If you are currently using Microsoft Dynamics GP, SL or NAV, why should you consider moving to a new platform? When should you plan to move? And what will you gain from switching? This is the first article in a series of blog posts that aim to answer these questions.
By now, most people have heard Microsoft’s announcement about changes coming regarding the ability for new customers to license Microsoft Dynamics GP. In case you’re not familiar with the details, let’s recap:
- As of April 1, 2025, we will no longer be able to sell new perpetual licenses to new customers. After that date, you will only be able to license GP via a subscription. Existing GP customers with an active Annual Enhancement Plan (AEP) will be able to license additional users under the perpetual model.
- As of April 1, 2026, we will no longer be able to sell GP to new customers via subscriptions. Existing GP customers with an active subscription will be able to license additional users under their subscription.
- Microsoft also raised the prices of the annual enhancement plans along with this announcement, and you can expect annual increases going forward.
What does this mean for you as an existing customer?
If you’re currently on your GP AEP, it means nothing. However, it does portend the beginning of the end for GP. They have stated that there’s a road map as far out as 2028 to support tax updates and other minor maintenance features, but that doesn’t mean they can’t change their mind.
Microsoft has already stopped licensing new customers in Dynamics SL and NAV.
Why should you consider moving from Dynamics GP, SL or NAV?
It should be on your road map to move from GP, SL or NAV to Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365 BC). There are 3 core reasons you should be moving: security, access and obsolescence.
Security
- Quite simply, the cloud is more secure.
- 90% of security breaches target the physical servers of small businesses. So why not get rid of them?
- 65% of data breaches are configuration errors. So why not let Microsoft experts manage that in their data centers?
- Microsoft spends $2B per year on cybersecurity. How can you possibly match that — even relative to your size and scale?
The original thought was, “There’s no way having my data & systems out in the cloud can be more secure than having it on a box in my office.”
That’s simply not true any longer. It’s not about the physical security of the box.
If your systems are connected to the internet, then your system is already in the cloud, but you (or another small business providing services to you) are responsible for configuring and maintaining the security of that server in your office.
Microsoft manages hundreds of thousands of servers and can afford to implement best security practices across every single one.
Access
- Cloud access means access from anywhere. No more Virtual Private Networks or Remote Desktop Servers that inhibit functionality when connecting from outside your offices.
- Mobile access means having your data available on any device. Warehouse & shipping workers can get to it via handheld computers in the warehouse. Shop-floor workers, executives, sales personnel and field technicians can do the same, whether that’s via tablets or phones.
- Secure access means safety. Since all access, no matter the location or device, is granted via the Azure Active Directory (AAD), they are using the same credentials across the systems. Multi-factor authentication should also be deployed so that you can ensure proof of identity. FYI, if you are logging into Microsoft Outlook or Windows, you are probably using AAD.
With legacy systems like Dynamics GP, SL and NAV, security and access are often opposing forces. Open it up for more access, and suddenly, it’s less secure.
Remote Desktop Server cyberattacks are among the highest entry points for security breaches. By their very nature, those servers must be public facing. Maintaining security takes constant vigilance and can be expensive. With the current cloud offerings like D365 BC, it is both secure AND accessible.
Obsolescence
- Legacy applications like Dynamics GP, SL and NAV have a shelf life. For GP, it’s not tomorrow, and it’s not next year, but it’s coming. For SL and NAV, it’s either already expired or about to do so this year.
- Microsoft is investing heavily in D365 BC as the system of choice for you to migrate to. There’s zero investment in SL and NAV and minimal investment in GP.
- D365 BC is the fastest-growing application in the Microsoft world. From April 2021 to April 2022, it spread by 60%; the following year saw an astounding 75% year-over-year growth.
- All significant new functions and features will be on the D365 BC platform. Significant new features are not coming to the Dynamics GP platform.
One of the significant advantages of the cloud platforms like D365 BC is that Microsoft manages the updates automatically.
You no longer have to pay a consulting firm to upgrade GP to the newer versions. In 5 or 10 years, you will still be on a current state-of-the-art solution — at no additional service costs to perform the updates. In the GP world, without paying those consultants, your system will increasingly lag behind as the years pass.
Written by Kevin Brunton
This is blog one in the series of three blogs listed below:
