Microsoft ends Dynamics GP support and updates on 31 December 2029. Braintree's GP specialist team migrates you to Business Central — protecting your data, your workflows, and your budget — without disrupting how you trade.
Time until GP support ends
Until 31 December 2029 — GP product support & updates end
You already know GP is winding down. Microsoft confirmed it: product support ends 31 December 2029, security patches stop 30 April 2031.
But the deadline isn’t where your pain is. The pain is today. Every month your team builds spreadsheet workarounds instead of workflows. Every quarter, your reporting cycle stretches longer than it should. Your GP consultants are retiring. Your server costs don’t flex. And while you’re waiting, your competitors are closing books 30% faster on cloud ERP with AI.
The risk isn’t moving to Business Central. The risk is moving to the wrong version of it — built by someone who doesn’t understand how your GP system runs your business. And the compounding risk of staying put while your competitors modernise around you.
Sources: Forrester TEI Study, Feb 2026 • Gartner: 30% faster financial close by 2028 using AI-enabled cloud ERP • BDO 2025 CFO Outlook Survey
Most migration partners know Business Central. Very few grew up inside Dynamics GP. Braintree’s migration team is built around consultants who spent years working in GP before moving into Business Central — people who understand your chart of accounts mapping, your dimension logic, your reporting workflows.
We guide you through a structured, low-risk transition that moves at your pace — including dual running where continuity matters most. No “big bang” surprises. Just steady progress you can trust every step of the way.
Through Microsoft’s Bridge to the Cloud 3 offer (Jan 2026 – Dec 2027), you secure a 30% licence discount for three years plus dual-use rights — meaning GP stays live while you settle into Business Central. No double-paying.
Our consultants know the system from the inside. They understand GP Smartlists, FRx/Management Reporter, Extender, and how your modules are wired together — so no institutional knowledge gets lost in translation.
We design Business Central around your people and your industry — manufacturing, distribution, retail. The result is a platform that fits naturally from day one and grows as you adopt AI, Copilot, and Power Platform over time.
Real migrations. Real outcomes. See how businesses like yours moved off GP and unlocked capabilities they didn’t think were possible.
Engineering & Electrical Distribution · 33 employees · South Africa
CGI needed to move off their end-of-life GP system to a platform that supported an online sales channel, live customer updates, and streamlined API integrations. Braintree migrated them to Business Central — re-engineering processes, connecting a new e-commerce store, and unlocking real-time reporting that GP could never deliver.
“We started on Saturday and were trading by Monday. The Braintree team knew their stuff and the implementation was phenomenal.”
Power Tool Distribution · 175 staff · South Africa
Africa’s leading power tool distributor required a migration partner that understood their existing GP environment before writing a single line of configuration. Braintree’s deep GP familiarity meant the move to Business Central was smooth, fast, and built on existing knowledge — with warehouse efficiency improvements that exceeded all expectations.
“Business Central, designed with forward momentum in mind, is the future ERP system. Its fluid nature and ease of reporting and data management have been positive for our team.”
Every Braintree migration follows a structured methodology refined over hundreds of GP-to-BC projects. You always know where you are, what’s next, and what it means for your team.
We inventory your modules, integrations, customisations, and data volumes. We surface the risks before they surface in production. You get a clear picture of what you have before we plan where you’re going.
We map your chart of accounts, dimensions, approval workflows, and integrations into a Business Central blueprint tailored to your industry and how your finance team actually operates.
We structure your Business Central licensing (Essentials, Premium, Team Members) to optimise cost, lock in Microsoft’s Bridge to Cloud 3 promotional pricing, and ensure your dual-use rights are correctly activated.
We configure Business Central, migrate your historical data, and build your integrations. This is where GP expertise matters most — we know exactly what transfers cleanly, what needs transformation, and what to leave behind.
Role-based training for every user type, parallel runs so your team builds real confidence before go-live, and a documented change management plan that reduces resistance and accelerates adoption.
Hypercare support in the critical weeks after launch. Then a roadmap for incremental improvements — Copilot integration, Power BI dashboards, Power Automate workflows, and AI-driven financial insights.
