Staffing a Microsoft ERP Estate That Keeps Moving
Dynamics 365 and Business Central ship in release waves, and Dynamics GP customers now have an end-of-support date to plan around. Both create demand that arrives in waves too.
Staffing a Microsoft ERP Estate That Keeps
Moving
Moving
Dynamics 365 and Business Central ship in release waves, and Dynamics GP customers
now have an end-of-support date to plan around. Both create demand that arrives in
waves too.
Microsoft organises Dynamics 365 updates into two release waves a year, one running April to
September and the other October to March
[1]
. Separately, Microsoft announced in September
2024 that Dynamics GP product support and updates end on December 31, 2029, and pointed
GP customers toward Dynamics 365 Business Central
[2]
. A fixed cadence and a fixed deadline
now have an end-of-support date to plan around. Both create demand that arrives in
waves too.
are both useful for planning. They are also predictable sources of demand for the same pool of
Dynamics professionals.
1. A dated deadline draws on one shared pool
Dynamics professionals.
An end-of-support date turns a vague intention into a project plan, and every GP customer
working toward the same date draws on the same people for data migration, finance
configuration and testing. The effect is easy to underestimate early and expensive later. A 2021
Gartner survey found 64 percent of IT executives naming talent shortage as the most
significant barrier to adopting emerging technologies
[3]
; ERP skills are not exempt from that
pressure.
2. Match capacity to the waves, not to headcount
working toward the same date draws on the same people for data migration, finance
configuration and testing. The effect is easy to underestimate early and expensive later. A 2021
Gartner survey found 64 percent of IT executives naming talent shortage as the most
Release waves, migrations and upgrades arrive on a schedule, but the people they need do not
have to be permanent. Deloitte’s 2024 Global Outsourcing Survey, covering more than 500
executives, found skilled talent and agility now sitting beside cost reduction as reasons to
outsource, with 80 percent planning to maintain or increase their investment in third-party
services
[4]
. McKinsey’s 2025 review of the tech talent gap recommends globally distributed
teams and recruiting for skills rather than credentials
[5]
. A sensible split keeps process
ownership and administration in house and brings in specialist capacity for the migration or the
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have to be permanent. Deloitte’s 2024 Global Outsourcing Survey, covering more than 500
executives, found skilled talent and agility now sitting beside cost reduction as reasons to
outsource, with 80 percent planning to maintain or increase their investment in third-party
Orpington Technologies | ERP Staff Augmentation Insights
wave.
Orpington Technologies’ ERP staff augmentation
is one way to do that for Dynamics
365 work: certified consultants join the client’s team for the stretch that needs them and step
away when it ends.
3. Where Orpington Technologies fits
For organisations weighing this model,
Orpington Technologies’ ERP staff augmentation
practice
is built on the same logic. Certified ERP consultants stay on Orpington’s payroll, work
away when it ends.
remotely and take direction from the client’s own programme leads. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is
among the platforms covered, alongside SAP, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, NetSuite and Odoo, with
functional, technical and programme roles such as data migration, QA and change
management. The consultants are credentialed by the same certified practitioners who audit
implementations, so the bench is judged by people who know what delivery looks like.
among the platforms covered, alongside SAP, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, NetSuite and Odoo, with
functional, technical and programme roles such as data migration, QA and change
management. The consultants are credentialed by the same certified practitioners who audit
implementations, so the bench is judged by people who know what delivery looks like.
The terms are plain. Three matched candidates arrive roughly four weeks after the engagement
fee is confirmed, the monthly invoice is all-inclusive, and a 90-day replacement guarantee
covers the fit risk that makes permanent hires costly to get wrong. Orpington’s own estimate
puts the loaded cost of a direct hire at 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary once employer tax, benefits
and compliance are counted. Details are at
https://www.orpingtontech.com/erp-staff-
augmentation/
, and a short conversation about next quarter’s named roles is a sensible place
to start.
Four questions for any Microsoft ERP staffing partner
Question to ask
Why it matters
Who employs and vets the consultant?
Keeps payroll and compliance off your books, and
puts credential checks in expert hands.
fee is confirmed, the monthly invoice is all-inclusive, and a 90-day replacement guarantee
covers the fit risk that makes permanent hires costly to get wrong. Orpington’s own estimate
puts the loaded cost of a direct hire at 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary once employer tax, benefits
Has the consultant delivered Business Central or
GP migrations?
GP migrations?
Product familiarity and migration delivery are
different things.
What happens if the fit is wrong?
A replacement commitment turns a hiring mistake
into a scheduling one.
Who directs the day-to-day work?
The client should direct the work while the provider
carries employment and credentialing.
Sources & Further Reading
[1] Microsoft Learn – “Dynamics 365 and Power Platform release plans”
[2] Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog – Dynamics GP end-of-support announcement, September 2024
[3] Gartner – “Gartner Survey Reveals Talent Shortages as Biggest Barrier to Emerging Technologies Adoption,”
September 2021
[4] Deloitte – “Global Outsourcing Survey 2024”
[5] McKinsey & Company – “Tech Faces a Talent Bottleneck. Here’s What to Do About It,” August 2025
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different things.