Microsoft Dynamics GP: The Road Ahead

There has of late been some exciting news on the Microsoft Dynamics GP front.

The company recently announced that it is moving to a six-month update cycle for Dynamics GP in order to "enhance our new business proposition and bring incremental value to [Business Ready Enhancement Plan] customers on a much more regular basis."

So what does this mean for you? It means that the Microsoft Dynamics GP team understands the need for, and has embraced, more agile planning that will allow the product to meet your needs more regularly.

After returning from Microsoft Convergence earlier this month, we are encouraged by what we heard related to the upcoming changes to Dynamics GP.  What tops the list for us is the company’s move toward Apps.  As we all grow more and more accustomed to the use of apps in our personal lives – whether on iPhone, iPad, Android, etc. – there’s beginning to be an expectation for that same app ease and accessibility in the business environment.  And Microsoft is answering that call.

The following App Roadmap visual depicts where the company plans to take this vision in the coming months – including apps that range from Business Analyzer to Time Management for simplified payroll management.

Another notable change will be the discontinuation of Business Portal at the end of the year.  This SharePoint-based interface to Dynamics GP will be disabled as the new Web Client provides for the same browser-based access, with more functionality.

And, the icing on the cake – Microsoft is planning to release not one, but two, key versions of its Dynamics GP product this year.  The first will be the aforementioned Dynamics GP 2013 R2 release, expected sometime in the first half of 2014. The second will be Dynamics GP 2015, which will arrive in the second half of the year.

Microsoft noted that Dynamics GP 2015 will bring "more functionality, more workflow, more apps, and a Service Based Architecture that will be the foundation for the further development of Dynamics GP over the next five years."

As a Microsoft Dynamics consulting firm, we feel it’s very important to keep our clients up-to-date on the latest advancements in Dynamics software.  While this is just barely the tip of the iceberg as it relates to the impending releases, we invite you to check back frequently as we’ll dissect more of the intricacies of the releases as they approach.

In the meantime, the below graphic depicts the latest Microsoft Dynamics GP Roadmap.  Upon review, are there any specific areas/features/functionality that you’d like to take a deeper dive into?  If so, I invite you to contact our team of dedicated Dynamics consultants who would be happy to bring you up to speed.

by BCG Systems, Microsoft Dynamics Partner