Enterprise Architecture

Key Highlights

• IFS has confirmed that standard support for IFS Applications 10 ended March 27, 2025. Under its Extended Support Terms, customers that have purchased IFS Cloud and are in the process of upgrading can receive Extended Support for up to two years by default, through March 27, 2027.
• March 27, 2028 is the scheduled end of Extended Support under the current terms, rather than a guaranteed migration deadline. If a customer has not completed the upgrade by March 27, 2027 but can demonstrate an active IFS Cloud upgrade and migration plan, Extended Support can continue through March 27, 2028, subject to the applicable terms. If the customer cannot demonstrate an active plan and still requires Extended Support after March 27, 2027, an Order Form is required.
• This timeline differs from the support pattern often described as IFS’s ‘5+3’ model. In this releases could receive five years of Standard Support followed by up to three years of Extended Support.
• For asset-intensive businesses, where IFS Applications 10 often underpins enterprise asset management and field service operations, the IFS Applications 10 Extended Support deadline is less about a single date and more about a narrowing window to plan a transition. While also maintaining access to the applicable support options.

Introduction

Support lifecycle announcements from ERP vendors tend to get read as a single date on a calendar. But the details usually matter more than the headline. IFS Applications 10 is used by organizations across asset-intensive industries for capabilities including asset management, maintenance, and field service. In this case, the fine print carries real planning consequences.

IFS has been reasonably transparent about its own support terms. Publishing the exact dates and conditions directly in its Extended Support Terms documentation. What those terms show is a structure with two distinct phases rather than a single deadline. And the second phase is conditional on the customer’s own migration planning, not something IFS grants automatically.

This piece looks at what IFS has actually confirmed about the IFS Applications 10 support timeline. And also what the conditional structure of the IFS Applications 10 Extended Support deadline means in practice. Also, how asset-intensive businesses should approach the ERP evaluation independently of IFS’s own recommended path to IFS Cloud.

What IFS Has Actually Confirmed

Understanding the real shape of the IFS Applications 10 Extended Support deadline starts with separating the general “extended support until 2028” summary from the conditional terms that actually govern it.

IFS Applications 10 Support Timeline: General Summary vs. Contractual Terms

The conditional structure is worth sitting with. A business that treats March 2028 as a fixed, guaranteed date may be working from an inaccurate picture. For customers relying on Extended Support, March 27, 2027 is the key planning milestone. This is because continued Extended Support beyond that date is conditional. Particularly, on demonstrating an active IFS Cloud upgrade and migration plan.

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This resource provides the template that you need to capture the requirements of different functional areas, processes, and teams.

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Why This Timeline Is Shorter Than IFS’s Historical Pattern

The IFS Applications 10 Extended Support deadline looks different from IFS’s historical support pattern, which is worth understanding before assuming the same structure applies here. IFS has historically offered support structures that could provide up to three years of Extended Support after Standard Support for certain releases. This is sometimes described as a ‘5+3’ support model, referring to five years of Standard Support followed by up to three years of Extended Support.

IFS Applications 10 has a more conditional structure, with Extended Support available for up to two years by default and potentially continuing into a third year when the applicable migration-plan requirements are met.

Common Assumptions vs. What the IFS Applications 10 Extended Support Deadline Actually Requires

This does not mean every customer needs to migrate immediately. But it does create a defined planning window tied directly to the IFS Applications 10 Extended Support deadline. Particularly for organizations that intend to remain supported while evaluating their next ERP platform. vendor is sunsetting this system” leads to the wrong evaluation.

ERP System Scorecard Matrix

This resource provides a framework for quantifying the ERP selection process and how to make heterogeneous solutions comparable.

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Evaluating IFS Cloud, and What Else Belongs in the Conversation

IFS Cloud is IFS’s recommended successor path for customers approaching the IFS Applications 10 Extended Support deadline. But organizations should validate functional coverage, configuration requirements, integrations, customizations, data migration, and reporting as part of their evaluation. For some customers, staying within the IFS product family may simplify aspects of the transition. Compared with moving to an unrelated platform, although the actual migration effort should be validated based on the organization’s configurations, integrations, customizations, data, and reporting requirements.

That said, IFS Cloud being the vendor’s own recommended path is not the same as it being the only path worth evaluating. For asset-intensive businesses in particular, where enterprise asset management and field service capabilities are the core requirement, the evaluation should weigh IFS Cloud against the same criteria applied to any other candidate.

Questions Worth Answering Before Committing to Any Platform, Including IFS Cloud

A vendor’s own successor platform is often a reasonable starting point, particularly when organizations expect continuity in the capabilities and industry processes they already rely on.wn merits before assuming the platform itself is the problem.

