Why replace Dynamics GP with D365 Business Central?
There are many reasons to consider replacing GP with a cloud enterprise resource planning system such as Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC).
- Dynamics GP is reaching the end of its life. Microsoft announced it will no longer sell GP licenses to new customers starting in April 2026.
- Dynamics GP is server-based and therefore requires costly Windows servers to run. Even if those servers are hosted in the cloud, it's a considerable monthly expense for most organizations.
- Dynamics GP will have very few new features added as Microsoft relinquishes support. Every year, GP falls further behind its modern-day counterparts. GP has weak workflow controls and limited integrations to email and other office suite products, which means that organizations using GP are falling behind in automation and technological advances.
- D365 BC runs in the cloud with no servers required.
- D365 BC offers robust dimensional accounting. You will no longer need to create multiple permutations of the same account number for every "segment" you have in GP. D365 BC can have up to eight dimensions to use with any account as needed.
- D365 BC provides deep integration to Microsoft Office 365 with native connections to email, Excel and Word. You can view and edit your accounting data directly in Excel.
- Since D365 is part of the Microsoft 365 ecosphere, it's accessible with your current email credentials. D365 data is accessible to anyone in your organization who has a browser or a mobile device. There are no more VPN or remote desktop connections.
Your GP to cloud strategy
Migrating to D365 Business Central
Microsoft on-premises solutions
RSM’s Microsoft advisors can support the continued use of Microsoft’s legacy on-premises solutions and help you identify how and when to embrace Microsoft’s cloud strategy through modern workplace or business applications solutions.
If you are not ready for cloud migration services, RSM knows how to keep your system running and your employees efficient and is dedicated to continuing services for these product lines.
Your GP to cloud strategy
RSM’s Microsoft advisors can support the continued use of Microsoft’s legacy on-premises solutions and help you identify how and when to embrace Microsoft’s cloud strategy through modern workplace or business applications solutions.
If you are not ready for cloud migration services, RSM knows how to keep your system running and your employees efficient and is dedicated to continuing services for these product lines.
How to migrate from GP to BC
RSM offers three different approaches to replacing Dynamics GP:
- Take advantage of the RSM G2C migration utility to migrate your general ledger (GL), accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR) data from GP to D365 BC
- Our G2C utility will provision your D365 company similar to your GP setup, so your chart of accounts, customers and vendors will have a familiar setup
- Our G2C team will train your staff to use your data in the new product and assist with go-live cutover to D365
- This is a great option for clients that are happy with their current GP setup
- We also offer you the option to pay for this conversion over three years as part of an annual support contract
- This option gives you the ability to start fresh in D365 BC with a new setup that's not tied to your setup in GP
- Our implementation team will walk you through design sessions and configure the software according to your current requirements
- As with the G2C option, we'll train your staff and assist with your go-live cutover
- Unlike the G2C option, your GP history will not be converted with this option. With a new implementation, clients typically convert a few years of GL balances for financial statement comparisons and only bring opening balances into their AP and AR sub-ledgers
- This is a great option for clients who would like to change their current GP setup
- This option is the same as a new implementation, and we'll configure your D365 company with a new setup
- In addition, we'll use our G2C tool to bring your GP data into your D365 environment as a separate archive company
What to expect during the migration
Regardless of the approach you choose, here are some things to expect when migrating:
- A typical implementation takes about four months for design, setup, testing and go-live
- Your team will need to participate in the entire process to validate the design and learn the new system, so consider this when you consider the best time to perform the migration
- RSM will assist with change management by providing a dedicated project manager and detailed project plan, so you know the current status and what's next throughout the entire project
- Be sure to consider any external systems that currently integrate with GP so we can be sure to integrate those systems to D365 BC. Some examples include payroll, expense reports and customer relationship management systems but could be any other system that feeds data to your accounting software
Migration cost:
- Licensing costs for D365 BC for seven users are $15,000 per year on average
- Companies eligible for nonprofit status with Microsoft receive a discount
- One-time implementation costs are around $125,000 for core financials (GL, financial statements, banking, AR and AP)
Why choose RSM?
- RSM is the fifth-largest public accounting and consulting firm in the United States
- RSM is one of the top three resellers of D365 BC in the world
- RSM has been involved with dozens of successful migrations from GP to D365 BC
- RSM has over 1,300 professionals dedicated to implementing Microsoft solutions
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