Microsoft Great Plains end-of-life: How to plan your next steps

In April 2023, Microsoft announced that Dynamics Great Plains (Dynamics GP) sales will end in 2026. 

The change has left many GP users wondering if they should stay with the platform or migrate to another ERP. Microsoft will support GP until 2028, so it will be around for a while. However, you should consider the impact on your business of relying on software that won’t be evolving beyond bug fixes.

In this article, we’ll show you how to chart the right course by creating an end-of-life strategy for GP.  We’ll help you understand how the changes affect your business and the pros and cons of staying with GP or migrating to a new platform. Finally, we’ll explore how Stampli’s no-code ERP integrations help you maintain full AP functionality whether you stay on GP or move to a new ERP.

Let’s dive in.

What’s happening with Dynamics GP?

Here are the details of Microsoft’s announcement: 

• New sales of GP perpetual licenses will end on April 1, 2025. New customers can still purchase GP subscription licenses.
• All new customer sales of GP will end on April 1, 2026. Existing customers may still purchase licenses and modules. 
• Microsoft will provide tax updates, security updates, and hotfixes three times a year until at least 2028.
• Customer support will be provided under the Microsoft Modern Lifecycle policy until at least 2028. 

In a nutshell, GP isn’t going away, but Microsoft is no longer actively developing new product features or enhancements. Microsoft will continue supporting GP customers and release regularly scheduled updates that include feature, tax, and regulatory updates and hotfixes.

What about older versions of GP?

Microsoft will continue to provide support for older (Pre-2019) versions of Dynamics GP under their Fixed Lifecycle support policy. Fixed Lifecycle offers a three-phase support model:

• Mainstream support: Offered for five years after the product release date.
• Extended support: Offered for five years after Mainstream support expires. During Extended support, Microsoft only releases updates for security vulnerabilities. It doesn’t fix bugs unless they cause a security issue.
• End of life: Microsoft no longer updates the product, and users won’t be able to open support tickets.

All Pre-2019 versions of GP are under Extended support and will reach their end of life by January 11, 2028.

Why should you migrate from Dynamics GP?

In the short term, the GP sunset may not have a major impact on your business. Microsoft will continue to provide bug fixes and updates so the software will still work.

However, in the long run, there are some risks you should factor into your end-of-life strategy for GP.

No new product development or features

In its announcement, Microsoft said it will focus its resources on cloud-based products like 365 Business Central. It will also encourage customers to move from legacy on-premises solutions like GP to cloud-based services. 

ERP and accounts payable automation technology is evolving fast. Dynamics Business Central and other solutions are continuously becoming more powerful and flexible and GP will gradually fall behind. Consider your future accounting and accounts payable needs, especially if your business is growing and you’ll need a scalable and flexible solution down the road.

GP product support will eventually end

Although Microsoft announced they will continue to support Dynamics GP until at least 2028, support for the system will eventually end.

Other Microsoft products may not support GP integration

There is no guarantee that other Microsoft products, such as Office 365, will continue to support full integration with GP. Future integrations may require expensive and time-consuming workarounds.

Microsoft may not support GP modules

In March 2022, Microsoft announced that it was discontinuing the Extended Human Resources and Payroll modules in GP and transitioning them to a third-party provider. Microsoft may discontinue other GP modules in the future, potentially leaving you stranded.

Third-party software providers may end GP support

On November 29, 2023, BILL (formerly bill.com) announced that effective December 1, 2023, it would no longer support direct sync with Microsoft Great Plains (Dynamics GP).

Other third-party integration providers may follow BILL’s lead and end support for the platform, potentially leaving your business scrambling to replace lost functionality. 

How should your business move forward with Dynamics GP?

You’ve got several options to consider in your GP end-of-life strategy. For core ERP functionality, you can stay on GP, migrate to Business Central, or migrate to a third-party ERP. 

Here are some tips to help you decide when and how to migrate from GP.

Evaluate your current needs

The decision to stay on GP or choose an alternative ERP must be based on user requirements, company size, and growth trajectory. Identify and evaluate factors such as:

• Which processes you are currently automating with GP, and what can be improved.
• What processes you aren’t automating with GP today that could be automated.
• Any processes you are automating with 3rd party integrations with GP.
• GP modules for critical functions (accounts payable, payroll) that can be migrated to third-party solutions.
• Business growth forecasts and what processes need to be scaled/modified to support that growth.
• What works and doesn’t work with the current GP system, i.e., user interface, data visibility, and internal controls.

With these factors in mind, let’s look at your options.

Option 1: Stay on Dynamics GP

Many companies may opt to stay with GP in the medium or long term. GP is a solid ERP that has served well for decades, and staying on the platform is a viable option for businesses that don’t have the capital to make the transition.

If you decide to remain on GP, there are a few steps you can take to optimize its performance and minimize risks to your business.

Upgrade to the latest version

If you are currently using a pre-2019 version of GP, consider upgrading to the latest version. Upgrading ensures that you will continue to receive support and software updates under Microsoft’s Modern Lifecycle policy.

If you are using the current version of GP, you will receive continuous support until at least 2028. Note that you must remain current under the Modern Lifecycle policy to remain eligible for continued support. To remain current, apply one of the three annual updates.

Host GP in the cloud

If you’re currently using an on-premise solution for GP, consider moving to the cloud. Microsoft offers the option to deploy GP on Azure as a hosted system, which brings numerous advantages.