Managing the Transition Through Independent Advisory

Preparing for the IFS Applications 10 Extended Support deadline well in advance of March 2027 gives businesses more time. Particularly to validate requirements, assess migration options, and negotiate commercial terms. Businesses that wait until the deadline is close tend to have less room to negotiate, less time to validate requirements properly, and fewer realistic alternatives left to consider.

Reactive Planning vs. Independent, Requirements-First Evaluation

At ElevatIQ, we work with asset-intensive businesses to define ERP and EAM requirements based on actual operational needs, rather than defaulting to whichever platform a vendor’s own support terms point toward. As an independent ERP and business software consulting firm, we don’t sell software and don’t receive commissions from vendors, which means our recommendations are shaped by what a business’s asset management and field service operations actually require, not by which platform we have an incentive to place.

For a business running IFS Applications 10, that independent, requirements-first evaluation is what determines whether IFS Cloud, or an alternative, is the platform that genuinely fits the business rather than simply the path of least resistance ahead of the IFS Applications 10 Extended Support deadline.

Conclusion

The IFS Applications 10 Extended Support deadline is not a single, flat date. It is effectively a two-stage support timeline: the default Extended Support period runs through March 27, 2027, while continued Extended Support through March 27, 2028 is conditional on the customer meeting the applicable requirements, including demonstrating an active IFS Cloud upgrade and migration plan.

Treating March 2028 as a guaranteed runway, without accounting for the 2027 documentation requirement, is a planning gap that could leave a business with fewer options than it expects. A few signals tend to indicate an asset-intensive business should start evaluating ERP options sooner rather than later:

• No one inside the business has mapped out what a credible, documented IFS Cloud migration plan actually requires ahead of the March 2027 deadline
• IFS Cloud hasn’t been evaluated against a clear list of the business’s actual asset management and field service requirements
• Alternative platforms serving asset-intensive industries haven’t been considered at all
• The plan is currently “we’ll deal with it closer to 2027 or 2028”

Early evaluation gives organizations more time to compare platforms, validate requirements, assess migration complexity, and negotiate commercial terms.

ERP Selection: The Ultimate Guide

This is an in-depth guide with over 80 pages and covers every topic as it pertains to ERP selection in sufficient detail to help you make an informed decision.

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Key Highlights

• Unlike platforms with a published sunset date, IBM i (the operating system that runs on what was originally called the AS/400) remains under active development. IBM i 7.6 shipped in April 2025, Technology Refreshes continue to ship through 2026, and the next major release is currently expected around 2028 based on publicly discussed roadmap information. AS400 modernization alternatives conversations should start from that reality, not from an assumption of vendor abandonment.
• The real driver behind most AS400 modernization alternatives evaluations isn’t a vendor sunset date,  it’s a skills problem. Fortra’s 2026 IBM i Marketplace Survey found that skills shortage is now the top concern among IBM i shops. Thus, displacing cybersecurity from the top spot for the first time in nine years.
• The RPG and COBOL talent pool is aging, with experienced developers increasingly approaching retirement. And also fewer new professionals entering the field with IBM i-specific skills.
• A genuine AS400 modernization alternatives ERP evaluation needs to separate two distinct questions that often get conflated. Whether the platform itself needs replacing. And also whether the applications and skills built on top of it need modernizing. The second one is frequently the real problem, even when the first gets blamed.

Introduction

“AS400 end of life” is a phrase that shows up constantly in vendor and reseller outreach aimed at businesses running IBM i. And it’s worth being direct about why that framing is inaccurate. IBM i is not on a published sunset timeline the way some other legacy enterprise platforms are. It has a current, active release, ongoing Technology Refreshes, and a publicly discussed roadmap extending years into the future.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to worry about. AS400 modernization alternatives conversations are happening across the IBM i installed base for real reasons. But the reasons are different from what “end of life” framing implies. The platform itself is being maintained. The people who know how to work on it are retiring, and the pipeline replacing them is thin. That’s a fundamentally different problem, one that changes what the right response actually looks like.

This piece separates the actual, confirmed facts about IBM i’s ongoing development from the skills-driven pressure that’s real, and lays out what a genuine AS400 modernization alternatives evaluation should account for as a result.

The Platform Is Actively Developed (The Dates Confirm It)

Before evaluating anything else, it’s worth establishing what’s actually true about IBM i’s development status, since this is where “end of life” messaging most directly conflicts with the facts.

IBM i’s Confirmed Release and Support Status

This is a materially different situation from a platform with an announced end-of-support date. IBM continues to release new OS versions, ship regular Technology Refreshes with new capabilities, and invest in the underlying Power hardware the platform runs on. Any AS400 modernization alternatives conversation that starts from “IBM is discontinuing this platform” is starting from an inaccurate premise, and that matters because it changes the urgency and the type of decision being made.

