Dynamics GP to Business Central & Dynamics 365 Migration

There’s no question that Dynamics GP has proven itself as a reliable ERP system for small and mid-sized businesses. However, as the business world transitions to a more mobile and flexible business environment, you may find yourself in need of a solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365, a cloud-first platform that offers more robust features. If you’re looking to move from Dynamics GP to Business Central, it helps to have a partner on board like Internet eBusiness Solutions (IES) who understands the strengths and capabilities of both systems.

How is Dynamics GP Different from Business Central?

At first glance, Dynamics GP might seem similar to Business Central. Both solutions offer capabilities for reporting, budgeting, and online banking. However, one big difference is that Dynamics GP provides organizations with payroll processing functionality, while Business Central does not. That means you’d have to purchase separate software to handle your payroll.

Another big difference is in the licensing model. Dynamics GP relies on a perpetual licensing model, which can get costly. However, you can subscribe to Business Central as a SaaS project. There are also differences in deploying a Dynamics GP instance vs. Business Central. That’s why it’s helpful to have a consulting partner like IES onboard to guide your organization through those variations.

What are the Benefits of Migrating from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365?

Microsoft continues to support Dynamics GP. It’s still in use by thousands of businesses across the U.S and offers distinct advantages over clunkier accounting systems. However, Dynamics 365 allows companies to transition to a cloud-based platform at a more friendly price point.

In addition, Business Central provides businesses with both CRM and ERP capabilities. It’s specially designed to benefit small and mid-sized companies. If moving to a cloud infrastructure is part of your organization’s long-term technology strategy, the better choice may be to transition your current Dynamics GP instance to Dynamics 365.

Other benefits of moving from Dynamics GP to Business Central include:

More seamless upgrade experience
More expansive reporting and business intelligence capabilities
Easier integration with other Dynamics 365 and Microsoft software products
More budget-friendly for smaller companies
Making mobile access easier
Access to a more modern user interface

Eyal Lalo

President of Invicta Watch Company of America

Invicta strives on quality and precision. We have been using Dynamics GP for quite some time and also integrated the eCommerce Manager by IES. IES has shown that it can provide the kind of services we need to grow with our dynamic business and assist us at any time with accuracy.

John Harris

Managing Director, Coral Gables Trust

At Coral Gables Trust we strive to provide our customers the best possible care and attention as a wealth and investment management trust company. It is important for us to have a proven CRM technology and an experienced trusted solution partner to implement and render ongoing quality support.

Dan Grossman

CPA

We have been using Great Plains for almost 15 years since the DOS version. Now we manage over 350 plus companies in GP. We tried a few local partners but I can attest that we could not have grown our business without the consultative approach of IES.

HOW DO YOU GET STARTED MOVING FROM DYNAMICS GP TO BUSINESS CENTRAL?

Once you decide to go forward with a Dynamics GP to Business Central transition, you’ll need to determine how you want to start. IES can help you figure out whether it’s better to start from scratch with a new instance of Dynamics 36. Alternatively, it may benefit you to update your current version of Dynamics GP and then migrate it to Business Central. Either way, IES has tools capable of performing functions like:

Importing master records
Importing historical data
Importing open transactions

Here’s an overview of how IES can help you move from Dynamics GP to Business Central.

1. Create a roadmap

Before you make the change, IES helps you outline the roadmap and business case to migrate Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365. Questions we can help your company answer questions include:

Is there a need to change solutions soon?
How much longer do we wish to continue using Dynamics GP?
What processes need to stay in place until we complete the Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 migration?
What features in Dynamics 365 are most beneficial to our organization?

Once you’ve answered these critical questions, IES can help you develop a project plan to guide you through your Dynamics GP migration.

2. Review the state of your company

After coming up with your roadmap, you can start looking at how your company uses your current installation of Dynamics GP. Look at the installed features and which business areas utilize them the most. How much effort would it take to get your employees to adjust to a new Business Central installation? You should also look at what systems tap into your Dynamics GP solution and whether you can create similar integrations with Dynamics 365.

3. Document your business processes

IES looks at each of your business areas and documents how they currently use Dynamics GP. In addition, our experts focus on what’s working well, and where Dynamics 365 can improve current workflows. In addition, we talk to the users who interact with Dynamics GP to see where they may run into constraints and other tasks they’d like to accomplish with Business Central.

4. Look at where the company is headed

Your organization should know where it’s headed in the future. If you don’t have a plan or roadmap in place, IES can help you create an outline with defined milestones and goals to achieve over the next three years, five years, and beyond. That helps IES understand how to ensure that your company can accomplish everything it desires after making the Dynamics GP to Business Central transition.

5. Come up with a budget and timeline

Decide when you want to complete the move from Dynamics GP to Business central. Think about the impacts on users and any potential downtime certain business areas might experience. IES can work with your organization to make the adjustment period as seamless as possible.

6. Consider the future

As important as it is to establish processes to accommodate your GP to Business Central migration, you also need to think about what comes after. While IES provides training to employees, that knowledge can fade once you complete the switch.

For that reason, you need to think about the kind of technical support you want available to employees, how you can continue training for new and current employees, and how you want to handle potential future enhancements to your Dynamics 365 solution.

Let IES Guide Your Dynamics GP Migration

If you’re looking to move from Dynamics GP to Business Central, make sure you have experts in place with the technical know-how to account for different variables. Learn more about our services by setting up a consultation with IES today.