If you’ve heard about Microsoft’s April 2023 announcement to stop sales for new licenses of Dynamics GP in 2025, you’re probably wondering what it all means for your business. For now, there’s no need to worry, but as a trusted Microsoft Partner for countless enterprises, we’ll help you make the right decision to future-proof your setup for years to come. 

What Exactly Did the Microsoft Dynamics GP Announcement Entail? 

Most businesses are moving to the cloud. Consequently, Microsoft launched their Dynamics 365 cloud CRM and ERP solutions. Their on-premises Dynamics GP and SL solutions are not being released as cloud solutions and instead are being sunset over several years. Moving forward, Microsoft will sell only two ERP cloud solutions to new customers; Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for small to mid-market companies and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations for large, enterprise organizations.  

As a result, new Microsoft Dynamics GP licenses will cease by April 2025. While Microsoft will stop selling licenses, it’ll continue supporting Dynamics GP until at least 2028, and probably beyond that year.  

Here’s what the end of support by version looks like in more detail: 

Microsoft is fully aware of the countless businesses running on their software, and as a result, they won’t force you to adopt a new solution in just a few months. Whether you prefer to stay with Dynamics GP or think about migrating to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, both will work fine for now. However, you should keep in mind that, despite annual security updates, Dynamics GP will slowly be phasing out, which will likely make Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central an increasingly attractive option as time moves on for clients. 

New customers can still purchase a perpetual license for Dynamics GP on-premises solution until April 2024, but you should keep in mind that Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central doesn’t force you to invest in physical infrastructure and will be receiving more regular updates and enhancements down the road. If you don’t want a cloud solution, you can also implement Business Central as an on-premises solution, although you’ll need to also buy your own server and have the system updates installed yourself or by your partner. Either way, Business Central provides a more modern and cloud friendly solution. 

What Are Your Options as an Active Dynamics GP Client? 

As you can gather from the table above, there’s no need to panic about your existing Dynamics GP license. You’ll still be able to use it and receive regular updates, at least until 2028. However, it’s also clear from that timeline that extended support is slowly running out — so if you value an up-to-date, modern solution, this may be an opportune time to switch to Business Central. 

Before you actually make the jump to Business Central, The TM Group is happy to help evaluate Business Central for your business to see if it suits your business needs. We are also happy to provide a free transition assessment and project roadmap. Here are some options to migrating your GP on-premises system to the cloud. 

Move to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 

Switching to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides current Dynamics GP customers an easy cloud solution that’s less prone to security breaches and configuration errors. You may have your reservations about storing your company data on another organization’s servers, but doing so with Microsoft lets you access files from anywhere without complicated virtual private networks and remote desktop server setups. Not to mention, once you’ve got everything migrated to the Microsoft cloud, staying up to date with update cycles will no longer require consultants for upgrade projects. Even now, BC already offers a more modern user interface, rich functionality and more business flexibility, and it’ll only grow more capable and reliable with future updates that you’ll never get staying on Dynamics GP. 

Switch to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations 

You may have found that your large, multinational enterprise has grown past both Dynamics GP and Business Central’s capabilities, in which case it can make sense to transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. For most GP customers, Business Central has more than enough ERP capabilities and is also cheaper and easier to implement than Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. The TM Group can help you assess if transitioning from Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central of Finance and Operations makes more business sense. 

Move to a Cloud-Hosted GP system 

If you don’t want to transition from Dynamics GP yet, but would also like to benefit from the security and ease of use a cloud solution can provide, the switch to BC isn’t your only option. Njevity’s Power GP Online is a cloud-hosted Dynamics GP solution that can allow you to embrace the cloud and continue to use GP as well as keeping maintenance and upgrade costs low. For those ready to embrace the cloud but wanting to continue to use GP, we partner with Njevity’s PowerGP Online, a provider of hacker-tested and audit-compliant cloud solutions for Dynamics GP. 

Talk to an Expert To Start Planning Your Dynamics GP Transition 

Here at TMG, we proudly look back at decades of experience implementing Microsoft Dynamics GP for many clients in a diverse array of industries. If you’re still undecided about which future path to take with your Dynamics GP solution, we’ll gladly assist you in developing a technology roadmap for your specific business model and technical needs. 

While there’s no need to panic about Dynamics GP’s end of life, there’s also no reason to miss out on better opportunities. Reach out to our expert team today to learn more about the right one for your enterprise.