Microsoft GP to BC: Medical & Life Sciences

Microsoft GP to BC: Medical & Life Sciences

4/18/2025

Still relying on Microsoft Great Plains (GP) to manage your medical or life sciences company? That’s like using a stethoscope to fix a server issue — great tool, wrong job.

It’s time to modernize your operations with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (aka “BC”), a cloud-based ERP system designed to handle clinical-grade complexity, ensure compliance, and give you data-driven decision-making without requiring a PhD in spreadsheets.

Let’s break down why Business Central is the next-gen solution for your lab, clinic, or research company, how GP is nearing the end of its (very respectable) career, and how you can migrate smoothly — without needing to sedate your entire operations team.

Precision ERP / No mistakes or errors

Whether you’re managing clinical trials, medical inventory, lab materials, or patient billing, BC gives you a unified system to track operations, finance, and compliance.
It’s like replacing your ancient filing cabinets with a HIPAA-compliant AI assistant that never takes a coffee break.

Manage Inventory / NO Drama or trauma

Keep track of medical supplies, pharmaceutical stock, reagents, or research samples in real time. BC tells you what’s running low, where it’s stored, and what’s expiring soon—so you never mix up saline with something… less ideal.

Data-Driven / No Guesses or estimates

Integrate Power BI to see operational trends, cost drivers, and performance metrics that let you innovate faster.
Plus, with regulatory reporting built-in, you’re always ready for audits, FDA filings, and grant updates—no scrambling necessary.

Global-Ready / no borders or worries

Whether you’re operating across regions, running multinational trials, or managing facilities across borders, BC supports multi-location, multi-currency, and multi-lingual needs with ease.
Just because the world and your work are complex doesn’t mean your ERP systems should be.

GP Extended Support / no fixes or updates

Microsoft has put GP in “extended support mode” which is polite tech-speak meaning, “We’ll keep the lights on, but don’t expect new features.”

GP SUNSET Timeline / no choice but to migrate

As you read this, GP is already in the “sunset” phase of its long life, with no more functional improvements, and decommissioning beginning in late 2028.

By 2028 — just around the corner — running GP will be like using an abacus in a biotech lab — technically possible, but not advisable.

Evaluate & Plan

Conduct a comprehensive audit of your current GP environment—patient records, vendor contracts, R&D tracking, inventory logs, etc.
Identify what must migrate, what can be archived, and what should be… gently deleted and never spoken of again.

Migrate the Right Way

Leverage Microsoft migration tools to ensure your critical data (compliance records, supply chain history, lab results, clinical protocols) moves securely and accurately to BC.

Train the Team

Whether your team is in finance, compliance, or wearing lab coats, they’ll need onboarding to BC. The learning curve is friendly—but hey, incentives never hurt. (Bagels? Lab swag? Friday off?)

Go Live with Confidence

Run BC and GP side-by-side during rollout. Once you’re confident it’s all smooth sailing, you can retire GP like a trusted senior partner—with a gold watch and zero drama.

Make the Smart Switch Before Your ERP Flatlines

Great Plains had a good run. Really. We salute its service. But the world of medical and life sciences has evolved—and your ERP should evolve with it.

With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you get a system designed for precision, scale, compliance, and flexibility. Whether you’re advancing medicine, managing hospitals, or running a med-tech supply chain, BC is built to keep up—and push you forward.

So, what’s the diagnosis? Ready to leave legacy tech behind and embrace the future of smart, scalable, cloud-based ERP? If you’re nodding yes, let’s build your upgrade roadmap together.