As technology evolves and business needs change, Great Plains (GP) may not be able to keep up with the demands of modern organizations. That's why Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue support for GP by 2025. This means that you will no longer receive updates, patches, or technical assistance for your system after that date. You may also face compatibility issues with other software and hardware that you use in your business.
If you are still using GP, you may be wondering what your options are and why you should consider upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC), a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that connects sales, service, finance, and operations teams.
Here are some of the benefits of switching from GP to BC:
- Access cutting-edge technology: BC is built on the Microsoft cloud platform, which means you can access your data and applications from any device, anywhere. You also get automatic updates, security patches, and backups without any hassle. BC integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products such as Office 365, Power BI, Teams, and Azure.
- Control costs and complexity: BC offers flexible licensing options that allow you to pay only for what you need. You can also scale up or down as your business grows or changes. You don't have to worry about maintaining servers, hardware, or software licenses with BC. You can also reduce IT staff costs by outsourcing support and maintenance to Microsoft or a partner.
- Improve productivity and insights: BC provides a user-friendly interface that simplifies workflows and processes across your organization. You can also use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) features to automate tasks, optimize operations, and generate insights from your data. BC also offers advanced reporting and analytics tools that help you monitor performance and make informed decisions.
- Increase financial and business performance: BC helps you streamline your accounting and finance functions with features such as multi-currency support, budgeting, cash flow forecasting, fixed assets management, bank reconciliation, tax compliance, audit trails, etc.
You can also manage your sales and marketing activities with features such as:
- Contact management
- Campaign management
- Lead generation
- Opportunity management
- Quote management
- Order processing
- Invoicing
You can also improve your customer service with features such as:
- Case management
- Service contracts
- Service orders
- Service dispatching
- Boost sales and improve customer service: BC helps you manage your projects from start to finish with features such as:
- Project planning
- Resource allocation
- Time tracking
- Expense reporting
- Billing
You can also optimize your inventory and supply chain management with features such as:
- Demand forecasting
- Replenishment planning
- Warehouse management
- Purchase order management
- Vendor management
As you can see, BC offers many advantages over GP in terms of functionality, flexibility, scalability, and security. If you want to take your business to the next level, you should consider upgrading to BC before GP reaches its end-of-life. Through December 31, 2024, Microsoft is offering eligible customers a 40% discount on the Business Central subscriptions. Contact us and ask about the Bridge to Cloud promotion.
To learn more about how to migrate from GP to BC, contact us today. We can help you plan and execute a smooth transition that minimizes disruption and maximizes value.