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This resource provides the template that you need to capture the requirements of different functional areas, processes, and teams.

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The Real Driver: A Skills Problem, Not a Vendor Problem

If the platform isn’t disappearing, the reasonable question is why AS400 modernization alternatives keep coming up as a serious business concern. The answer, consistently, is people rather than technology.

What’s Actually Driving the Pressure

This is a genuinely different problem from platform obsolescence, and it calls for a different response. A skills shortage can be addressed through several paths that don’t require abandoning the platform: application modernization that reduces reliance on deep RPG expertise, managed services partnerships, structured knowledge capture from retiring staff, or in some cases, a deliberate move to a different platform where the skills market is deeper. Treating all of these as equivalent to “the vendor is sunsetting this system” leads to the wrong evaluation.

ERP System Scorecard Matrix

This resource provides a framework for quantifying the ERP selection process and how to make heterogeneous solutions comparable.

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What a Genuine AS400 Modernization Alternatives Evaluation Should Separate

The mistake many organizations make is treating “modernize” and “replace the platform” as the same decision. They frequently aren’t, and conflating them leads to either premature platform switches or, just as often, inaction because the wrong problem is being evaluated.

Two Distinct Questions Worth Separating

An organization that concludes “we need AS400 modernization alternatives” without separating these two questions often ends up evaluating a full ERP or platform replacement when the actual, more pressing risk is losing the ability to maintain existing applications as key staff retire. AI-assisted development and code-modernization tools now emerging for IBM i environments can directly address the skills risk without requiring a platform migration at all. A genuine evaluation should assess both paths on their own merits before assuming the platform itself is the problem.

How ElevatIQ Can Help

Sorting out whether an organization’s real problem is the platform, the applications running on it, or the people who maintain them is exactly the kind of assessment that benefits from independent evaluation. As an independent ERP consulting firm, ElevatIQ doesn’t sell IBM i modernization tooling, competing ERP platforms, or managed services contracts tied to either outcome.

For organizations facing AS400 modernization alternatives pressure, that independence means we can help assess the actual condition of the current environment, document institutional knowledge and skills risk honestly, and evaluate application modernization approaches alongside genuine platform-replacement options, so the resulting decision addresses the actual risk the organization is facing rather than a generic “legacy system” narrative that may not reflect the platform’s real status.

Conclusion

AS400 modernization alternatives are a legitimate topic for any organization running IBM i, but the “end of life” framing that often accompanies this conversation doesn’t match the platform’s actual, confirmed development status. IBM i has a current release, active ongoing updates, and a roadmap extending years forward. The real pressure driving modernization conversations is a skills and knowledge risk, not a vendor sunset.

A few things are worth confirming before treating this as a platform-replacement decision:

• Whether the actual concern is the platform’s viability or the sustainability of the RPG/COBOL skills supporting it, these call for different responses
• Whether application modernization or knowledge-capture approaches could address the skills risk without a full platform migration
• Whether claims that IBM i is approaching “end of life” accurately reflect IBM’s current product and support roadmap, rather than assuming platform replacement is necessary
• Whether the organization has a realistic plan for institutional knowledge currently concentrated in a small, aging group of specialists

Getting this distinction right: platform risk versus skills risk, helps organizations determine whether they need application modernization, skills and knowledge-risk mitigation, or a broader platform evaluation, rather than assuming that platform replacement is the only response.

Note on figures: Skills-shortage statistics and workforce age estimates cited above are drawn from industry surveys and reporting current as of 2026, not from a single authoritative census of the RPG/COBOL labor market, and should be understood as directional industry signals rather than precise figures.

ERP Selection: The Ultimate Guide

This is an in-depth guide with over 80 pages and covers every topic as it pertains to ERP selection in sufficient detail to help you make an informed decision.

Download Now

Key Highlights

• Oracle does not publish official NetSuite pricing. Every quote is negotiated. This means NetSuite pricing changes at renewal are often the first time a growing company sees how its actual cost structure has shifted since initial signing.
• One independent NetSuite implementation partner has reported examples of standard full-user license pricing increasing from roughly $99 to $129 per user per month. A change reported to have caught a number of existing customers off guard at renewal.
• NetSuite’s cost structure is built from three separate components. A base platform fee, per-user licensing, and add-on modules. Growing companies typically see all three increase simultaneously as they scale, not just user count in isolation.
• Modules can generally be added during the contract term and, depending on the agreement, are often only removable at renewal. This means a company’s module footprint, and its cost, tends to grow between renewal cycles.

