End of support for Microsoft AX applications End of support for Microsoft AX applications

Nothing lasts forever, even the Microsoft AX era. After almost 20 years on the market, Microsoft is completely moving away from AX and focusing on its modern, innovative, cloud-based solutions such as D365, SCM or Commerce.

For several years now, Microsoft has been pushing its strategy towards cloud-based solutions to their clients. Mainstream support for AX products has already been completely discontinued. For older versions like AX 2009 Service Pack 1, Dynamics AX 2012 and Dynamics AX 2012 R2 support already ended in October 2018 while for the last version Dynamics AX 2012 R3 it ended in October last year.

Extended support is offered by Microsoft for the Dynamics AX 2012 R3 version until January 2023. However, organizations need to be aware that this extended support is a limited service offering from Microsoft compared to mainstream support. For example, extended support does not include non-security hotfixes or regulatory updates. In other words, if customers continue to run older Microsoft Dynamics versions such as AX 2012 R3, they will not receive critical support without paying for it.

Running your business operations on unsupported systems can result in drastic consequences. These include not only losses in productivity in the company, but also safety concerns and compliance violations. Even if it seems that unsupported software can save the technological transformation to a new system and thus implementation costs, the long-term costs (additional IT staff, lawsuits, data breaches) to maintain the existing environment can exceed them.

In view of all aspects mentioned above, a transformation of the system landscape is unavoidable. Many companies do not see the upcoming transformation as a mere IT upgrade but use the opportunity to rethink and modernize their organization and processes from the ground up. Such an undertaking is rarely carried out by the company alone. Often, the necessary knowledge or the human or time resources are insufficient. 

And this is where KPMG comes in to support our clients with further challenges, depending on the planning. Also, the transformation journey might impact other areas within the business, such as daily operations, stakeholders, other systems or projects. A careful analysis of the as-is should not be rushed.

KPMG is a global Microsoft Gold Partner in 13 competencies, supporting hundreds of Microsoft Cloud projects globally. The strategic alliance with Microsoft has become a critical component in delivering industry-leading solutions and services to clients. 

KPMG delivers a comprehensive set of assets based on decades of business and technology experience in back-office transformation within the Powered Enterprise Approach. KPMG combines business transformation with technology, which is based on broad experience and lessons learned.

With the support of KPMG, the latest trends and practices within the client's industry are taken into account, resulting in a state-of-the-art system tailored to the client's specifics. The focus is not just on implementing new technology but also on creating value throughout the entire transformation lifecycle.