The clock is ticking for Microsoft Dynamics CRM on-premise software
December 2023 Update:
Products such as Dynamics CRM 4.0 and Dynamics CRM 2011 lost all support (including Extended Support)
in 2018 and 2021, respectively. Others have had their support extended, but still, the clock is ticking.
Latest support deadlines:
Dynamics CRM 2013: Mainstream Support ended in 2019. Extended Support ends in January 2024
Dynamics CRM 2015: Mainstream Support ended in 2020. Extended Support ends in January 2025
Dynamics CRM 2016: Mainstream Support ended in 2021. Extended Support ends in January 2026
Microsoft support lifecycle webpage links:
I wanted to talk about the benefits of using Microsoft Dynamics CRM in the cloud versus sticking with on-premise server infrastructure,
usually called “on-prem” in the industry, where your systems are running on physical servers that need to be managed locally.
But as I was running through the advantages of the cloud - more flexible, more scalable, better for remote working, easy to integrate with other tech –
it struck me that one of the biggest issues that is staring people in the face is that there will probably never be another version of on-prem.
There is already no new investment in on-prem by Microsoft and all the cool stuff and innovation is taking place in the cloud. The cloud version is the place to go.
No panic button
This doesn’t mean that business owners with on-prem servers should hit the panic button:
there are a few years left before it hits End of Life and is no longer supported.
But from 2024, Dynamics CRM on-prem Extended Support will end and Dynamics 365 on-prem is set to end in 2026.
The reality, however, is that time moves on quickly and something that a lot of people don’t factor
in is that many of the experienced on-prem Dynamics CRM consultants and architects are actually heading towards retirement
themselves and there is likely to be a shortage of experts just when you need them.
New blood
The new blood in this tech sector is all online and in the cloud, not used to fiddling around with servers in the basement or tucked under a desk.
The benefits of moving onto the cloud are manifest and not just down to everything getting old and out of date.
Remote working is simple and available to all in the cloud. On prem is often dependent on how it was set up for access through a VPN, with often-slow systems and old interfaces that don’t do well on mobiles.
You are stuck with legacy software that only falls behind more and more.
Plan your strategy
If you figure that you are fine for another three years, I would suggest that you should at least start to put the effort in to planning a strategy on how to move to the cloud, maybe shifting more data or
redesigning your current set-up so that future migration will be easier and not get stuck in complex code.
It may be that a lot of your workflows may not work over time and become more difficult to migrate to the cloud, causing more disruption to your staff.
Investigating and implementing upgrade routes could be a one or even two-year project, depending on the complexity of your system,
so defining the strategy, project and implementation is worth starting now, especially when you factor in that Dynamics CRM experts are a
finite and diminishing resource.
A discussion about your long-term business strategy and how your technology enables you to win in the future is a good one to have.
Contact us now to start your planning
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About the Author
John Clark
Founder | Microsoft Dynamics 365 & Power Platform Consultant, Solutions Shared Ltd