Introduction

For a growing company on NetSuite, the platform’s pricing structure is often well understood at the point of initial purchase. And also considerably less clear by the time the first or second renewal comes around. New users get added as headcount grows. Additional modules get activated to support new operational needs. None of this happens as a single negotiated event. It happens incrementally, and the cumulative effect on the renewal quote isn’t always modeled until the number is already on the table.

This is the practical reality behind NetSuite pricing changes for companies in growth mode. The total cost isn’t static. And unlike the initial deal, subsequent cost increases don’t always come with the same negotiating leverage a company had before switching costs were sunk into ERP implementation and customization.

This piece lays out NetSuite’s actual cost structure. A reported example of the kind of pricing change that has caught growing companies by surprise. It also provides a framework for modeling when cumulative cost growth is significant enough to warrant evaluating alternatives. Rather than assuming renewal terms are simply the cost of doing business. The pricing figures and reported rate change described below reflect market data as of current standard of 2026. Since Oracle does not publish official pricing and negotiated terms shift over time, these figures should be treated as directional, not as a current price list, and verified against your own contract at the time of renewal.

NetSuite’s Pricing Structure (Briefly)

Since NetSuite’s general pricing architecture is covered in more detail elsewhere, this section stays brief on the base structure and focuses on what matters most for anticipating NetSuite pricing changes: three components make up the total cost, and each one is a separate lever that can move independently at renewal.

The Three Cost Components

It’s worth being direct about the source of these figures: Oracle does not publish an official NetSuite price list. The ranges above come from independent NetSuite implementation partners and procurement-data firms working from negotiated deals, not from Oracle’s own published rates. Any specific quote a company receives should be evaluated against its own negotiated terms, not treated as validated against a public benchmark that doesn’t exist.

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This resource provides the template that you need to capture the requirements of different functional areas, processes, and teams.

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A Reported Pattern: What NetSuite Pricing Changes Have Looked Like in Practice

Beyond the general structure, it’s useful to look at a specific, reported example of NetSuite pricing changes affecting existing customers at renewal, rather than reasoning about the risk in the abstract.

A Reported Rate Increase

This kind of change illustrates why NetSuite pricing changes are best modeled proactively rather than discovered at the renewal table. A 30% increase on the per-user rate alone, applied across a growing user base, compounds with any concurrent increase in module costs or added seats, and the combined effect on a renewal quote can be considerably larger than any single line item suggests.

The Module Ratchet

Separately from rate changes, NetSuite contracts are commonly structured so that modules can be added to an existing agreement at any point during the contract term, but are typically only removable at renewal. For a growing company, this means the module footprint, and the cost associated with it, tends to move in one direction between renewal cycles: up. A module added mid-contract may remain part of the cost base until the next renewal, depending on the agreement.

ERP System Scorecard Matrix

This resource provides a framework for quantifying the ERP selection process and how to make heterogeneous solutions comparable.

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Modeling When Cost Growth Becomes a Switching Trigger

Rising costs at renewal are a legitimate reason to reassess a platform, but NetSuite pricing changes aren’t automatically a reason to switch. The useful question is what specific modeling should happen before concluding either way.

A Framework for Evaluating NetSuite Pricing Changes at Renewal

A rising renewal quote is a legitimate trigger to run this analysis. It is not, by itself, proof that switching is the right answer, in many cases, a clear-eyed module audit and a renegotiation grounded in accurate market data resolves the bulk of the cost growth without the disruption of a full platform change.

How ElevatIQ Can Help

Modeling NetSuite pricing changes accurately, and deciding what they actually warrant, is exactly the kind of analysis that benefits from an evaluation with no stake in the outcome. As an independent ERP consulting firm, ElevatIQ doesn’t sell NetSuite, any competing platform, or any add-on modules, and we don’t receive referral fees tied to a company’s renewal decision either way.

For a growing company facing a renewal with unexpected cost growth, that independence means we can help audit the current module footprint against actual operational need, model the multi-year cost trajectory against the realistic cost of a platform switch, and support renewal negotiations with accurate market context, so the eventual decision, whether that’s renegotiating, trimming the module footprint, or evaluating alternatives, is grounded in the company’s own numbers rather than the renewal quote in isolation.

Conclusion

NetSuite pricing changes at renewal are a normal part of running on any subscription-based ERP, but the compounding effect of rate increases, user growth, and an accumulating module footprint can catch growing companies off guard if it isn’t modeled until the quote arrives. Understanding NetSuite’s actual cost structure, and treating a rising renewal number as a prompt for analysis rather than either automatic acceptance or automatic panic, is what separates a well-managed renewal from a reactive one.

A few things are worth confirming before a renewal conversation.

