PowerGP or Business Central: Moving Dynamics GP to the Cloud

June 2, 2020 Allie

PowerGP or Business Central: Moving Dynamics GP to the Cloud

Owning a business is a series of decisions. Some are fairly simple and straightforward; others require more thought and introspection.

No matter how big or small, every choice is made to keep your company moving forward. If you’re a Microsoft Dynamics GP user, a couple notable questions have likely crossed your mind: Should I move to the cloud? How do I move to the cloud?

From tracking inventory and managing cash, to handling payroll or generating performance reports for annual reviews, Microsoft Dynamics GP is about as all-in-one solution as it gets. It’s been through several iterations since the program’s original release, and with each update, the capabilities grow wider and richer than its predecessor. Supply chain management, business intelligence, financial management, you name it, Microsoft Dynamics GP has it.

So if it’s that great, why bother fixing what may not be broken? Could you simply take GP to the cloud, or should you transition the business to a new cloud solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Cloud is arguably the best asset deployment option

There are a few reasons as to why a cloud-based accounting system deployment is best.  While network-based computing dates trace back to the 1960s, cloud computing remains relatively new, beginning in the mid-2000s. Since then, much like the cumulonimbus clouds in the sky, they’ve cast quite the shadow on the consumer and business owner public.

Indeed, as Gartner so aptly describes it, cloud computing is the new normal, with an estimated 95% of organizations around the world running applications of some sort in the cloud, based findings from RightScale. The public cloud services market reached a valuation of $182.4 billion in 2018 and is believed to have risen an additional 17.5% this past year, totaling more than $214.3 billion, Gartner reported separately. As soon as 2022, the overall market size of cloud services is poised to nearly triple those of IT services as a whole.

In short, the cloud is not only the here and now, it’s the future. Business owners must never lose sight of what’s to come if they want to keep their company in growth mode. Here are a few other reasons why migrating to your accounting system to the cloud makes sense:

Supports your employees’ unique work arrangements

Working from 9 to 5 in office cubicles is a thing of the past. While more than 80% of employees do like to spend at least some of their time in these traditional office set-ups, according to a Clutch survey, telecommuting is now more common than ever. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, cloud-based systems have enabled staff ordered to work from home. Post pandemic, employees are going to want to continue to take their work with them literally wherever they go, at home, on the beach or en route to cross-country business meetings.

Enhances security

Cyber attacks are an ever-present threat. Microsoft Dynamics GP has built-in security features and there are many things a company can do to secure it’s local network, but the protection isn’t as robust compared to cloud solutions that are able to spread the cost of providing highly secure systems over multiple clients. By virtually all accounts, the cloud offers greater levels of security than is available for on-premise data hubs, utilizing multiple layers of authentication to gain access, according to Intelligent Technology Solutions.

Two Leading Options for Dynamics GP Customers Transitioning to the Cloud

For Microsoft Dynamics GP customers that wish to migrate to the cloud, there are two main options that most clients take. If they are happy with GP and simply want to migrate it to the cloud, we will move our clients to Njevity’s PowerGP solution. If the client is finding GP isn’t the best fit for their business requirements, then we will transition them to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

The main way we explain the difference in these approaches is that PowerGP is like an upgrade to your existing system, but is basically the same, familiar GP solution that they have been using for years but now hosted in the cloud. Whereas transitioning to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is an entirely different system much more like implementing a new solution than an upgrade. Microsoft does provide some tools that allow GP clients transitioning to Dynamics 365 Business Central to keep their history. However, your staff will need a lot more consulting and training to configure and utilize the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central solution.

In Summary

If you’re looking to gain more productivity in your company’s work processes and enhance flexibility at the same time by getting rid of our onsite servers, migrating to Njevity Power GP or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the best way to go. Please contact The TM Group today and we’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each solution. Our singular mission is to empower organizations and people with state-of-the-art technology. Since we’re keenly familiar with both solutions, we’ll give you the guidance you need to perform all the tasks you did with Dynamics GP – and many more once you upgrade.

 

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