The Future of Microsoft Dynamics GP for Your Business

Understanding Microsoft’s Dynamics GP Roadmap and Lifecycles

There has been a lot of talk and confusion regarding the Dynamics GP lifecycle. Don’t worry you are still supported, and we are here to help you.

Lifecycle from Microsoft

In October 2019, Microsoft introduced the Modern Lifecycle Policy for Microsoft Dynamics GP. Before this date, the solution was governed by the Fixed Lifecycle Policy. The Modern Policy offers continuous support and servicing, including bug fixes, new features and the latest tax updates. Customers may stay current by taking at least one of the three yearly planned Dynamics GP releases.

If your Dynamics GP solution is governed by Fixed Lifecycle

The following older versions of Dynamics GP are governed by the Fixed Lifecycle Policy: Installing any compatible Dynamics GP tax release or hot fix on Dynamics GP 2018 or Dynamics GP 2018 R2 will bring you to version 18.2 or later, which enacts the Modern Lifecycle Policy. There are no tax releases or hot fixes available for Dynamics GP 2018 or Dynamics GP 2018 R2 that would allow you to stay on the fixed lifecycle.

The Lifecycle site shows key information about each version of Dynamics GP. The following sections provide direct links for each listed version.

If your Dynamics GP solution is governed by Modern Lifecycle

The current version of Dynamics GP is governed by the Modern Lifecycle Policy. The Modern Lifecycle Policy offers support and servicing, including bug fixes, new features, and latest tax updates. Under this policy, Dynamics GP customers stay current by taking at least one of the three all-inclusive Dynamics GP updates, typically released in June, October, and December each year. The October update typically delivers new capabilities. The two other updates will typically consist of hot fixes, tax updates, and any relevant regulatory updates.

What’s the Fixed Lifecycle Policy?

In the past, Microsoft GP fell under the company’s Fixed Lifecycle Policy. It defined a set support lifecycle period from the time the product launched. There were several different phases to the Fixed Lifecycle Policy.

Mainstream Support

The first phase of the fixed lifecycle policy includes the following mainstream support for products and services:

Paid, no-charge, hourly, and warranty claims incident support.
Security updates
Requests for non-security updates

Extended Support

The extended support kicks in after the end of mainstream support. That service pack level includes:

Paid support
Additional no-cost security updates
Requests for non-security fixes for certain products that come from Unified Support customers

Limitations around extended support include:

Rejection of requests for warranty support, new features, or design changes
No help is provided for consumer software, hardware, or multimedia products
Customers must enroll in a paid support program to receive benefits for certain products

Microsoft typically provides updates via service packs made available during product installation. After every new service pack release, Microsoft offers anywhere from 12 to 24 months of additional support for the previous service pack. After that, it will no longer receive critical updates.

Is it time for a change?

Making your move to the cloud and choosing a new ERP system is a decision that will impact your business for the next 10 years, so there is no time like the present to consider your options. Being able to access your data from anywhere, at any time, and in a secure environment is a must in today’s busy world. Cloud technology has enabled organizations to drastically change how they do business.

Want to Make the Move to Business Central? We can help!

Our Business Central Migration Assessment program was designed to provide expert consulting services to evaluate your needs and current state in Dynamics GP, SL, or other on-premise ERP systems and outline the best plan for migrating your organization to Business Central.

As the ERP landscape has shifted over the years, consultants that started in the same place have followed different paths in terms of the products, industries, and clientele. For a couple of Great Plains OGs like us, our individual journeys have led to interesting differences in how we view the current ERP upgrade landscape, especially for today’s Microsoft Dynamics GP users.

One of us (Peter) has spent the better part of two years deeply immersed in the Microsoft Dynamics AX to D365 F&O conversation, with very little visibility into the effort to migrate from Dynamics GP users to Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC). The other (Karen) has had more of a traditional GP partner career, staying the course, and now helping companies make the transition to BC.

What we both found fascinating since recently re-connecting were the alternative views we brought to the GP-to-BC discussion, and how our individual Dynamics GP histories shaped our thinking in several critical areas:

What does the future hold for GP customers and the GP partner channel?
What are an organization’s critical ERP requirements for the future?
What are the critical factors that go into the decision making process for a GP customer planning their future?

The discussion regarding GP to BC upgrades came up casually at first. The tone of the conversation changed as we discussed the considerations and options that we do not see in the current migration marketing push.

Here are our key takeaways, distilled from conversations that spanned several hours:

Upgrades from Dynamics GP to BC are not a one size fits all proposition. There are dramatic and nuanced factors that we do not see discussed in the general messaging.
GP customers would be best served if educated on a broader set of options presented to them when considering an upgrade.

Why am I upgrading?

Our guidance suggests that the first question a Dynamics GP customer should ask is, “why am I upgrading”? The answer could be one or more of the following:

I have outgrown my GP software, and it is hindering the growth of my business.
I want to move my ERP solution to the cloud.
I am following Microsoft’s or my GP partner’s messaging.

Next, the following are essential upgrade factors to consider:

There are no upgrades to a new ERP platform. With today’s complex ERP systems, “upgrade” is more of a marketing term than an exact technical definition. Even within product lines themselves, upgrades are now re-implementations. Also, upgrade toolsets are, in reality, often just generic spreadsheets and marketing hype with little technical substance.
There are significant functional and technical reasons why companies outgrow GP. If that is the case, then it is critical not to make an incremental ERP move that does not address all of those technical and functional issues.
If the primary motivation for a GP upgrade is to move your on-premises implementation to the cloud, then a better solution may be to host your existing GP system. This solution can buy critical time before making a move to a new ERP system or be a permanent solution if the proposed Microsoft life span for GP fits your requirements.