• The company has modeled its cost trajectory over a multi-year horizon, not just reacted to the current quote
• Every active module has been audited against current operational need, not just historical justification
• Any switching conversation is grounded in an honest migration-cost comparison, not just frustration with the renewal number
• The negotiation itself is informed by accurate market data, not assumptions about what NetSuite “should” cost

Getting this sequence right, model first, then decide, tends to produce a better outcome than either accepting whatever the renewal quote says or assuming a platform switch is the answer without running the numbers.

Note on pricing figures: Oracle does not publish official NetSuite pricing. All dollar figures in this article are industry-reported estimates drawn from independent implementation partners and procurement-data firms, current as of 2026, and should be verified against your own negotiated contract terms rather than treated as Oracle-confirmed rates.s what turns a confirmed end-of-life date into a manageable transition rather than a rushed one.

ERP Selection: The Ultimate Guide

This is an in-depth guide with over 80 pages and covers every topic as it pertains to ERP selection in sufficient detail to help you make an informed decision.

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Key Highlights

• Microsoft has confirmed that support for Dynamics GP under the Modern Lifecycle Policy ends December 31, 2029. Along with security updates and patches, if needed, continuing through April 30, 2031.
• New Dynamics GP sales are already closed. New perpetual license sales stopped April 1, 2025, and new subscription license sales stopped April 1, 2026. Meaning GP is no longer available for new customers under any licensing model.
• Dynamics GP alternatives evaluations shouldn’t start and end with MS Dynamics 365 BC. It’s Microsoft’s natural migration path for GP customers. But a genuine evaluation should weigh it against other platforms on its own merits, not by default.
• The specific support end date that applies to a given GP installation depends on which Microsoft lifecycle policy governs that version. Customers on older releases may already be facing different timelines. And in some cases earlier timelines than the widely cited 2029/2031 dates.

Introduction

Microsoft’s phase-out of Dynamics GP has unfolded in stages rather than a single announcement. This has left some GP customers with a fuzzier picture of the actual timeline than the situation warrants. Microsoft’s current documentation confirms the December 31, 2029 end-of-support date and the April 30, 2031 security-update milestone.

What’s less commonly understood is how much has already changed ahead of those dates. New Dynamics GP sales, both perpetual and subscription licensing, have already stopped. For businesses currently running GP, this means the relevant question isn’t whether Dynamics GP alternatives will eventually need to be considered, but when, and against what criteria, that evaluation should happen.

This piece lays out the timeline in full, what actually changes at each milestone, why a Dynamics GP alternatives evaluation shouldn’t default automatically to Microsoft’s own migration path. And also, what GP customers should be doing with the time they still have.

The Confirmed Timeline: What Microsoft Has Actually Announced

Understanding what a Dynamics GP alternatives decision needs to account for starts with the actual, confirmed dates, since several of these have been revised or clarified since Microsoft’s original announcement.

Dynamics GP Sunset Timeline

One detail worth flagging for accuracy: these dates apply under Microsoft’s Modern Lifecycle Policy, which covers current GP releases. Customers running older versions governed by Microsoft’s Fixed Lifecycle Policy may be on a different support timeline entirely. In some cases, one that has already passed. Confirming which policy applies to a specific GP environment is a necessary first step before assuming the 2029/2031 dates apply directly.

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This resource provides the template that you need to capture the requirements of different functional areas, processes, and teams.

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What “End of Life” Actually Means, Operationally

The gap between December 2029 and April 2031 matters more than it might first appear, since different forms of Microsoft support end at each stage.

What Changes at Each Support Milestone

For payroll-dependent GP customers specifically, the loss of regulatory and tax updates at the December 2029 milestone is often the more operationally urgent change, since annual payroll tax table updates stop well before the final 2031 cutoff. Non-payroll GP functionality may continue operating during this period, but without Microsoft’s standard product support, enhancements, or regulatory updates.

ERP System Scorecard Matrix

This resource provides a framework for quantifying the ERP selection process and how to make heterogeneous solutions comparable.

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Business Central Is Microsoft’s Path, Not Necessarily the Only One

Microsoft encourages Dynamics GP customers to transition to Dynamics 365 Business Central, and for many organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, that’s a reasonable starting point. It shouldn’t, however, be the only option considered in a genuine Dynamics GP alternatives evaluation.

Evaluation Framework for Dynamics GP Alternatives

A Dynamics GP alternatives evaluation driven primarily by “what does Microsoft want us to move to” risks skipping the step of confirming that Business Central, or any other option, actually fits the business’s specific requirements. The right answer depends on the organization’s own operational needs, not on which platform happens to be the path of least resistance from the incumbent vendor.

What GP Customers Should Do Now

With several years of runway still remaining before the final support milestones, the right posture is deliberate planning rather than urgency.

