On September 25th 2024 Microsoft announced the end of life for Dynamics GP. The business management product formerly known as Great Plains was the first accounting software product in the Microsoft portfolio and continues to have a loyal following of users.
Like most large enterprises, Microsoft is profit driven and maintaining its legacy products is not as profitable as moving customers into its Azure cloud infrastructure.
Timeline
Rumors of the demise of Dynamics GP have circulated since the initial purchase from Great Plains in 2001. In 2002 Microsoft acquired Damgaard and its Navision (Dynamics NAV) and Axapta (Dynamics AX) products. Shortly thereafter, talk began about the ambitious “Project Green” to consolidate the products into one. Predictably, the talk of combining products led to fear from the competition and the talk of consolidation ended. However, the concept was reborn in the cloud with Microsoft Business Central.
In 2006 the products were rebranded into the Dynamics brands with the short 2 and 3 letter acronyms replacing the charismatic names. Working in a combined Business Solutions Group, Microsoft added functionality and integrations with its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Office product lines to create the rebranded 365 product lines. With the acquisition of LinkedIn and additional workflow tools Dynamics 365 became a “true cloud” platform for the entire organization in 2016.
In 2018 the re-branding, continued with by dropping acronyms and selling the components of the different products under new names. For example, parts of AX became Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. These are “new” Azure Cloud subscription products, rented and not owned. With Microsoft’s Power Apps and the features for security and personalization built into Azure, the ability to tailor systems to the unique needs of the customer are immense. Dynamics 365 now includes Copilot Artificial intelligence and machine learning baked in the product. As Microsoft continues to invests huge amounts of cash into AI research the future is bright.
End of Life for Dynamics GP
The demise of GP was inevitable. According to many who worked on Great Plains, it met technological end of life years ago. Due to its fiercely loyal customer base and end user group, Microsoft kept GP on life support as long as it could.
The important dates for Dynamics GP customers are:
• September 2029: End of product enhancements, regulatory (tax) updates, and product support
• April 2031: End of security updates
What is Next For Dynamics GP Customers
Similar to the retirement of Microsoft Dynamics NAV after its 2018 edition, Microsoft will pull out all the stops to keep its customers. Partners are being provided migration tools and customers given incentives to keep them in the Dynamics 365 Business Central family. However, the competition is also hungry and eager to win your business!
I-BN Systems Selection Services provide options from an independent consultant. An initial Systems Selection Exploration Call with one of our executives is free and may set you on the right path.