Bridge to the Cloud 3: Key Dates for 2026–2027 (Dynamics GP Customers)

Lock in the discount window before it closes.

Bridge to the Cloud 3 launched January 1, 2026

Microsoft has announced Bridge to the Cloud 3 (BTC3), a time-limited licensing promotion for organizations still running Microsoft Dynamics GP and planning a transition to the Microsoft cloud.

In parallel, 1Staff offers a complementary promotion for customers running 1Staff on Dynamics GP, designed to support a coordinated move of the entire staffing back office alongside the underlying ERP platform. Together, these programs allow customers to align Microsoft’s cloud incentives with a proven migration pathway, reducing both cost and risk during the transition.

For GP customers, the direction of travel is clear. Dynamics GP remains an on-premises platform with a finite lifecycle, and the window to plan a controlled transition is narrowing. Bridge to the Cloud 3 exists to help customers act deliberately now, rather than under pressure later.

Key dates you should lock in now

Launch:

January 1, 2026

Signup window:

January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2027

Discount duration:

3 years from enrollment (not renewable)

After December 31, 2027:

You can typically add users to existing BTC3 subscriptions, but you can’t start new BTC3 subscriptions for additional products.

What the Bridge to the Cloud 3 Promotions Deliver

Together, Microsoft’s Bridge to the Cloud 3 promotion and the parallel 1Staff promotion provide a coordinated set of commercial and transition benefits for Dynamics GP customers:

A 30% discount on Microsoft Dynamics 365 cloud licences, locked in for a fixed three-year term
A 30% discount on 1Staff cloud licences, aligned to the same transition window
Price protection on eligible additional licences added during the three-year term
Dual-use rights, allowing:

Dynamics GP and Dynamics 365 Business Central licences to run in parallel
1Staff Back Office on Dynamics GP and 1Staff Back Office 365 on Business Central to run in parallel

This dual-run capability removes one of the most significant historical barriers to ERP transition — the need to fund and operate two environments without commercial relief — and enables a phased, low-risk migration rather than a forced cutover.

Why Dual-Use Rights Matter

Historically, ERP migrations have been painful largely because organizations were forced to pay for two systems at once: maintaining full on-premises environments while also paying full SaaS subscription costs.

Bridge to the Cloud 3 changes that dynamic.

Dual-use rights allow organizations to stand up Dynamics 365 Business Central alongside Dynamics GP without duplicate Microsoft licensing costs, while 1Staff customers can likewise operate both 1Staff Back Office on GP and 1Staff Back Office 365 in parallel. This enables controlled migration, validation, and cutover without the risk of a “big bang” transition.

Putting GP Enhancement Plan (AEP) Spend to Work

For many Dynamics GP customers, annual enhancement plan (AEP) spend represents a significant ongoing investment. Bridge to the Cloud 3 ensures this investment is not stranded.

Under BTC3, existing AEP value is effectively redirected into discounted cloud licensing over a three-year period, provided minimum cloud subscription commitments are met. Rather than writing off prior investment, customers convert it into a funded runway toward the cloud.

Why This Matters Now for Dynamics GP Customers

Dynamics GP continues to support critical back-office processes such as payroll, billing, and financial management. However, as an on-premises system it brings increasing infrastructure, security, and maintenance overhead.

Bridge to the Cloud 3 does not extend the lifecycle of GP. What it does provide is a defined, incentivized window to plan and execute a controlled transition — reducing risk now rather than forcing reactive decisions later.

What you should do in 2026: a simple planning checklist

Here’s a practical way to prepare - especially if you want to make BTC3 part of your 2026 roadmap.

Confirm eligibility early (before procurement)

Validate your on-prem purchase timing, EP status, and whether any prior migration promos disqualify you.

Model your Minimum CSP Value

Your cloud subscription value must at least match your annual EP renewal value, and you’ll need to maintain it for 3 years.

Choose the right enrollment moment

You can enroll any time in the signup window, but align it to avoid unnecessary EP spend, especially around your EP anniversary date.

Decide your migration posture: “hybrid while moving” vs “fast cutover”

BTC3 supports dual access rights and (in some cases) temporary on-prem user expansion, use those benefits intentionally, not accidentally.

Lock in the promo before December 31, 2027

Even if your migration takes time, the subscription must be started inside the signup window to get the BTC3 discount.

From Licensing Incentive to Execution

Bridge to the Cloud 3 establishes the commercial framework for change. The technical migration — data, integrations, validation, and cutover — must still be delivered in a controlled and proven way.

This is where Professional Advantage and 1Staff play a direct role.

As both a Microsoft Dynamics partner and a provider of GP-based and cloud-based staffing back-office solutions, 1Staff has established migration pathways to help customers transition from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central with minimal disruption.

Why SaaS Changes the Operating Model

Moving from on-premises GP to a SaaS platform such as Dynamics 365 Business Central shifts responsibility for infrastructure, patching, availability, and security away from the customer.

Over time, this typically delivers:

No servers or SQL infrastructure to manage
Reduced reliance on third-party managed services
Continuous platform updates instead of periodic upgrade projects
Improved resilience, security posture, and scalability

Final Thought

If you are still running Dynamics GP today, Bridge to the Cloud 3 represents an opportunity to move with intent rather than urgency.

With 30% cloud licence discounts locked for three years, dual-use rights removing overlap cost, and a coordinated Microsoft and 1Staff migration path in place, organizations can plan a clean transition to the cloud while minimizing disruption to critical back-office operations.

Don't wait until the deadline

Start planning your Dynamics GP migration

Discover how you can make the most of this offer by reading more.