Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 was planned to go out of mainstream support on the 10^th April 2018 but Microsoft has now released a statement extending this until the 9th October 2018. They have done this to allow users of the system more time to upgrade. This is a great gesture from Microsoft as we know a number of businesses still in the process of upgrading and doubt they are alone.

Dynamics AX 2009 is now almost a decade old. Think how much the world has changed and the huge steps forward in digital technology in the last 10 years with cloud computing, smartphones and internet 2.0; all of which are addressed in the latest Dynamics 365 suite.

For Dynamics AX 2009 users what does this mean?

The end of mainstream support means that Microsoft will stop updating and working on the Dynamics AX 2009 product from October.

Many people make the assumption that Dynamics AX 2009 works for them now so this is no big deal. This can be a dangerous assumption, especially when you think about all of the developments the solution required over the last 9 years. There were 4 significant releases that brought with them thousands of improvements. This cycle of improvements is now no longer going to be available. This can present two significant challenges for companies using Dynamics AX 2009.

Security

Firstly, in terms of security.  There will be no more bug fixes or security updates after October. This is a huge challenge to organisations, with things like GDPR coming into effect, can you justify the risk of having one of your critical business systems running with potentially known security issues? Whilst  Microsoft will have closed most of the security gaps the risk still exists and is a hard one to accept as once a vulnerability is discovered it won’t go away.

Dealing with change

Secondly, change is inevitable and changes effecting your organisation become harder to deal with. Think of recent changes to tax rules, the fact that electronic trading and banking protocols are constantly evolving and governments are continually pushing companies towards electronic filing and reporting. Plus, the eternal pressure to drive efficiencies and reduce costs.

All of these changes of regulations, functionality and needs have a direct impact on your business-critical software products. Continued operation of AX 2009 will make it very difficult if not impossible to adhere to these external changes and untimely this may result in businesses breaching rules and disrupting operations.

What are your options?

You have two options ahead of you upgrade or stay. If you decide to continue using the system then the key here is to have a  support partner that can give you the confidence you need to continue using the system. One that can deliver the changes and fixes you need to keep your system running, this will becoming more challenging over time but should extend the lifecycle of your ERP by more time.

If you are looking at upgrading, Microsoft now offers two newer ERP solutions.  One is the direct descendant of Dynamics AX, Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations and is the logical upgrade path for businesses that use most of the Dynamics AX functionality. For smaller businesses, or businesses that are finding they aren’t using everything the system has to offer there is Dynamics 365 Business Central. Dynamics AX is no longer available since Microsoft removed it from their price lists back in 2017.

Moving to one of these options will mitigate the risks above as Dynamics 365 uses a subscription model where you are always on the latest version and as a result of this Microsoft are adding functionality, bug fixes and new capability all the time.

The benefits of moving to a modern, business application with built-in intelligence and flexibility to suit your business are massive. It can offer new levels of integration and the ability to mould to your organisation that has never been seen before. The integration with other Microsoft solutions makes the solution feel like it’s a part of your business as outlook or Microsoft Word. All of this drives greater efficiency, insight and success for your business. For more information on the benefits read our blog 6 key benefits of this ERP upgrade.