Microsoft Partners take different approaches to advising their Dynamics GP customers

As Microsoft focuses its digital transformation strategy for business applications around Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations and Dynamics 365 Business Central, customers are likely wondering about the fate of Microsoft Dynamics GP.

To be clear, GP has not gone away. The product has a new annual release planned and a roadmap that extends to 2020 and likely beyond. Still, discussions about moving from on-premises GP systems to something else, whether GP in a cloud environment or another SaaS ERP, show no sign of diminishing. So MSDW reached out to several Microsoft partners to find out how they're helping to guide their GP customers on whether to stay the course, listen to the Business Central marketing, or look at other cloud ERPs.

Different GP customer reactions

"What we're seeing with either the GP users or several GP partners that we're talking to is that there are really kind of two camps among users," says Michael Hollingsworth, founder and CEO of Centerprism.

Some GP users are thinking about moving to the cloud, either with Business Central or other cloud ERPs, such as NetSuite, he says. But many others like the application and don't want to transition to the cloud. They're worried about the costs associated with moving their data to the cloud, and about giving up control of their data.

"From a pure accounting perspective, people love Great Plains because it's a robust accounting system," says Andrew King, managing director, WebSan Solutions Inc. "But the problem is that you're getting pressure from Microsoft not to sell GP, [and] not ...