The newest version of Dynamics GP has just been released and it’s called GP 18.3 (the successor to GP 2018) and it’s full of new functionality and changes. Tops on the list of enhancements is support for 1099-NEC. There are also additional enhancements including expanded description fields for Journal Entries, ability to import and export inventory stock counts from and to Excel, credit card imports and other new enhancements and features.
Considerations and Costs for Upgrading Dynamics GP or Dynamics NAV to Dynamics 365 Business Central
There are multiple options to consider when existing Microsoft Dynamics GP and NAV clients want to look at upgrading to Dynamics 365 Business Central. This includes making a decision on whether to move to the Microsoft Cloud or implement Dynamics 365 Business Central On-Premise. And, do you want to pay an annual maintenance plan (or purchase software upfront with annual maintenance if you aren’t current on maintenance or don’t own the software today) or do you want to look at a subscription model where you simply pay a monthly fee that includes software maintenance? Unlike Dynamics 365 for Sales, Customer Service, Field Service and Talent where there is no option but to pay subscription, Dynamics 365 gives you the option of either monthly subscription or purchasing with an annual maintenance fee.
As I’m sure you’ve heard the arguments before on whether the Cloud makes sense or whether you should choose to deploy software “on-premise” (whether it’s physically in your office or virtually hosted in a data center). There are ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ to both options and we won’t get into too much debate on the specifics on these advantages and/or disadvantages, but here are some considerations in highlight below.
In addition to the debate on Cloud versus On-premise, and partly an additional consideration, a company needs to evaluate how many customizations and integrations they have deployed within Dynamics GP or Dynamics NAV, and whether these are still relevant. Dynamics 365 Business Central for the Cloud requires a different means to accomplish these system changes moving to a Service-Based model and most likely requires either new custom code or integration software. Dynamics 365 Business Central On-premise gives you a few additional options and depending on the type and number of customization/integration, might be an important consideration.
Lastly, a company must look at how functionality is different in Dynamics 365 Business Central versus Dynamics GP or Dynamics NAV, including any 3rd party software that a company might utilize today. Does that 3rd party offer its product with Dynamics 365 Business Central, or is there like functionality in the core product or a different 3rd party on the Microsoft’s AppSource? https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-US/
Please let us know if you have any questions on how Dynamics 365 Business Central can meet your business challenges today, or want to simply know whether staying on your existing application makes the most sense. Many of our team members have been working with both On-premise and Cloud applications for over 10 years, and On-premise applications for over 20+ years.
