In an announcement which cannot be a surprise to anyone, Microsoft have announced that Microsoft Dynamics GP is coming to the end of it’s life.
Today, we’re announcing we will end product support and updates for Dynamics GP on the 30th of September 2029 (with security patches ending on the 30th of April 2031). We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our loyal GP customers. Your trust and collaboration have been essential to building an incredibly strong GP community!…
I was a part of that community for nineteen years before I decided the writing on the wall was getting too large to ignore and made the switch across to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. That swith has seemed increasingly a good choice as I had come to expect an announcement like yesterdays.
The Dynamics GP roadmap has been updated to reflect this announcement:
The Dynamics Communities site is hosting an interview with Microsoft’s Mike Morton, VP of Dynamics 365 BC and SMB, where he discusses the timeline for ending support for Dynamics GP.
Microsoft had already announced the end of Microsoft Dynamics GP On-Premises Licenses in 2025 and Subscription Licenses in 2026 which again was a huge red flag in terms of the future life of Dynamics GP; the new key dates to bear in mind for users of Dynamics GP is 30th September 2029 when there will be an end to produce support, product enhancements and regulatory updates and 30th April 2030 when there will the end of security updates.
What does this mean for users of Dynamics GP? Well, first thing is don’t panic!
Even though the end of life has been announced, Microsoft have committed to supporting the product through to 2029, which is five years. This is plenty of time to take a measured aproach to migrating to a new ERP system. There is no need for a knee-erk reaction; review your options and take a thorough look at any ERP you’re considering to make sure it will meet your current and future needs.
Microsoft, and partners, will be pushing Business Central to Dynamics GP users, likely talking about it as an “upgrade”, but it is a re-implementation and not an upgrade. I write this even as a Business Central consultant, albeit one with experience of Dynamics GP.
I found the switch from GP to BC to be quite an easy one to make and think it will largely be the same for end users. But, as I say, make no mistake: it is a re-implementation, the same as moving to any other ERP.
For the majority of clients with whom I worked over the years on Dynamics GP, Business Central would be a suitable system for them to switch to. Functionality wise, they are comparable, with Business Central having the edge in integration with other Microsoft platforms, like Power Platform, Microsoft Office and Copilot.
I covered some reasons why you should plan to migrate from Dynamics GP and things to consider earlier this year.
Yes, you now need to seriously consider your options and start planning to replace Microsoft Dynamics GP, but there are partners committing to supporting users of Dynamics GP even after the end of life and ISVs committing to continue developing their add-ons. However, there is a big risk to using an ERP system which is out of support with the vendor as anything which goes wrong won’t get their support after the end of life date.
As always, David Musgrave has a good write-up of the situation. There is a lot to think about with an announcement like this, but as I said earlier, take your time and consider the options fully before you make a move. And again, there is five years before the end of life and end of support, so there is no need to rush. Any partner trying to rush you into a decision, is not advising you with your best interests in mind. Take your time and fully review all options.
It is somewhat bittersweet news, considering I have almost two decades of working with Dynamics GP and met and otherwise interacted with some great people, but I had already moved on myself to Business Central. Perhaps I will get the opportunity to interact with more of the GP community with Business Central.
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