Five predictions for Microsoft Dynamics GP in 2015

Last year's predictions worked out pretty well. I called Satya Nadella as Microsoft's next CEO, among other things. Let's try this again. I have five new predictions for Microsoft Dynamics GP in 2015.

1. The pace of innovation will slow down after the GP 2015 release.

It's no secret a significant number of GP developers (and developers for other Dynamics teams) were laid off. At the same time the pace of significant releases have made it difficult for consultants to keep up. Many companies aren't even trying.  I think that these factors will slow the pace of innovation, possibly allowing us to digest what's already come out.

2. Big rocks will get smaller and small rocks will get more numerous.

With the changes to the development team, I'm expecting that future releases will focus on items listed in Microsoft Connect. Many of these are "small rocks" , meaning the development effort isn't huge, but that doesn't mean that the impact won't be. Importing from GL was a "small rock" in GP 2013 R2.

3. Cloud deployments will continue to rise.

It has become clear to me that cloud deployments will continue to rise. Companies are brushing away concerns about security and data access in exchange for convenience. The convenience of easy, anywhere access, paired with the convenience of bypassing IT, will push more ERP deployments into the cloud. It doesn't hurt that Microsoft is heavily pushing Azure or that the convenience of bypassing IT work well with IT's frequent reluctance to support Accounting and Finance.

4. Apps are going to be a problem.