For nearly three decades, Microsoft Dynamics GP (formerly Great Plains) has quietly powered accounting and operations for thousands of organizations. It’s been a trusted workhorse — stable, familiar, and deeply integrated into day-to-day business.
But with Microsoft announcing that GP will reach the end of its mainstream support on December 31, 2029, and move into extended (security-only) support until April 30, 2031, every GP user now faces an important decision: what comes next?
To help clients navigate that question, Enavate hosted a webinar,“Is GP on Life Support? Your Options Before the Plug Gets Pulled.”
The session, moderated by Wendi Bassett, Technical Product Manager at Enavate, brought together experts across cloud, ERP, reporting, and CRM to explore the real options ahead — from staying the course to embracing the cloud.
“Clients aren’t panicking, but they are actively exploring their options. Most at this point are in the working phase, evaluating what their next move should be.”
That’s the right place to be: informed, proactive, and ready to plan.
Mainstream support ends: December 31, 2029
Security updates continue until: April 30, 2031
No new features or regulatory updates after 2029
Hosting GP in Azure increases security and accessibility but doesn’t modernize the core software
Microsoft’s ERP investment is now focused on Dynamics 365 Business Central
Microsoft’s official lifecycle puts mainstream support for GP ending in late 2029. After that, there will be no new features, tax updates, or regulatory changes, only critical security updates until April 2031.
In practical terms, GP will keep running, but it won’t keep evolving. Organizations relying on it should begin planning now to avoid scrambling later.
“The longer you wait, the fewer options you’ll have. Companies are already making their moves, and as we get closer to 2029, demand for migrations is only going to increase.”
That doesn’t mean you need to rush. It means you need a roadmap.
Speaker: Alfredo Porto, Service Delivery Lead at Enavate
For many companies, the natural next step is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC). It carries forward the core functionality of GP while offering a modern, cloud-based architecture built for scalability, automation, and AI.
Alfredo Porto, Enavate’s Service Delivery Lead, explained that this is the direction many GP clients are already heading.
“Microsoft announced the end of life for Great Plains in 2029. A lot of our clients are asking us, what’s next? What do we do? Where are we going? The answer for most users is Business Central.”
He pointed out that the move often makes financial sense over time.
“The incentive to go to Business Central financially is really great. It lowers your total cost of ERP ownership over a five-year time period.”
And BC’s integration with Microsoft 365 tools makes daily work simpler.
“A lot of our clients are enjoying the Copilot features of Business Central,” Alfredo added. “It’s a much more modern ERP system that’s connected. It’s really moving into the future of ERP.”
Migrating to BC isn’t a flip of a switch, though. Data cleanup, user training, and replacing custom integrations all take planning. The companies starting those steps now will be the ones moving smoothly later.
Speaker: Melissa Grover, Cloud Practice Lead at Enavate
If a full ERP migration feels too big right now, hosting GP in Microsoft Azure offers a valuable middle ground. It keeps your existing system while improving security, reliability, and remote access.
Melissa Grover, who leads Enavate’s Cloud Practice, explained how her team helps companies identify the best next step.
“We help you identify your gaps and potential liabilities in your infrastructure. And you can use the $10,000 towards implementing any of the recommendations that we discover.”
Migrating GP to Azure means your team can access the system from anywhere, with built-in disaster recovery and a reduced hardware footprint.
“You can take advantage of the increased security, updated software, and the ability to access your systems no matter where you are,” Melissa said.
Hosting GP in Azure doesn’t make it cloud-native — the software itself remains the same — but it’s a practical step toward modernization. It reduces risk now and makes a future move to Business Central smoother later.
Speaker: Tim McHale, GP Practice Manager at Enavate
For organizations planning to stay on GP in the near term, upgrading and optimizing can make a big difference.
Tim McHale, Enavate’s GP Practice Manager, urged companies not to fall behind on updates.
“If you’re planning on staying on GP for a while, the end of life is through 2029. And if you stay current, you’ll be supported by Microsoft through 2031.”
Staying current means receiving tax and security updates until that 2031 mark — and avoiding issues that arise from older, unsupported builds.
“By getting your GP version upgraded, it ensures that you stay within the supported life cycle and that you’d be receiving critical updates, tax patches, and security fixes,” Tim said.
He also emphasized that most organizations aren’t using GP to its full potential.
“We often find clients only use about 20 percent of GP’s functionality. With training, we can show you probably the other 80 percent that you’re not using.”
That’s an opportunity many overlook. Training, automation, and workflow optimization can stretch the system’s value while your team plans its next move.
Speaker: Jim Unger, Senior Consultant & Reporting and Analytics Specialist at Enavate
No matter which ERP platform you’re on, reporting is where insight turns into action.
Jim Unger highlighted two tools that can transform how organizations view their data: Solver Data Warehouse and Microsoft Power BI.
“If you had $10,000 to spend, and you wanted to desperately improve your reporting capabilities in either Great Plains or Business Central, Enavate has a couple of ideas on how you might be able to do that.”
He described Solver as:
“A data-warehousing, reporting, and budgeting application that allows you to customize the way that you do your reports through an Excel-based reporting tool.”
Power BI, on the other hand, brings analytics to life visually.
“Power BI will paint a picture for you so that you can see trends and correlations between different variables in your reporting. It’s extremely useful.”
For companies staying on GP, adding these tools is one of the easiest ways to modernize. They connect directly to GP’s SQL database and deliver the kind of real-time insights that were once reserved for cloud systems.
Speaker: Michelle Fisher, CRM Specialist at Enavate
ERP strategy isn’t only about the back office. It’s also about how you engage your customers.
Michelle Fisher showed how cloud-based CRM tools like Dynamics 365 Sales can work alongside GP to modernize that side of the business.
“If you currently don’t have a CRM, this is a great way to get one for your company. You don’t have to change anything about your current ERP. You can stay on-prem and access your CRM through the cloud.”
Because Dynamics 365 Sales connects directly with Outlook and Teams, staff can manage contacts, leads, and communication without leaving the tools they already use.
“Dynamics 365 Sales is fully implemented with Outlook and Teams, which are the tools that you’re currently using if you’re in GP,” Michelle explained.
It’s a straightforward way to bring customer data into the cloud — a first step toward a more integrated digital ecosystem.
Across the discussion, every speaker returned to the same message: don’t wait.
As Wendi Bassett summed it up:
“Don’t wait for GP’s end-of-life to dictate your future. Every step you take now puts you ahead for the future.”
Whether your next move is a cloud migration, an upgrade, or a full transition to Business Central, early planning gives you more control over timing, costs, and outcomes.
Dynamics GP isn’t dying overnight, but its evolution has ended. This is the moment for organizations to decide how they’ll evolve next. And with clear options on the table, it’s not about life support anymore. It’s about what comes after.