at 800.834.7700 today or email us at sales@innovia.com to begin the conversation.