• Scalability: Add capacity without buying new physical servers.
• Lower IT costs: No need to maintain physical IT infrastructure.
• Risk management: Store data in the Azure cloud rather than managing it onsite.
• Business continuity: Azure Backup automatically backs up and recovers your system data.
• Greater security: Automatic security measures ensure your business is protected.
• Remote access: Users can securely access GP from remote desktops.

Confirm that third-party integrations support GP

As mentioned earlier, some third-party accounting solution providers may follow in the footsteps of BILL and discontinue their support for Dynamics GP integrations. If you plan to continue using GP for the medium or long term and rely on third-party integrations, you should confirm if they will continue supporting GP. 

If they plan to end their support or are unwilling to answer, consider migrating to a provider like Stampli that will continue supporting GP integrations. Stampli is the only AP automation solution provider that builds its own ERP integrations from scratch, and it supports the full native functionality of Dynamics GP. Stampli will continue to develop its GP integration and support customers who remain on GP as long as the platform exists.

Consider moving mission-critical Dynamics GP modules to another solution

Your business may be at risk if Microsoft discontinues support for a GP module you rely on. Identify mission-critical modules for functions like accounts receivable, accounts payable, or payroll, and run the business case on migrating them to a third-party solution.

Option 2: Migrate to Dynamics 365 Business Central

Dynamics GP customers who want to stay in the Microsoft ecosystem can consider upgrading and migrating GP to Business Central (BC). As a next-generation, cloud-based ERP, BC offers greater flexibility and functionality, ongoing support and product development, and integration with other Microsoft products and third-party integrations.

Microsoft provides a comprehensive migration guide, data migration guide, and feature comparison guide for customers considering migrating from GP to BC. 

Case study: Migrating third-party integrations to Dynamics BC

When the San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association (SBCERA), a Stampli customer, needed to move from its existing ERP to Dynamics Business Central, they were concerned about how the migration would impact their financial stability. As the fund manager for over $14 billion in assets, they couldn’t afford a single mistake. They needed to migrate to Business Central without disrupting their existing business processes.

SBCERA worked with Stampli to migrate their master lists (vendors, GLs, entities, and everything else). Over the next five months, they successfully migrated their ERP to Business Central. All historical invoices, activity, audit trails, conversations, documents, and other objects processed through Stampli under the previous ERP remained and were accessible. The conversion maintained full continuity for both the AP workflow and access to historical invoices.

Option 3: Migrate to a new ERP

If you want to migrate off GP but don’t want to stay in the Microsoft ecosystem, consider migrating to a new ERP system. Moving to a new ERP allows you to take advantage of real-time data visibility, better scalability, improved collaboration, and secure remote access. It also ensures continued support, product improvements, and access to new features and capabilities.

Consider third-party integrations for core accounting functions

When evaluating migration to a new ERP, consider automating complex accounting operations such as accounts payable, employee expenses, and accounts receivable. While most ERP solutions provide built-in functionality for these tasks, third-party automation solutions offer additional advantages and don’t tie you to a particular ERP.

At the same time, ensure that any third-party solutions you consider can support more than one ERP, so you have the flexibility to choose the ERP system you want.

Set a migration schedule

When do you plan to move away from GP? The good news is that Microsoft will support GP until at least 2028. However, you may want to migrate from the platform before then. Your decision will depend on several factors. For example, you may also have concerns about continued support for current and planned software integrations with GP and want to move off the platform in the near future. Alternatively, your budget may not support the migration to a new ERP immediately, so you may want to plan the migration in the medium term.

When you decide on a migration schedule, keep an eye on these factors so you aren’t caught off-guard if something changes, like an integration provider withdrawing GP support.

Work with a migration partner for third-party integrations

After you choose a new ERP and decide on a migration schedule, begin migrating your data and integrations from Dynamics GP to your new ERP. This is a crucial step because a single mistake could interrupt your business operations and affect your company’s financial stability. 

Before migrating to the new ERP, ensure that your existing third-party integrations can be migrated without impacting your business. If they can’t, you may need to halt the migration until you find a way to migrate the integrations without disrupting financial operations. Or, replace the third-party solution provider with one like Stampli that can manage ERP migrations.

Stampli: The easiest solution to integrate and migrate

Stampli is the easiest AP automation solution to integrate with GP, and the easiest to migrate to other ERPs like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations and Dynamics 365 BC. When a customer decides to migrate from one ERP to a new one, the process is carefully orchestrated to ensure a smooth transition — including migrating vendor data, matching new data sets, and maintaining business continuity.

Ranked #1 by AP users for implementation and relationship in the G2 Grid for AP Automation, Stampli is the recognized leader in effortless ERP integration. AP teams can easily configure the Stampli to accommodate specific AP processes and provide seamless data sharing – and give you one less thing to worry about when choosing to stay on Dynamics GP or migrate to BC or a new ERP.

Check out Stampli’s industry-leading integration features:

Supports native functionality

Stampli’s pre-built ERP integrations support full functionality, making your AP department more efficient without having to rework your ERP or change your AP processes.

Scale with your business

Stampli’s seamless integration with Dynamics Business Central lets it adapt to current and future functionality – ensuring you can grow your business without outgrowing your AP automation.

Support for multiple ERPs, locations, subsidiaries, and currencies

Stampli offers complete flexibility to accommodate your organizational structure, no matter where you do business.

Flexible cloud-based platform

Implement Stampli and integrate it with GP or any other ERP without additional hardware, and access your AP workflows and data from any device, anywhere, anytime.

If you’re an existing Dynamics GP customer, and you’d like to discuss your options for integrating accounts payable automation with GP or migrating from GP to a new ERP, we can help. Contact Stampli today to talk to one of our experts.