Dynamics GP – Stay or Leave?

With the recent increase of attention on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 lineup of cloud applications, my clients often ask me if they should upgrade their version of Dynamics GP or move to a cloud SaaS solution. My answer is that Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle NetSuite, and Sage Intacct are all great options to consider, however in many cases it does make sense to stay on board with Dynamics GP for now.

Here are some things to consider when evaluating your next steps:

1. Recent updates to Dynamics GP have continued to improve on the mature functionality users have grown to love. These new features have focused on workflow and usability.
2. Microsoft continues to develop new features and support Dynamics GP. They recently announced three releases a year through 2024. These releases will include features, bug fixes, and year-end tax updates.

3. You have developed processes, integrations, and reports around Dynamics GP to meet your business’ needs.
4. Your staff is familiar with the features and functionality of Dynamics GP.
5. Dynamics GP can be hosted in the Microsoft Azure Cloud and be updated annually to give you the familiar GP functionality from anywhere.

The bottom line is that you should familiarize yourself with the SaaS ERP solutions out there and compare their features to those you have with Dynamics GP.

If you decide to stick with Dynamics GP, consider the following:

1. Clean up your Chart of Accounts, Vendors, Customers, and other master records using Professional Services Tools to maximize your functionality.
2. Learn more about the newer features. Many users are using time-savers like ACH payments with email remittances, Revenue and Expense Deferral, Reconcile sub-ledgers to General Ledger, and Copy Paste to the General Ledger Entries.
3. Consider archiving some of your data so you can remove old unused Accounts, Vendors, Customers, and other master records.
4. Consider moving Dynamics GP to the cloud by hosting in Microsoft Azure.
5. Take advantage of the regularly scheduled Dynamics GP webinars RSM offers.
6. Take advantage of these regular webinars to learn more about the SaaS ERP solutions that you should consider such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle NetSuite, and Sage Intacct.
7. Plan to make a move to a SaaS solution when it best suits your organization to do so.

John T. Davis