Microsoft has brought mainstream support for Dynamics CRM 2011 to an end and this will be closely followed by Dynamics CRM 2013.
All end of support announcements are met with a level of uncertainty about the impact and effects they might have on your business. Find out when your version goes out of support and don’t get caught out.
Download our guide for all the information you need.
When will Dynamics CRM go out of support?
Microsoft is applying a phased approach, whereby each product gets 5 years of mainstream support and a further 5 years of extended support.
Below is a timetable of all the key dates for you to look out for:
| Version | Lifecycle Start Date | Mainstream Support End Date | Extended Support End Date |
| Dynamics CRM 4.0 | 29th Feb 2008 | 9th Sep 2013 | 10th Oct 2018 |
| Dynamics CRM 2011 | 18th May 2011 | 12th Jul 2016 | 13th Jul 2021 |
| Dynamics CRM 2013 | 12th Jan 2014 | 8th Jan 2019 | 9th Jan 2024 |
| Dynamics CRM 2015 | 11th Feb 2015 | 14th Jan 2020 | 14th Jan 2025 |
| Dynamics CRM Online | December 2015 | Retired on the 1st of November 2016 and all customers migrated to Dynamics 365 | |
What should you do?
Knowing how to deal with this change is critical but it comes down to a few factors that are worth considering:
- How closely is the current system meeting your needs at the moment?
- How quickly can you adapt to change, was GDPR a major headache for you?
- How much manual effort is required when using core parts of CRM?
- Are you getting all of the reports, insights and information you need?
There are a number of different options available to you, you can; continue using the system in its current form, engage a Microsoft partner to help you keep the system in shape or you can upgrade to the latest and greatest version.
Do Nothing
If you are lightly using the system or you have kept your system and processes up to date, then this may be an option. The risk here is that it becomes harder to secure and update your system over time, Microsoft will stop issuing bug fixes and change will build up over time. We see this as a short term solution.
Engage a Proactive Partner
Having a Microsoft partner with strong expertise in CRM will provide you with the comfort you need to continue using the legacy system. They will be able to fix any bugs but they will also be able to help with so much more than that. They will be able to keep your system up-to-date, adjusting and configuring it to keep it in touch with your business.
Upgrade
Microsoft’s flagship offering is Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement. This is a package that includes access to a number of different solutions that all share the same technology and platform. This is effectively 3 modules of the same CRM tool designed for different roles and a number of supporting solutions. All of the solutions sit on the customer engagement platform, using the same database and they share much of the same functionality.
You can also simply purchase the solution you need, instead of the full package but for larger organisations, with more complex needs, the package might be a better idea, as it’s not much more expensive.
For more information on our support or upgrade services please visit our Dynamics CRM page or Download our guide ‘Dynamics CRM end of life’.
To find out how our CRM team can help, contact us today.