Microsoft Dynamics GP, originally called Great Plains, has a longer heritage than virtually any other ERP platform written for the Windows OS. Dynamics GP is a mature, full-featured application and is one of the most widely used ERP platforms for SMBs, with around 50,000 active installations worldwide. A number of businesses who have relied on Dynamics GP for years or decades have managed to postpone upgrades to the point that they now find themselves running legacy software and outmoded IT infrastructure. This can be dangerous. At the same time, a recurring complaint we hear from new customers is that they have a hard time locating experienced Microsoft Dynamics GP experts who can provide in-depth knowledge about how to update their Dynamics GP environment efficiently and extract the maximum benefit out of the application.
The more an organization attempts to make do with legacy versions of Microsoft Dynamics GP, the more complex the migration procedure becomes. If server hardware or storage systems break down, there could be no suitable hardware on the market to replace them. When versions of Microsoft Windows Server used to host Dynamics GP reach end-of-support (EOS) status, critical security patches stop being released. The latest editions of SQL Server may not work with your important GP customizations. Innovative tools such as Power BI may not be an option. Organizations investigating an update of their Microsoft Dynamics GP deployment are often intimidated by the volume of components involved in the project. And the cost quoted for a migration may seem astronomical.
Microsoft Dynamics GP Migration and Customization Expertise Available from Progent
Progent has supported Dynamics GP and Great Plains for more than 20 years, and Progent's seasoned experts have provided advanced and affordable remote integration consulting for Windows-powered environments to organizations in every state throughout the U.S. By offering in-depth experience with all versions of Microsoft Dynamics GP along with world-class system integration talent, Progent is ideally suited to make sure your Napa, California business optimize the benefit of GP/Great Plains.
We partner with our customers and begin by listening to their requirements. After gaining an understanding of the IT situation and the areas needing improvement we make our recommendations. Recommendations may include a migration to a more current and fully supported version of Dynamics GP, basic user training, complete system and specific module configuration including 3rd-party products from a broad range of vendors that have published add-ons to Dynamics GP, custom integrations with other critical business applications used by organization, custom report creation, and system analysis to determine whether GP is being used optimally. Our objective with every Dynamics GP engagement big or small is to optimize business value and minimize cost.
Progent can help your Napa, California company in each phase of your Microsoft Dynamics GP upgrade or customization project including:
- System Assessment
Review at what features of Dynamics GP you are currently using and discuss other capabilities of GP that may be helpful to your organization.
- Upgrade Planning and Timing
Develop a comprehensive upgrade plan and timetable that avoids business disruption. Schedule solution validation, live deployment, and education. Identify customizations and add-on modules. Predict and manage compatibility problems.
- Testing
Plan and implement a test environment for proving the migration project.
- System Updates
Create backup copies of databases and dictionaries, eConnect automation, and GP Integration Manager database. eMigrate Microsoft Dynamics GP to the current version to ensure continuing support from Microsoft and to make all current features available to your organization. Upgrade SQL Server and compatibility levels for all associated databases. Configure services from the Professional Services Tools Library. Prepare data and run scripts to resolve known issues.
- Custom Reporting
Develop reports and or dashboards for private and external consumption. Configure SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) and combine Microsoft Dynamics GP with Microsoft Power BI for on-demand reporting and for combining information from multiple local and remote repositories.
- Education
Provide one-on-one or group training for existing and first-time users of Dynamics GP.
- Support
Provide a single contact for support to deliver consistent and affordable handling of problems made possible by familiarity with your specific situation.
Additional Dynamics GP Consulting Expertise Available from Progent
Progent can provide the support of top-tier experts who have been developing working Dynamics GP and Great Plains environments since relerase 1. Progent can do the work you require directly rather than managing less experienced consultants or internal staff. Important areas where Progent can provide Dynamics GP support services include:
- Recommendations
Suggest the deployment of software modules included with the basic GP system but are not now being utilized. In addition, suggest third-party products written exclusively for Microsoft Dynamics GP to provide capabilities that GP skips.
- Integrations
Create custom integrations between Microsoft Dynamics GP and other strategic platforms to avoid redundant data entry and increase consistency.
- Customizations
Create major and small customizations that run with Dynamics GP to perform various business functions that are not handled by out-of-the-box GP modules or third-party modules.
Infrastructure Consulting Services
Progent can help your business to enhance your infrastructure to accommodate Dynamics GP for any architecture including on-premises, cloud-based, or a hybrid environment. Infrastructure expertise available from Progent's consultants include:
- Requirements assessment and site inventory
- Network topology planning and deployment (on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid)
- Configuring firewalls and remote connections and defining security policies
- Managing Apple iOS, Android, and Windows smartphones and tablets
- Creating high-availability architectures
- Integration with public cloud services such as Microsoft 365
- business continuity preparedness
- Performance optimization
Why Progent?
An optimized Dynamics GP environment includes diverse application platforms, on-premises network infrastructure technologies, and public cloud products integrated into a cohesive enterprise resource planning solution. For more than 20 years, Progent's consultants have provided online and on-premises help from Microsoft-certified professionals including Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains integrators, Windows Server specialists, SQL Server developers, Exchange configuration consultants, Microsoft Office consultants, and SharePoint development experts. Progent has supported these products from their first releases to their latest editions, and Progent can help with cloud-based options by offering Office and Microsoft 365 consulting, Exchange Online support, and SharePoint Online deployment and application development services.
Progent also has extensive experience providing help from seasoned Cisco CCIE-certified network infrastructure experts, Windows Hyper-V integration consultants, and VMware virtualization specialists. This experience with core technologies cuts time and expense when helping organizations through every phase of upgrading their older Dynamics GP environment. Progent also can provide the skills of senior security and compliance experts, disaster recovery preparedness consultants, application programmers, hybrid cloud architecture consultants, and SQL Server DBAs who can help you to design, deploy, and manage a modern Dynamics GP solution.
Progent's Consulting Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains Enterprise Resource Planning Solutions
For more about Progent's remote and on-premises consulting expertise in Napa, California for Dynamics GP/Great Plains ERP product family, see:
Download Progent's Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains Consulting Services Datasheet
To download a datasheet about the consulting support offered by Progent for Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains software, click Download Datasheet: Consulting Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains Enterprise Resource Planning Platform (PDF file).
Contact Progent for MS Dynamics GP/Great Plains Upgrade Support
If your Napa, CA business is looking for a MS Dynamics GP/Great Plains deployment consultant or application developer, phone 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.