Last updated: July 2026
CAL Business Solutions recently hosted our Dynamics GP Forward 2026, an in-person workshop built for Microsoft Dynamics GP clients who are weighing what comes next. The day had one job: help our GP businesses turn the software’s end-of-life timeline into a clear, personalized plan instead of a source of anxiety. Attendees worked through a roadmap workbook, discussed options such as Acumatica, Business Central, and hosted GP, and talked candidly about where artificial intelligence does — and does not — belong in accounting and ERP.
This recap pulls out the three takeaways that mattered most, and what they mean for your business as you decide your own path forward.
Key Takeaways
The day produced three takeaways every Dynamics GP organization should act on:
- Dynamics GP is on a published end-of-life path. The clock is real, and the deadline that matters is how long a thoughtful migration takes — not the final support date itself.
- You have three clear paths forward. Acumatica, Business Central, and a CAL-hosted GP bridge. Each fits a different situation; the right one depends on your operations, your licensing, and how deep you live in Microsoft.
- AI is reshaping accounting and ERP — as a tool, not a decision-maker. Modern cloud platforms now build in AI, and GP does not. There are pros and cons to both.
Takeaway 1: Dynamics GP’s End of Life Is a Real Deadline — Plan Now to Avoid Panic Decision Making Later
End of life means Microsoft has set firm dates after which Dynamics GP stops receiving updates and support. GP still runs today and remains supported for a few more years, but the runway is finite and published.
Here is the timeline CAL walked attendees through:
- April 1, 2025 — new perpetual license sales ended.
- April 1, 2026 — new subscription sales ended.
- December 31, 2029 — Microsoft product /software updates, tax updates, and Microsoft technical support end.
- April 30, 2031 — the hard stop: security patches and Microsoft technical support end entirely.
The most important point from this session: the real deadline is not 2031. The real deadline is how long a careful migration takes. When you account for data cleanup, testing, and training, that runway can be several months. It’s work that routinely runs longer than teams expect. Staying on GP without a plan is itself a decision, and it quietly shrinks the time you have to make a good one. Organizations that start planning now keep the leverage to move on their own timeline rather than someone else’s.
Takeaway 2: You Have Three Clear Paths Forward — and the Right One Depends on Your Business
A “path forward” is the destination platform — or interim step you choose — to replace or extend Dynamics GP. CAL evaluated the full ERP market, including NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, and narrowed the field to three paths it can implement and support end to end.
Those three paths are:
- Acumatica — recommended for most. A modern, browser-based cloud ERP with consumption-based licensing that doesn’t charge per user. It fits organizations from small to enterprise with simple or complex operations, and it’s a long-term destination.
- Business Central — the Microsoft-native path. Microsoft’s designated GP successor, delivered inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem (Outlook, Teams, Excel, Power BI, and Copilot). It’s a strong long-term fit for smaller, simpler, Microsoft-centric organizations.
- CAL Hosted GP — the bridge that buys time. Keep running the GP you know on CAL-managed hosting while you plan your destination. It removes the on-premises server burden and buys breathing time. It does not change Microsoft’s end-of-life dates. Microsoft support still ends April 30, 2031.
Choosing between Acumatica and Business Central comes down to three questions: how you want to license users, how complex your operations are, and how deeply you live inside Microsoft. One detail that put attendees at ease: no matter which path you choose, CAL can host your existing GP data, so your history stays accessible after you move.
CAL doesn’t recommend a journey we have not done ourselves. The company ran its own business on Dynamics GP and migrated to Acumatica, consolidating six systems into one — cutting project billing from two days a week to two hours, moving contract renewals from file cabinets to autopilot, and going remote seamlessly when COVID hit. Customers describe similar leaps:
Going from Dynamics Great Plains, that we’d been on for so long, to Acumatica felt like we were coming 25 years into the future in one leap.
— Jonathan Adams, VP/Controller, Arkansas Federal Credit Union
Takeaway 3: AI Is Changing Accounting and ERP — but It’s a Tool, Not the Decision-Maker
In an accounting and ERP context, AI refers to assistant-style features that can summarize, draft, classify, compare, and organize information across your systems. The core message from this session was direct: AI is a tool to help you reach a solution, not the solution itself. The person driving the tool still matters.
The practical framing CAL shared breaks down into two themes:
- AI assists — it summarizes activity, drafts communications, explains results, classifies exceptions, and turns messy inputs (like failed integration records) into reviewable action lists.
- People still own it — someone must verify the source data, confirm the logic, and make the decision, especially for anything financial or audit-facing where you must be able to prove the number.
The AI framing connects directly to your platform decision. AI is now central to the roadmaps of both Acumatica and Business Central, with capabilities embedded directly in the software. With Dynamics GP, AI is far more likely to sit around the system — in reporting, integrations, and migration planning — than inside it. The more your team wants to put AI to work safely, the more the modern cloud platform you choose matters.
Figuring Out What’s Right for Your Business: Action Items
Deciding your GP future is a structured exercise, not a leap of faith. Use these steps to move from awareness to a plan:
- Take stock of where you are. Document your GP version, modules, integrations, and customizations, so you know exactly what a move would involve.
- Clarify what matters most. Rank your priorities — operational complexity, budget, timing, Microsoft alignment, and AI ambitions — to see which path fits.
- Run the real numbers. Calculate the true cost of staying on GP, then compare it against the cost of moving to each path.
- Pick a direction and a timeline. Identify the path you’re leaning toward and set a target window, working backward from the migration runway you’ll realistically need.
- Get expert eyes on it. Pressure-test your thinking with a partner who has made the move themselves.
The Bottom Line — and What’s Next in November
Dynamics GP’s end of life is a planning opportunity, not an emergency, for organizations that start now. You have three credible paths forward, a partner that has walked the road, and AI tools that reward a thoughtful platform choice. The only costly option is waiting until the runway is too short to move well.
If you missed the event or need another session of planning, no worries — CAL is hosting another GP Forward event this November. It’s the same type of hands-on format, laying out the best options for your business. With the CAL experts at your side to answer questions, ask the right questions about your business, and guide you in your decision-making process.
Reach out to the CAL team at sales@calszone.com to book a no-obligation roadmap strategy session now or to find out more about the event.
Your software. Your timeline. Your roadmap forward.