Planning Steps Worth Starting Now

How ElevatIQ Can Help

Evaluating Dynamics GP alternatives is exactly the kind of decision that benefits from an assessment not shaped by which platform a particular vendor or partner is positioned to sell. As an independent ERP consulting firm, ElevatIQ doesn’t sell Dynamics 365 Business Central, any other Microsoft product, or any competing platform, and we don’t receive referral fees from any vendor.

For GP customers working through this decision, that independence means we can help document your current environment’s actual complexity. Also build a realistic cost and timeline estimate for a future migration, and run a genuine requirements-based evaluation across the full range of Dynamics GP alternatives, including but not limited to Business Central, so the eventual decision is grounded in your operational needs rather than in Microsoft’s own migration path.

Conclusion

Microsoft’s Dynamics GP end-of-life timeline is now fully confirmed: support for Dynamics GP under the Modern Lifecycle Policy ends December 31, 2029, while security updates and patches, if needed, continue through April 30, 2031. That gives most GP customers a real runway, but the time is best used for deliberate evaluation, not deferred until the deadline forces a decision.

A few things are worth confirming as part of that planning:

• You know which Microsoft lifecycle policy applies to your specific GP version and its actual support end date
• Your organization’s customizations and integrations are documented well before any migration conversation begins
• Any Dynamics GP alternatives evaluation considers options beyond Business Central on their actual merits, not just as the path of least resistance
• Your migration timeline planning accounts for the roughly 9–18 months window some implementation partners report, working backward from 2029 rather than forward from today

Starting this evaluation early, and keeping it grounded in your organization’s actual requirements rather than a single vendor’s preferred next step, is what turns a confirmed end-of-life date into a manageable transition rather than a rushed one.

ERP Selection: The Ultimate Guide

This is an in-depth guide with over 80 pages and covers every topic as it pertains to ERP selection in sufficient detail to help you make an informed decision.

Download Now

Key Highlights

• The DMAP funding amount is capped at 50% of total eligible project costs, up to a maximum of $15,000, with the applicant required to match at least 1:1; meaning a business seeking the full $15,000 must be prepared to fund at least $15,000 of the project itself.
• DMAP is a reimbursement program, not an upfront grant: the applicant pays the Digital Adoption Consultant (DAC) directly and is reimbursed only after the project is complete and the required documentation is submitted, which has real cash flow implications for smaller businesses.
• Funding is not released until the project is formally activated in OCI’s system, and OCI will not cover any costs incurred before that activation date, making the timing of project kickoff more consequential than many applicants expect.
• If the requirements for activation aren’t met within 30 days of the approval notification, OCI’s funding offer may be retracted entirely, which makes the administrative steps between approval and activation as important as the application itself.

Introduction

Confirming that a business meets DMAP eligibility requirements is only the first half of the planning work. The second half, and the part that determines whether the approved funding is ultimately reimbursed, is understanding the mechanics of how the match works, when funds are released, and what has to happen procedurally before any of it becomes real.

This matters because DMAP is structured differently from a straightforward grant. It’s a cost-shared, reimbursement-based program, and the DMAP funding amount a business ultimately receives depends on getting several sequential steps right: the project has to be formally activated, the applicant has to front the cost of the Digital Adoption Consultant, and the required documentation has to be submitted before OCI releases any reimbursement.

This blog walks through exactly how the DMAP funding amount is calculated, what the reimbursement flow actually looks like in practice, and where the timing risk in the process sits.

The figures, thresholds, and procedural steps described below reflect OCI’s program guidelines as of 2026. Funding caps, match requirements, and administrative timelines are set by OCI and can change; applicants should confirm current terms directly with OCI or an approved DAC before relying on them in a project budget.

The 50% Match: How the DMAP Funding Amount Is Calculated

The core mechanic behind the DMAP funding amount is a cost-share structure, not a flat grant.

How the Match Works

This structure means the maximum DMAP funding amount a business can receive is $15,000, but only if the total eligible project cost is at least $30,000, with the applicant covering the remaining half in cash. A smaller project costing less than $30,000 in total still follows the same 50/50 split; it simply results in a smaller DMAP funding amount in absolute dollars.

Worked Example Based on OCI Program Guidelines

This example makes an important point explicit: the DMAP funding amount is not additive on top of the applicant’s spend, it’s a genuine 50/50 split of the total project cost, and the applicant needs to be prepared to fund half of the engagement regardless of how the total project scope is sized.

ERP Selection Requirements Template

This resource provides the template that you need to capture the requirements of different functional areas, processes, and teams.

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Why This Is a Reimbursement Program, Not an Upfront Grant

The DMAP funding amount doesn’t arrive before the work happens. It arrives after, and understanding that sequencing is essential for any business budgeting around this program.

