If you’re a Microsoft partner whose client just asked for “a portal connected to Dynamics 365,” you’re staring at a decision that shapes the next three months of delivery. Build it on Power Pages? Custom React? Blazor? Bolt something onto SharePoint?
This post answers the question Microsoft partners search for most: what exactly is a B2B portal for Microsoft Dynamics 365, what it does, what stack runs underneath, how long it takes, and what it costs. We’ll cover when Power Pages is the right answer — and when it isn’t.
What a B2B portal for Dynamics 365 actually is
A B2B portal for Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a secure, authenticated website that lets your client’s business customers, partners, suppliers, or dealers interact with live Dynamics 365 data — without giving them a D365 licence or access to the internal CRM.
In practice, this means:
- A wholesale customer logging in to place orders against live inventory in D365.
- A supplier updating delivery dates against open purchase orders.
- A channel partner registering deals or downloading collateral.
- A field contractor submitting service tickets that land directly in Dynamics 365 Customer Service.
The portal is the outside-facing layer. Dynamics 365 stays inside. Dataverse is the bridge.
Key features of a B2B portal
Most B2B portals for Dynamics 365 share the same core feature set:
- Authenticated sign-in using Microsoft Entra External ID, Azure AD B2C, or a social/identity provider.
- Role-based access — a buyer at Customer A sees only Customer A’s orders, not Customer B’s.
- Live Dataverse data — orders, invoices, cases, contracts, all reading from and writing to the same tables Dynamics 365 uses.
- Self-service forms — order entry, ticket submission, document upload, profile updates.
- Document handling — PDF invoices, contracts, signed agreements.
- Workflow automation — Power Automate flows triggered when a customer submits something on the portal.
- Mobile-responsive design out of the box.
Everything maps to a Dataverse table behind the scenes. That’s why portals built natively on the Microsoft stack are faster to ship and cheaper to maintain than custom alternatives.
B2B vs B2C portal: which pattern fits?
The terms get used interchangeably, but they describe two very different builds.
| Dimension | B2B portal | B2C portal |
|---|---|---|
| Users | Known business contacts — customers, suppliers, partners | Unknown consumers, often unauthenticated browsers |
| Authentication | Entra External ID (workforce/business identities), invite-only | Entra External ID for customers (formerly Azure AD B2C), self-signup, social logins |
| Volume | Hundreds to low thousands of named users | Thousands to millions, mostly anonymous |
| Functionality depth | Deep — order management, account history, contract workflows | Light — browse, register, transact, support |
| Licensing model | Authenticated users per site (higher per-user cost, fewer users) | Anonymous users per site (lower per-user cost, high volume) |
The licensing point matters most. Power Pages charges very differently for authenticated vs anonymous users — and partners regularly mis-scope this on first quote. We’ll cover the numbers below.
The tech stack: Power Pages + Dataverse + Dynamics 365
For Microsoft partners, the native answer is a three-layer stack:
1. Microsoft Power Pages — the front-end portal. Low-code design studio, Liquid templates, web roles, table permissions, responsive themes, custom JavaScript and CSS where needed. This is the layer your client’s users see.
2. Microsoft Dataverse — the data layer. Every form, list, and table on the portal reads from and writes to Dataverse. Row-level security ensures Customer A never sees Customer B’s records.
3. Microsoft Dynamics 365 — the system of record. CE (Sales, Customer Service, Field Service) sits directly on Dataverse, so portal data and CRM data are the same data, in real time. For Business Central or Finance & Operations, integration is via Dual Write or virtual tables.
This stack matters because Microsoft maintains the platform. Security patches, infrastructure, identity, CDN — all managed. Your client (and you, as the implementing partner) handle business logic, design, and content. That’s why Power Pages portals cost a fraction of equivalent custom builds over a three-year horizon.
Timelines and costs
Honest numbers, based on what we see across Microsoft partner engagements:
Implementation timeline
- MVP portal (basic auth, 2–3 entities, simple forms): 2–4 weeks
- Full B2B portal (10+ entities, workflows, complex permissions, custom UI): 8–12 weeks
- Custom build alternative (React or Blazor from scratch): 4–6 months
Licensing costs (2026 Microsoft pricing)
- Authenticated users: $200 per 100 users/site/month (subscription) or $4 per user/site/month (pay-as-you-go).
- Anonymous users: $75 per 500 users/site/month (subscription) or $0.30 per user/site/month (pay-as-you-go).
- Users already licensed for Dynamics 365 Enterprise or Power Apps Premium ($20/user/month) get Power Pages use rights included for sites mapped to the same environment.
- Dataverse storage beyond the included allocation: $40/GB/month.
Implementation cost (offshore Microsoft partner delivery)
- MVP portal: typically $3,500–$6,000
- Full B2B portal: typically $14,000–$21,000
Pricing varies by integration complexity, identity model, and custom UI requirements. Always scope authenticated vs anonymous user volumes early — they swing licensing cost more than anything else.
When Power Pages isn’t the right fit
Power Pages is the default answer for most B2B portals on Dynamics 365. It’s not the answer for every one.
Consider a custom React SPA or Blazor build when:
- The UX needs go beyond what Liquid + Power Pages design studio comfortably supports — highly interactive dashboards, real-time collaboration, complex data grids with custom interactions.
- The portal handles high-volume transactional flows like payment processing, where you want full control over the UI thread and integration with payment gateways.
- The portal is ticket-heavy and needs a fast, app-like experience for support agents and end users.
- The licensing math tips the wrong way — for example, very high anonymous traffic with deep custom functionality.
MTC delivers both. We have production React SPA portals running for D365 clients and Blazor-based payment portals integrated with our Gravity ERP platform. The right choice depends on the use case, not the technology preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a B2B portal write back to Dynamics 365 in real time? Yes. Power Pages writes directly to Dataverse, which is the same database Dynamics 365 CE runs on. For Business Central or F&O, real-time write-back uses Dual Write or virtual tables.
Do my portal users need Dynamics 365 licences? No. External users (customers, suppliers, partners) need Power Pages authenticated or anonymous capacity, not D365 licences. Your client’s internal staff who access D365 directly need D365 licences.
Can we use our own branding and design? Yes. Power Pages supports full custom theming via CSS, Liquid templates, and custom web pages. You can match your client’s existing brand exactly.
How long does a Power Pages portal take to build? An MVP runs 2–4 weeks. A full B2B portal with multiple roles, workflows, and integrations typically runs 8–12 weeks.
Is Power Pages secure enough for enterprise data? Yes. It uses Microsoft Entra ID for authentication, Dataverse row-level security for data access, and inherits Microsoft’s enterprise security posture (SOC, ISO, HIPAA-eligible deployments supported).
Conclusion
A B2B portal for Microsoft Dynamics 365 lets your client extend their CRM and ERP investment to the outside world — securely, quickly, and without giving every external user a Dynamics licence. For most use cases, Power Pages + Dataverse + Dynamics 365 is the right native stack. For a smaller set of high-UX or high-transaction scenarios, React or Blazor is the better answer.
MTC builds both. Our team includes Adxstudio/Power Apps Portals heritage going back to the original Microsoft portal product, alongside React and Blazor portal delivery for partners where the use case calls for it.
Talk to MTC’s Power Pages team about your client’s B2B portal build →
