At Prophet we have the ability to track what version of GP each of our clients are currently using. When the time comes, we will be reaching out to them in order to schedule a GP upgrade if we deem it beneficial due to the implementation of a new feature or it becomes necessary for other reasons.
It is beneficial to upgrade your version of GP for the following reasons:
Get the latest and greatest features that Microsoft builds into the program
Successful companies will be able to leverage the newest features of GP to ensure they are getting the most out of their investment in the software.
Versions get too old and Mainstream Support ends
When Mainstream Support ends there are fewer technicians at Microsoft and at Prophet who are trained to fix issues that arise. After Mainstream Support ends, products go into Extended Support. This means there is still some support available, however response times get longer as the list of technicians gets smaller. Once Extended Support ends, there is no further support available from Microsoft .
Reduce the need for a multi-step upgrade
Waiting too long to upgrade can cause the upgrade path to become complex and potentially more costly.
A situation where an upgrade becomes necessary is the table updates that Microsoft is only rolling out to certain versions. An example of this is the payroll table updates that are done at the end of each year. Microsoft will require a minimum version of GP be installed before these updates can be implemented. This year anyone who wishes to receive the year-end payroll tax table updates needs to be on a minimum of GP 2015.
Take a look at these previous Newsletter Articles which layout the newest features of the most recent versions of GP
Once the pre-upgrade site evaluation is performed, we will work with the client to schedule a mutually beneficial time for the upgrade to be performed. Typically the upgrade is started in the afternoon so any installation that needs to be performed on a server will minimize downtime, the next morning installations are performed on any workstations. After an installation a GP consultant will be made available to resolve any issues that may be encountered during the upgrade, or to help with the implementation of the newest features of GP.
If you have any questions about the GP upgrade process or are interested in upgrading, please reach out to the
Great work Prophet Group! keep it up!