Great Plains Software, Inc. was an accounting software company located in Fargo, North Dakota, whose products focused on small to medium-sized businesses. It was founded in 1981, went public in 1997, and was sold to Microsoft in 2001. Prior to its acquisition, it had 2,200 employees.

History

The company was founded in 1981 by Joseph Larson, who also served as the company's first president. Doug Burgum, a future governor of North Dakota and U.S. presidential candidate, joined the company in March 1983 as a shareholder. He provided seed capital for the company and bought out the other investors in early 1984 and became its new president. Larson continued to serve as a director for the company until its acquisition. The company grew to about 170 employees by 1987, and to around 290 employees by 1989. It earned about $300 million in annual sales and a 1997 IPO, after using the Internet to help it expand beyond North Dakota. In 1999 the company acquired Match Data Systems, a development team in the Philippines. In 2000, after the company experienced several layoffs, it was acquired by Microsoft for $1.1 billion. The full purchase was completed in 2001. Its products continue to be offered as Microsoft Dynamics 365.