The most important takeaway is that all upgrades are complicated and expensive. The real cost of the upgrade is never the cost of the new software, that is just the tip of the iceberg. In making that decision for your company, consider all of your options carefully and do not base that critical business decision on marketing materials promoting the latest shiny toy.

Listen to the first podcast and watch for upcoming podcasts and blogs that will delve into the specifics behind each decision and provide valuable insights to help you make a more informed choice.

Editor’s Note: This article was co-written by Karen Riordan, VP Sales & Marketing for Menlo Technologies and Peter Joeckel, President & Founder for TurnOnDynamics. This article appeared in Microsoftdynamicsworld.com

Explore our On-Ramp to Dynamics 365 program.

The messaging from Microsoft and the general Microsoft Dynamics GP (GP) partner community is that the optimal upgrade option for GP users is a natural choice: upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics Business Central (BC).

Listen to the MSDynamicsWorld podcast hosted by Jason Gumpert that discusses how that message misses several vital options that lead to a better solution based on your business requirements and plans.

Listen in as Jason, Karen Riordan, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Menlo-Technologies and Peter Joeckel, President of TurnOnDynamics, Dynamics ERP industry veterans, as they discuss GP to BC upgrade strategies from their unique perspective.

A Complete Strategy

A more realistic GP to BC decision tree looks like the following and contains three significant decisions forks to help will determine the optimal “upgrade route” or strategy:

Decision 1 – Upgrade?

Our guidance suggests that the first question a Dynamics GP customer should ask is, “why am I upgrading”? The answer could be one or more of the following:

I have outgrown my GP software, and it is hindering the growth of my business.
I want to move my ERP solution to the cloud.
I am following Microsoft’s or my GP partner’s messaging.

Decision 2 – Cloud?

Is the primary motivation for a GP upgrade is to move your on-premise implementation to the cloud? Assuming that you are happy with the business functionality that you are currently getting, that leaves us with three options:

Locate your existing servers (or upgrade) in a co-hosting environment.
Move your GP to hosted servers.
A better solution may be to have your GP hosted by a company specializing in hosting your existing GP system.

These solutions can buy critical time before making a move to a new ERP system or can be a permanent solution if the proposed Microsoft life span for GP fits your requirements.

Decision 3 – Requirements?

If the determination has is to upgrade to a new ERP platform, then several important questions should be answered.

It is critical to understand that there are no simple upgrades to a new ERP platform in the SMB world. With today’s complex ERP systems, “upgrade” is more of a marketing term than an exact technical definition. Even within product lines themselves, upgrades are now some flavor of re-implementations.

Upgrade toolsets are becoming more powerful and user friendly but come with limitations that may be critical, especially in larger, more sophisticated implementations that require enterprise-level ERP platform capabilities.

There are significant functional and technical reasons why companies outgrow GP. If that is the case, then it is critical not to make an incremental ERP move that does not address all of those technical and functional issues.

Upcoming podcasts will delve into the specifics behind each decision and provide valuable insights to help you make a more informed choice.

Blog Author: Peter Joeckel, President of TurnOnDynamics, a Microsoft Dynamics consultancy specializing in providing senior functional and technical resources for Microsoft Dynamics AX/D365 upgrade and rescue projects.

Learn More About Migrating to Dynamics 365 Business Central

As an existing on-premise Microsoft Dynamics GP customer, if you have asked yourself the question, “Why do I need to upgrade?” and the answer was to move to the cloud, then you have multiple options.

Those options may not be readily evident if you look at the current wave of Microsoft and GP partner marketing that distills the on-premise GP cloud option into a straightforward “Upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics Business Central (BC)” message.

Instead of focusing on that strategy exclusively, it can be informative to take a step back and look at the actual range of choices available to move an existing GP on-premise solution to the cloud.

Let’s start by thinking about the existing server or servers that are currently tucked into a spare closet or utility room in your office used to run your current on-premise GP implementation. The servers with the rat’s nest of wiring in the back that you pray never get accidentally unplugged. Cloud computing simplified just means sticking those servers and rats nest of wires into someone else’s closet and paying rent for them to “host” it for you.

Consider this; if you have a traditional GP on-premise implementation and like thousands of companies have utilized a standard technology such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to have remote users “dial into” that on-premise system, then you are hosting GP in the cloud. You’re just not getting paid for it.

Here is the critical point, if you are happy with the business functionality that you are currently getting from your GP software, then there are much better options to move to the cloud than implementing a new ERP solution. Consider these options:

If your hardware is old and in need of a refresh, you can rent servers in the cloud, install your GP software on those hosted servers and access it remotely.
If your hardware is relatively new, you can locate your existing servers in a co-location company that specializes in having ideal environments to secure, monitor, and manage your hardware.
If you don’t want any of the headaches associated with maintaining your servers, then there is an excellent option of moving your GP implementation into a hosted environment run by companies that specialize in running traditional or existing GP solutions in the cloud for you.

Any of these solutions can be an acceptable long-term strategy or can buy critical time before making a move to a new ERP system. The new and improved commitment by Microsoft to supporting GP makes this a safe option if GP fits your requirements.

Learn More

Listen in as Jason, Karen Riordan of Menlo Technologies and Peter Joeckel of TurnOnDynamics as they discuss upgrade strategies in depth:
- MSDynamicsWorld Podcast: Episode 1 | Episode 2
To learn how Quisitive can help, explore our On-Ramp to Business Central service.

This article was co-written by Karen Riordan, VP Sales & Marketing for Menlo Technologies, a Quisitive company, and Peter Joeckel, President & Founder for TurnOnDynamics.