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Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains, also known as Microsoft GP, is ending its lifecycle. You are here because you are considering moving from GP to another solution.
You may be experiencing some or all of the following:
-GP has become expensive to run.
-BREP is increasing YoY, currently 16% to 19%.
-The dysfunctionality of GP is costing you time and money.
We want you to know that you are not alone. We have worked with many organisations like yours by helping them answer the question 'what next'.
In April 2023, it was announced that Microsoft would be phasing out sales of Dynamics GP licences over the following three years.
Starting from April 1st 2025, new sales of the GP perpetual licence will end. New customers will still be able to purchase subscription licences.
Microsoft will still continue to provide regulatory updates, security updates, and hotfixes. While Microsoft is phasing out the sale of new licences, they have said that Dynamics GP will be supported under the Microsoft Modern Lifecycle policy until 2028. They have also promised that they will continue to invest in programs to support Dynamics GP Partners and customers to migrate to Dynamics Business Central.
If you’ve become familiar and comfortable with Great Plains, it can be intimidating to consider migrating to a whole new system. Download our Business Central Capability Guide to learn more about your business’s unique differences, and identify the next stages to selecting a comprehensive business management solution.
To mitigate the risks associated with the End of Life of Microsoft Great Plains, you may want to consider migrating to a modern ERP solution such as Dynamics 365. This transition can provide increased functionality, improved security, and continuous support, to ensure your business remains agile and competitive in a rapidly changing market.
As software ages, and moves closer to end-of-life, it can become less reliable and harder to maintain, which increases the risk of operational disruptions. Finding experts to support and troubleshoot a legacy system can become challenging and expensive, and using obsolete technology can place your business at a competitive disadvantage compared to using a modern, integrated ERP solution.
City Dynamics is skilled with the migration of Great Plains to Business Central and understands how to migrate over, as we migrated ourselves over from GP to Business Central. We know what it takes, and we understand the technical capabilities and features of each software.
Minimise business disruption by allowing us to create and implement an efficient migration plan, to update your system while preserving your data.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers enhanced features, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics to provide deeper insights and more efficient business operations.
As a cloud-based solution, Dynamics 365 is highly scalable, to accommodate future business growth without the need for substantial infrastructure investments.
Dynamics 365 can seamlessly integrate with other Microsoft products, such as Office 365, Power BI, and Azure, to provide a cohesive, fluid and productive work environment. You will also receive regular updates from Microsoft to ensure that your software stays current and up-to-date with the latest technological advancements and security updates.
Our team of experts are ready to assist you in planning and executing a seamless migration from Microsoft GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central. Contact us today to discuss your options and ensure your business is prepared for the future.
The best time for you to consider migrating over from GP to Business Central is now, so that you are prepared and equipped for the future. Transitioning to Dynamics 365 ahead of any critical junctures including the sunset of GP can help future proof your business processes.
The migration process involves us reviewing your current Great Plains status and usage, to understand how you use GP, what features you prioritise and what you will require going forward. The process involves migrating from one software to another, but also to think about what you as a business will need and want from your ERP solution for the next decade - and more.
We will show you Business Central, and understand how you may wish to use it. From our understanding, we can then plan out the migration project and costs. We’ll review your data migration needs, and how that will be managed, how much data will be shared across into the live company, and how much will be put into a “GP history” company that you can use, so you do not have to run your old servers.
We will design your new system on your behalf, and work with you to review and refine the details for sign off. Once this has been completed, we’ll begin the configuration, and other parts of the project that happen later, such as UAT testing scripts, and the data migration.
A key milestone here is the phase to go live. This contains three key tasks: specific Dynamics 365 user training, UAT testing, and data migration. Once these have been completed and signed off, we will reach the Go Live stage, and we will support you with floor walking the new system so you are comfortable and confident with the functionality of the new upgraded system.
The final stage before the migration project ends is time for month end support, where we can assist you with VAT submissions and establishing the Token with HMRC and Business Central. After completion, you will be transferred to our support desk for any further support and technical queries.
Overall, the most significant difference between the two is the design of each product. GP (or Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains) is a legacy product which was initially developed and introduced for on-premise deployment.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central however, is designed specifically for the cloud.
Great Plains is not obsolete at this stage. However, Microsoft announced that they would be discontinuing support for the system by 2025. As of right now, Microsoft has not announced end of life for Dynamics GP as a whole - however they have put notice to End of Support for older GP versions under the Fixed Life Cycle Policy.
Click the button below to submit your enquiry to our team who will get back to you as soon as possible.
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