Why Set Up the Web Client and Desktop Client to Work Side-by-Side in Microsoft Dynamics GP

Yes, you can run the Microsoft Dynamics GP web client and desktop client in the same office. For that matter, on the same server, even the same workstation. The choice isn't "either/or," nor does it require two versions of Dynamics GP.

GPUG recently hosted an encore presentation of a Convergence 2015 session on Dynamics GP mixed deployments, presented by Brian Allrich, a senior software engineer with Microsoft. Allrich emphasized that the web client is not an all-or-nothing deployment; customers can deploy both the web and desktop client on premise. A good many do, and he used the event to both review the benefits of the current web client (a totally new GP web client is due in 2016) and to share testimonials of current users. Among them:

• "The main reasons we went with the web client was to eliminate internal hosting costs, retain security capabilities, and retain ease of access outside of the internal environment."
• "I work remotely from a home office. It's nice that as long as you have Internet, you can log in and access the system."
• "We are setup to use both web client and full desktop, but I have been very happy with the web client, so it is all I use."
• "Our IT department suggested that we use the web client. The web client was a good fit with the other software we use...especially Office 365."
• "As a company, we train all our new employees on the web client."

Features and benefits of the web client

While the desktop client still makes sense for some users, Allrich explained that ...