The Reimbursement Flow

The practical implication is straightforward: a business needs the cash flow to pay 100% of the DAC’s fees upfront, and only recovers the OCI-funded portion of the DMAP funding amount afterward, once the project wraps and the paperwork clears. For a business without the working capital to front the full engagement cost, this timing gap is worth planning for well before signing a DAC contract.

ERP System Scorecard Matrix

This resource provides a framework for quantifying the ERP selection process and how to make heterogeneous solutions comparable.

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The Activation Clock: A Timing Risk Worth Knowing

One detail in the guidelines that’s easy to miss is how much depends on the 30-day window immediately following approval.

What Happens If Activation Requirements Aren’t Met in Time

This means the DMAP funding amount an approved applicant expects to receive should not be considered fully secured until the activation requirements have been completed. The funding agreement has to be signed and returned through OCI’s electronic signature process, and the project has to be activated in AccessOCI, before that 30-day clock runs out. Any DAC engagement or project spending that happens before formal activation falls outside what OCI will reimburse, regardless of how directly it relates to the approved project.

How ElevatIQ Can Help

Understanding the mechanics of the DMAP funding amount is necessary, but it isn’t sufficient on its own. The more consequential question for an ERP buyer is how to structure the DAC engagement itself so that the cash flow timing, the activation sequencing, and the deliverable all work together, rather than creating an administrative gap that may delay or jeopardize reimbursement.

ElevatIQ serves as an approved Digital Adoption Consultant, and we work with Ontario SMEs on ERP-focused digital modernization plans funded through DMAP. As an independent ERP consulting firm, we help clients plan the practical sequencing around the DMAP funding amount: confirming activation timing before any billable work begins, structuring the engagement so documentation requirements are met without last-minute scrambling, and making sure the resulting plan is substantive enough to actually inform an ERP decision, not just satisfy a reimbursement claim.

Conclusion

The DMAP funding amount is capped at $15,000, calculated as a straightforward 50/50 cost share, but the mechanics behind that number, the reimbursement timing, the activation window, and the documentation requirements, determine whether an approved business actually receives the funding smoothly or runs into avoidable delays.

A few things are worth confirming before relying on the DMAP funding amount in a project budget:

• The business has the cash flow to pay the DAC’s full fees upfront, since reimbursement only arrives after project completion
• The funding agreement will be signed and the project activated well within the 30-day window following approval
• No DAC work or related spending begins before the project is formally activated in AccessOCI
• Documentation requirements, including DAC invoices, are tracked from day one rather than assembled retroactively at the final claim stage

Getting this sequencing right is what turns an approved DMAP application into money that actually lands, rather than a funding offer that lapses on a technicality.

Note: Meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee approval, as all applications undergo review and funding decisions remain discretionary.

ERP Selection: The Ultimate Guide

This is an in-depth guide with over 80 pages and covers every topic as it pertains to ERP selection in sufficient detail to help you make an informed decision.

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Key Highlights

• DMAP eligibility Ontario 2026 rules are more specific than most SMEs assume. A minimum $750,000 in annual revenue, a B2B sales model, and “in operation for multi years” are baseline requirements, not just the well-known 1–499 employee range.
• Several categories of business are explicitly excluded, including consumer-facing retail and e-commerce operations, professional business services (legal, accounting, consulting, marketing, real estate, and similar), corporate chains and franchises, registered charities, MLM representatives, and not-for-profits.
• DMAP funds the planning phase, engaging an approved Digital Adoption Consultant (DAC) to build a Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan. Not the purchase or implementation of ERP software itself, which is a distinction many ERP buyers miss when they first look into the program.
• The program also excludes marketing- and promotion-related activities entirely, including website development, SEO, advertising campaigns, and market research, so an ERP-focused digital adoption plan needs to be framed and scoped correctly from the outset.

Introduction

For an Ontario SME evaluating an ERP project, the Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan (DMAP) grant for 2026 looks like an obvious way to offset the cost of getting the planning right before committing to a system. Up to $15,000 in reimbursement, delivered through a 50% cost-share, to work with a qualified consultant on a digital strategy. On paper, it’s a straightforward fit for exactly the kind of upfront requirements and readiness work that ERP buyers are often told to do and often skip.

In practice, DMAP eligibility Ontario rules are narrower and more specific than most first-time applicants expect. The program has clear revenue thresholds, a defined business model requirement, and a list of excluded industries that catches more companies than the widely known “no retail” rule. It also funds a specific kind of work, plan development through an approved consultant rather than technology purchases directly, which matters a great deal if an ERP buyer is expecting the grant to offset software or implementation costs.

This blog walks through DMAP’s actual eligibility criteria in detail, the exclusions that most often surprise applicants, and a self-assessment checklist to help determine fit before starting the application process.

