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The end is near… AX 2012 and more are getting the AXE

Microsoft announces “end of mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, Dynamics AX 2012, Dynamics AX 2012 R2, and Dynamics AX 2012 R3”

“It’s the end of the world as we know it.”

-- Dynamics AX customers starting April 13, 2022 (and also REM)

“Shiny, happy people laughing.”

-- Former Dynamics AX customers now using Dynamics 365 (and, again, also REM)
“Nothing is certain except death and taxes [and upgrades].”

--Benjamin Franklin

If you’re still using a legacy AX ERP system, we have some ~~bad~~ good news. Mainstream support (i.e., anything beyond security hot fixes) is coming to an end.

This is good news because there’s more support than ever available to help you move on up to Dynamics 365 and take full advantage of a far more robust technology suite.

You can stay on AX if you want!

It’s true: you’re not going to be forced to move from AX. But an ERP that’s no longer supported by its maker is an ERP that can’t be supported by others for too much longer. And an unsupported, out-of-date solution can create many risks — in finance, operations, and supply chain management, the name of the game is risk-reduction, not risk-creation.

One example of how an unsupported, outdated ERP can introduce risk: tax rules. Tax rules change, and your ERP needs to adapt. Governments are pushing, and will eventually be demanding, that businesses file electronically, create digital audit trails, and comply with standards such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). For traditional on-premise ERP systems, this would be a monumental, manual task, even with support. Without support? Nearly impossible. But in Dynamics 365? It can be automated.

Additionally, when you leverage Dynamics 365 to automate business processes and workflows — finance, operations, supply chain management, and more — you can spend less time running the business and more time building it. The productivity gains enjoyed by companies that have moved to Dynamics 365 are indisputable.

So… yes… you can stay on AX… but it’s an ERP that will, eventually, be virtually “duct taped” together, and a competitive business should always be on the latest and greatest.

It’s not the end of anything — it’s the beginning

That’s the best part: when you move to Dynamics 365, you can forever be on the latest and greatest.

By now, you’ve probably heard the benefits of being on the cloud: more predictable costs (typically lower, too), less manual labor, scalability, flexibility, and more. But, these days, that’s just the start…

New features and functionality, including embedded BI and availability on mobile devices
Stability and security of Azure, including disaster recovery
Leverage the capabilities of Power Apps and Flow to enable business workflows that were not possible in AX or CRM
More data access for actionable decisions, easily adapts to changing markets/rules
Empowers employees with more resources, a better UI, and provides better customer service tools

But… is it safe?

This was long the argument against “The Cloud.” It’s risky! You won’t have your information! It’ll be “out there… somewhere…”

This is not a sound argument. Never was. In fact, in most cases, it was an argument usually put forth by technology providers with a vested interest in having on-premise clients and the service/support fees said providers could charge those clients.

But Azure is perhaps the safest platform for data storage the world has ever seen: if it’s secure enough for Fortune 10s and the US Government, it’s secure enough for anyone.

But… what about our apps?

If you’re like most AX users, you have customized your ERP, and extensively. Your IT teams labored long and hard to customize the platform, and you’d hate to lose all of that unique functionality when you move to Dynamics 365.

You won’t. Not only can your custom apps be easily replicated in the cloud, but your IT team can really strut their stuff, innovating and creating new, more complex apps — and in less time — using Microsoft Power Apps.

Workflows, customizations, integrations, applications for mobile and desktop: Power Apps makes it easier to build (and test) scalable, flexible apps for most every business need.

Finally, because you have to

In the end, if you’ve been putting off migrating from AX to Dynamics 365 until you had no choice in the matter, we are now at that point. There’s nothing to do now but roll with it.

We know change isn’t always easy, but as a Microsoft Gold Partner with more than 20 years of experience in ERP and the cloud, we have teams of technologists, business strategists, and change management experts who can make the move go easily and quickly and ensure effective adoption of Dynamics 365 across the enterprise.

If you’re still on AX, two seemingly contradictory things are true: the end is near, and the future is bright.

Webinar 1: Support is Ending for Microsoft Dynamics AX: Now What? Register here