Microsoft Dynamics GP, previously branded Great Plains, sports a longer track record than almost any other ERP platform written for the Windows OS. Dynamics GP is a mature, feature-rich product and is one of the most popular ERP systems for small and mid-size businesses, with around 50,000 active customers worldwide. Many businesses who have relied on Dynamics GP for years have managed to postpone upgrades to the point that they now find themselves using legacy software and outmoded IT infrastructure. This can be risky. Meanwhile, a common theme we hear from new customers is that they have a hard time locating veteran Microsoft Dynamics GP consultants who can provide guidance on how to upgrade their Dynamics GP environment affordably and derive the maximum business value out of the software.
The more a business attempts to make do with legacy versions of Dynamics GP, the more challenging the upgrade procedure becomes. When physical host servers or storage systems fail, there could be no suitable devices on the market to use as substitutes. When versions of Windows Server that run Dynamics GP arrive at end-of-support (EOS) status, vital security patches are no longer distributed. Current releases of Microsoft SQL Server may not be compatible with your special GP customizations. Next-generation tools such as Power BI may not run. Organizations investigating an upgrade of their Dynamics GP environment are often overwhelmed by the volume of pieces involved in the project. And the price tag quoted for a migration may seem astronomical.
Microsoft Dynamics GP Migration and Enhancement Expertise Available from Progent
Progent has supported Dynamics GP and Great Plains for more than two decades, and Progent's tested experts have delivered advanced and affordable online consulting for Windows-powered networks to businesses in every state in the U.S. By combining in-depth familiarity with all releases of Dynamics GP as well as top-tier system integration skills, Progent is ideally suited to help your Allen, Texas business get the most out of GP/Great Plains.
We partner with our clients and begin by understanding their needs. After gaining familiarity with the IT environment and the areas for improvement we make our suggestions. Recommendations can involve a migration to a newer and supported version of Microsoft Dynamics GP, basic user training, full system and specific module implementation including 3rd-party modules offered by a wide range of vendors that have published add-ons to Dynamics GP, integration with other key business software within your company, custom report creation, and system evaluations to determine whether GP is being used optimally. Our objective with every Microsoft Dynamics GP project of whatever size is to maximize business value and manage cost.
Progent can help your Allen, Texas company in each facet of your Microsoft Dynamics GP migration or customization project including:
- Deployment Assessment
Review at what modules and features of Dynamics GP you are now running and discuss additional features available on the product that may be helpful to your organization.
- Upgrade Design and Timing
Create a comprehensive upgrade plan and timetable that avoids business interruption. Plan for solution validation, live deployment, and education. Specify custom development and add-on products. Anticipate and resolve compatibility issues.
- Pilot Testing
Design and implement a pilot environment for proving the migration process.
- System Updates
Back up databases and dictionaries, eConnect automation, and Microsoft Integration Manager database. eMigrate Dynamics GP to the latest version to assure ongoing support from Microsoft and to make all current features available to your organization. Upgrade SQL Server and compatibility levels for all associated databases. Activate services from the GP Professional Services Tools Library. Prepare data and execute scripts to address documented issues.
- Management Reporting
Create reports and or dashboards for internal as well as public consumption. Deploy SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) and combine Microsoft Dynamics GP with Microsoft Power BI for self-service reporting and for combining data from diverse local and external repositories.
- Education
Provide individual or classroom style training for existing and new users of Dynamics GP.
- Support
Act as a single contact for expertise to deliver effective and affordable handling of problems made possible by familiarity with your specific situation.
Additional Microsoft Dynamics GP Consulting Services Available from Progent
Progent offers the help of top-tier experts who have been creating working Microsoft Dynamics GP and Great Plains environments since version 1. Progent can do the work you require directly instead of managing less experienced consultants or internal staff. Key areas where Progent's consultants can provide Microsoft Dynamics GP expertise include:
- Recommendations
Suggest the use of software modules included with the basic GP platform but are not now being utilized. Also, suggest third-party products written exclusively for Microsoft Dynamics GP to deliver features that GP doesn't offer.
- Integrations
Create custom connections between Dynamics GP and other business platforms to avoid redundant entry and improve consistency.
- Customizations
Build major and simple customizations that work with Dynamics GP to handle various business functions not handled by out-of-the-box GP modules or external add-ons.
Infrastructure Consulting Services
Progent can help your business to enhance your infrastructure to accommodate Dynamics GP for any deployment model including on-premises, cloud-based, or a hybrid environment. Infrastructure services provided by Progent include:
- Requirements assessment and site inventory
- Network topology planning and implementation (on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid)
- Setting up security gateways and VPN connections and defining security policies
- Managing Apple iOS, Google Android, and Windows smartphones and tablets
- Developing high-availability (HA) architectures
- Integration with PaaS and IaaS services including Microsoft 365
- Disaster recovery planning
- Performance optimization
Why Progent?
A modern Microsoft Dynamics GP ecosystem includes multiple software platforms, on-premises network infrastructure resources, and public cloud products combined into a seamless enterprise resource planning solution. For over two decades, Progent's consultants have provided online and onsite help from Microsoft-certified experts including Dynamics GP/Great Plains integrators, Windows Server specialists, SQL Server developers, Exchange Server integration consultants, Microsoft Office consultants, and SharePoint development experts. Progent has supported these products from their first versions to their latest editions, and Progent can help with cloud SaaS options by providing Office and Microsoft 365 integration services, Exchange Online expertise, and SharePoint Online deployment and application development services.
Progent also has a long history of providing support from seasoned Cisco CCIE-certified network consultants, Hyper-V planning and integration experts, and VMware virtual machine specialists. This experience with core technologies cuts time and expense when helping organizations through every aspect of updating their older Dynamics GP deployment. Progent also offers the skills of senior security and compliance engineers, business continuity planning consultants, application programmers, hybrid cloud planning and configuration experts, and SQL Server DBAs who can assist you to design, deploy, and manage a well-tuned Dynamics GP ecosystem.
Progent's Support Expertise for Dynamics GP/Great Plains Enterprise Resource Planning Deployments
For more information about Progent's remote and onsite consulting services in Allen, Texas for Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains ERP software, see:
Read/Download Progent's Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains Consulting Datasheet
To download a datasheet describing the consulting expertise available from Progent for Dynamics GP/Great Plains ERP software, select Download Datasheet: Consulting Services for MS Dynamics GP/Great Plains Enterprise Resource Planning Software (PDF file).
Contact Progent for Dynamics GP/Great Plains Migration Support
If your Allen, TX business needs a MS Dynamics GP/Great Plains integration consultant or software developer, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.