Running Dynamics GP 18 or Older: What you Need to Know NOW

Microsoft has announced the technical roadmap for GP and when previously released versions will no longer fall under mainstream support. As of January 10, 2023, Dynamics GP 2018 and GP 2018 R2 are out of mainstream support, as well as all previous versions, Dynamics NAV and Dynamics SL.

Dynamics GP 18 R2 and Older No Longer Under Mainstream Support. What Does This Mean?

This means there are several vulnerabilities to address for those on these previous versions including some security vulnerabilities. If for any reason your version of GP is no longer supported and there is a critical system or software issue related to your Dynamics GP system, Microsoft support is not available, and LBMC’s ability to support you would be severally limited or not available.

So, what’s your next best step? It is very important that all Dynamics GP customers are on a supported version of Dynamics GP that is part of GP’s Modern Support Lifecycle (i.e., GP 18.5 and higher). This ensures that you will have access to the updates provided by Microsoft in June, August, and December of each year which will include your regulatory, security and hotfix updates. LBMC’s ability to provide support to you and your company can be significantly impacted if you are not on a current version of Dynamics GP.

For those organizations running a supported version of Dynamics GP, there are several considerations to make. Your organization may operate best on Dynamics GP, but with mainstream support ending for GP 2018 and older, you need to upgrade to the latest version of GP 18.5 to be on the Modern Lifecycle. Upgrading to GP 18.5 will not only add all updates, features and functionality of Dynamics GP, but it will also add layers of security that are critical to your organizations security policies.

If your business has evolved but your processes haven’t, now might be a good time for a Business Process Review (BPR)

For many organizations who have grown in size or complexity over the years with no real change to their financial business processes, engaging us to perform a Business Process Review (BPR) can be very beneficial. A BPR not only identified potential gaps in finance processes, but also finds potential time and money savings that can be realized by implementing new functionality. Organizations that have disparate systems may find new efficiencies in AP or AR processes, new integrations, or process automation to streamline financial processes. No matter where you are in your cloud journey, a BPR can be a good first step to fully understanding your options and areas for increased efficiencies.