What DMAP Actually Funds (And What It Doesn’t)

Before assessing DMAP eligibility Ontario criteria in detail, it’s worth being precise about what DMAP pays for, since this is where many ERP buyers form the wrong expectations.

DMAP Funding Scope

DMAP is a planning grant, not an implementation grant. The output is a documented Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan, developed with a DAC, that can include an ERP-focused readiness assessment and selection roadmap. Businesses that complete a DMAP project may be eligible to explore other funding opportunities that support implementation of digital technology initiatives. Applicants should review current OCI and DCC programs separately, as implementation funding is not provided through DMAP itself.

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Core Applicant Eligibility Requirements

Beyond the widely cited 1–499 employee range, DMAP eligibility Ontario requirements include several conditions that are easy to overlook.

Applicant-Level Eligibility Criteria

The B2B and product-company requirement is worth pausing on: the program defines this as a business model where the company sells products or services directly or indirectly primarily to other businesses, or sells products, goods, or services that assist other businesses in their operations. A company that sells primarily to individual consumers, even if it also serves some business clients, does not clearly fit this definition, which is a separate consideration from the consumer-facing retail exclusion covered next.

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The Exclusions That Trip Up ERP Buyers

This is where DMAP eligibility Ontario rules narrow considerably, and where several categories of otherwise qualified-looking businesses get ruled out.

Business Types Ineligible for DMAP

The professional business services exclusion is the one most likely to catch an ERP buyer off guard when researching DMAP eligibility Ontario rules. The eligibility criteria are explicit that value derived primarily from professional expertise, rather than from scalable products, operational processes, or technology-enabled production, places a business in this excluded category, meaning an accounting firm, a marketing agency, a management consultancy, or a similar knowledge-services business is not eligible for DMAP funding, even if it otherwise meets the revenue and employee thresholds and is actively evaluating an ERP system.

What DMAP Won’t Pay For, Even If Your Business Qualifies

Separate from who can apply, DMAP eligibility Ontario rules also restrict what kind of project work is eligible and this list matters for how an ERP-focused digital adoption plan should be scoped.

Activities Excluded From DMAP Funding

• Advertising and promotional campaigns
• Search Engine Optimization
• Website development
• Market research
• Product development (for software companies)
• Development of marketing materials, including digital advertisements, landing pages, and content creation

The program is explicit that it does not support activities primarily related to marketing or promotional efforts. For an ERP buyer, this means the DMAP-funded plan needs to be framed around operational technology adoption. Thus, assessing systems, processes, and data architecture, rather than any marketing- or web-adjacent deliverables that might otherwise seem to fall under “digital transformation.”

Self-Assessment Checklist: Is Your Business a DMAP Fit?

Before starting a DMAP application, it’s worth working through the DMAP eligibility Ontario criteria that most commonly determine fit for ERP-focused applicants.

Quick Eligibility Self-Check

A “no” on one or more items may indicate that the business does not meet DMAP eligibility requirements. Applicants should review the program guidelines carefully and discuss any eligibility questions with OCI or an approved DAC before applying.

How ElevatIQ Can Help

Working through DMAP eligibility Ontario requirements is often the easy part. The harder question for ERP buyers specifically, is how to structure the digital adoption plan itself so it produces something genuinely useful for an ERP selection decision, rather than a generic strategy document built to satisfy a grant application.

ElevatIQ serves as an approved Digital Adoption Consultant, and we work with Ontario SMEs specifically on ERP-focused digital modernization plans. As an independent ERP consulting firm, our role in a DMAP engagement is the same as in any other engagement: we assess current systems and operational gaps, build a technology roadmap grounded in the business’s actual requirements, and help executive teams build the case for what comes next, without a vendor relationship shaping the recommendation. For a business that’s eligible and ready to apply, that combination of DAC-approved status and vendor-neutral ERP expertise means the DMAP plan can double as the first real step of an ERP selection process, not just a compliance exercise to unlock the grant.

Conclusion

DMAP eligibility Ontario requirements go well beyond the commonly cited employee range, and for ERP buyers specifically, understanding both who qualifies and what the grant actually funds is the difference between a productive application and a wasted one.

A few signals are worth checking before applying to confirm DMAP eligibility Ontario status:

• Your business meets the revenue, employee count, and B2B/product-company criteria, not just the general “SME” description
• Your business isn’t classified as a professional business service, even if it uses “consulting” or “advisory” language internally
• Your planned project is scoped as technology adoption planning, not implementation, marketing, or website work
• You’re prepared to work with a DAC, since this is a non-negotiable program requirement

Getting these right before submitting an application saves time on both sides, yours and OCI’s and positions the resulting plan to actually inform a real ERP decision, rather than sitting unused once the grant is reimbursed.

Note: Meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee approval, as all applications undergo review and funding decisions remain discretionary.

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