Microsoft Dynamics RMS End of Life

by Beth Holmes-Bozung, Principal

As many of our clients running the software know, Microsoft Dynamics RMS (Retail Management System) version 2.0 has entered the “extended support” phase of its product lifecycle. Extended support is a software term that means future development (i.e. new features) is going into other versions. For RMS, those alternatives as of right now are Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail, aimed at the midsize retail enterprise, and the new Retail Essentials, which has more similarities to RMS and was developed in partnership with Retail Realm. Microsoft has committed to continue supporting the latest existing version of RMS through July 2021, and Microsoft has a long history of keeping those commitments. It’s one of the reasons you may have purchased RMS in the first place – you knew the manufacturer and partner network would be there for the long term. Under this extended phase, retailers can add stores and lanes and work with their partner like they always have.

What does this mean for you?

If your organization is running Microsoft Dynamics RMS, and the solution is meeting your requirements, we have not yet recommended upgrades. We don’t believe in buying “technology for technology’s sake,” which is one reason we’ve been a good fit for organizations like Goodwill Industries who would rather put resources toward strategic initiatives tied to their mission. Retail Essentials has promise, but it’s still new. The fact is, since the pricing has remained consistent, Microsoft Dynamics RMS represents a great value in the POS marketplace right now for clients who already have it and are growing and adding stores (and many of you are!). Most of our clients’ installations are customized and fine-tuned for their organization. Many are using Naveego to take their reporting and action tracking to the next level and maximize return from their POS investment.

The move to EMV (chip card) payments and the continued need for PCI compliance have led all retailers and all point of sale software systems to look for ancillary solutions. RMS is no exception. One popular option is Shift4, a provider of encryption services for credit card processing. They offer a solution that not only helps clients meet those requirements, but also gives retail businesses a lot of flexibility in swipe devices, signature capture screens, and merchant services providers (beyond what RMS could do already). Shift4 was one of the busiest booths at the NRF Show for good reason. Mercury Payment Systems is also launching solutions for encryption, card number tokenization and EMV that will be a good option for many businesses.

Just drop us a line if we can provide further information on this or anything else. We’d love to hear from you.