Understanding Support Lifecycles for Microsoft Dynamics GP

Recently, there’s been a lot of talk surrounding the future of Microsoft Dynamics GP, with many misleading claims that Dynamics GP is going away. This, however, is only a half-truth meant to scare users into moving towards another platform. We wanted to assure you that GP in its current form will be around a very long time.

While certain older, ‘fixed lifecycle’ versions of Dynamics GP will eventually lose support, Microsoft has not announced any plans to retire the product. In fact, Microsoft’s lifecycle roadmap for Dynamics GP indicates that active updates and support for the solution will continue through at least 2028 under the company’s new Modern Lifecycle policy.

Microsoft Dynamics GP End of Support Deadlines

Product	Mainstream Support	Extended Support
Dynamics GP 2013 and GP 2013 R2	Ended April 4, 2018	Ends April 11, 2023
Dynamics GP 2015 and GP 2015 R2	Ended April 14, 2020	Ends April 8, 2025
Dynamics GP 2016 and GP 2016 R2	Ended July 13, 2021	Ends July 14, 2026
Dynamics GP 2018 and GP 2018 R2	Ends January 10, 2023	Ends January 11, 2028

What does end of mainstream support mean?

Mainstream support includes incident support, security updates, ability to request non-security updates, and other product enhancements. An important point to note is that once mainstream support ends, your GP system will no longer receive tax and year-end updates.

What does extended support include?

With extended support, GP users get security updates at no additional cost and paid support.

What should Dynamics GP users do next?

For users with Dynamics GP 2013 | Dynamics GP 2013 R2

Since extended support for GP 2013 and GP 2013 R2 versions will end on April 11, 2023, you should start preparing to upgrade to the latest version of Dynamics GP or consider moving to a cloud-based Microsoft ERP platform, such as Dynamics 365 Business Central.

For users with Dynamics GP 2015 | Dynamics GP 2015 R2 | Dynamics GP 2016 | Dynamics GP 2016 R2

These versions of GP are already in their extended support lifecycle. To ensure you maintain extended support, consistently install service packs from Microsoft when they become available.

Since these versions will fall out of extended support in a few years, it would be best to start weighing your options. You could either upgrade to the latest version of GP, or migrate to a cloud-based Microsoft ERP solution, such as Dynamics 365 Business Central.

For users with Dynamics GP 2018 | Dynamics GP 2018 R2

GP 2018 and GP 2018 R2 are still in the mainstream support lifecycle until January 10, 2023. Once this ends, these versions will move into extended support until January 11, 2028. Keep up to date with service packs to ensure you remain in full support.

Please be aware that applying any compatible Dynamics GP tax release or hotfix on these versions will bring you to version Dynamics GP 18.2 or later, which is governed by the Modern Lifecycle policy. Under this policy, you can stay current by applying at least one of the three GP updates released each year.

Eventually, based on your company’s operational needs, you could consider migrating to Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Have any questions regarding Microsoft Dynamics GP?

Microsoft Dynamics GP will be around for a long time, however, moving to the cloud is right for some customers in some scenarios and GraVoc would be happy to explore those options with you.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about your options for upgrading Dynamics GP or migrating to a cloud-based solution, such as Dynamics 365 Business Central, please contact us at 978-538-9055 or by clicking below!