A practical look at how your daily experience shifts when you move from Dynamics GP to Business Central — from reporting to IT overhead to compliance.
| Area | On Dynamics GP | On Business Central |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Fixed desktop client, limited personalisation, screen-by-screen navigation | Modern browser-based UI with role centres, saved views, quick-entry shortcuts, and mobile app |
| Reporting | Manual exports, Management Reporter, external BI tools, 5+ compensating spreadsheets | Built-in dimensions, one-click Power BI, role dashboards, Copilot data summarisation |
| Microsoft 365 | Disconnected from Outlook, Excel, Teams — manual workarounds required | Native integration with Outlook, Excel, Word, SharePoint, Teams, Power Platform, Copilot |
| AI & Automation | No AI features. No Copilot. No Power Automate. No new capabilities after 2024 | Copilot embedded throughout. Power Automate flows. Predictive inventory & cash flow AI |
| Compliance | No regulatory updates post-2029. SARS VAT, IFRS, audit trails fall behind | Continuous compliance updates, embedded audit trails, automated controls, SOD built in |
| IT Overhead | On-prem servers, manual patching, SQL maintenance, backup management, DR testing | Cloud-hosted on Azure. Microsoft manages infrastructure, security, backups. 99.9% uptime SLA |
| Updates | Manual upgrades, scheduled downtime, costly consultancy for each version | Automatic twice-yearly major releases (April & October) plus monthly improvements — zero downtime |
| Commercial | Fixed server licences, maintenance fees, escalating consultant rates, ageing hardware capex | Subscription per user, 30% BTC3 discount for eligible GP customers through Dec 2027 |
Adjust the sliders to see your estimated savings from Microsoft’s Bridge to the Cloud 3 discount, plus the Forrester-benchmarked return on investment for midmarket organisations moving to Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Forrester’s 2026 Total Economic Impact study projects a 101% ROI and 16-month payback period for midmarket organisations on Dynamics 365 ERP — equivalent to a $3.3M NPV over three years for a representative company.
Estimates based on Microsoft BTC3 30% discount on Business Central Essentials (R2,400/user/month) and typical on-prem cost reduction. Forrester benchmarks are for midmarket organisations. Actual savings will vary — speak to Braintree for a tailored analysis.
Don’t just take our word for it. Hear directly from CFOs and operations leaders who made the switch with Braintree.
Deon Nieuwoudt, Operations Director — Controlgear Instramac
“Business Central is the future ERP system. Its fluid nature and ease of reporting have been positive.”
Richard Stevens, CFO — Stevens & Co (Ryobi SA)See More Braintree Client Stories
Watch how South African businesses across manufacturing, retail & distribution modernised with Business Central.
Visit our YouTube Channel →Client stories, product demos, and Business Central insights for South African businesses
“The reporting improvement is night and day. We used to spend two days compiling the month-end pack. Now the board sees it in real time.”
“Braintree were the only partner who walked us through the GP side first. They knew exactly how we’d been working and built Business Central to match.”
“We were terrified of disruption. Braintree kept our team calm, the timeline honest, and we went live without missing a single customer order.”
Braintree is a Microsoft Solutions Partner with deep specialisation in Dynamics 365 Business Central. We’ve been implementing Microsoft ERP in South Africa for over two decades — across manufacturing, distribution, retail, and services.
Our GP-native consultants bridge the gap that most Business Central partners can’t — they understand your existing system before they touch your new one. That’s the difference between a migration that works and one that costs you twice.
Braintree is an authorised Microsoft Solutions Partner for Business Applications in South Africa — authorised to deliver, license, and support Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
We’ll use your answers to prepare a relevant, personalised assessment — no generic pitch decks, no wasted time. One conversation. No commitment.
Our GP migration specialist will review your answers and reach out to arrange your free, no-obligation assessment. In the meantime, read our Controlgear Instramac case study to see what a smooth GP migration looks like.
Business Central Essentials is priced per user per month (check current Microsoft pricing with your Braintree account manager). With BTC3, qualifying GP customers receive 30% off for three years. Braintree will model the full TCO comparison for your specific environment as part of your assessment.
This is where Braintree’s GP background makes the biggest difference. We understand GP’s Dexterity customisation framework, Extender solutions, and common ISVs — and we map each one to the equivalent Business Central capability before we start.
Many GP customisations exist to work around something GP couldn’t do natively. Business Central often handles these requirements out-of-the-box. Where custom functionality is genuinely needed, Business Central’s AL extension framework provides a cleaner, more maintainable approach than GP’s Dexterity. We assess this in the discovery phase so there are no surprises.
There are good Business Central partners in South Africa. What makes Braintree different for GP migrations specifically: