Whitepaper | February 3, 2025

Modernizing Your Office

How We Helped a Dental Practice Eliminate Servers, Enhance Security, and Cut Costs

Executive Summary

A dental practice hired us to modernize their technology experience. They were tired of just “maintaining” and wanted more out of their technology investment.

We helped them move their practice management software from their in-house servers to a web-browser solution that required no servers and simpler technology.

In doing so, we:

• Reduced their technology footprint
• Reduced their exposure to threats like ransomware and other disasters
• Reduced their monthly support costs
• Modernized the look, feel and flow of their practice management software
• Reduced their risk of expensive downtime

The Opportunity

A dental practice called us wanting to modernize their technology experience.

They’ve had the same practice management software (Dentrix) and infrastructure (replaced as needed) for the last 15 years. They wanted their technology investment to:

• Modernize their employee and customer experience
• Create technology resilience that doesn’t rely on failure-prone hardware

The History

This dental office ran typical technology that most dental offices employ:

• Three in-house Windows servers running on a Dell PowerEdge server
• Practice Management Software running locally on their servers
• A handful of accessories to assist with imaging and x-rays
• They had an MSP (IT company) that provided break-fix service, backups, monitoring and antivirus

Like many dental offices, it’s reactive (not proactive) technology that runs “well enough”, most of the time.

The practice has come to accept the following problems:

• Server failures happen on occasion and downtime lasts from hours to days
• Servers (software and hardware) will be replaced every 5 years
• They pay their MSP to maintain their servers and provide a backup solution
• They assume backups are protecting them from disaster and ransomware. However, no one knows how to check
• They pay their MSP to maintain their servers and provide a backup solution

The Solution

The dental practice contacted TechxRev to modernize their technology experience.

We gathered information on their hardware, software, and business practices, then met with the practice manager to discuss our findings and present a picture of their technology.

We proposed that their highest risk factor was server failure. Server failure results in practice downtime. Catastrophic failure results in significant business impact.

We set out to eliminate that unnecessary risk.

TechxRev determined that Dentrix was the only application forcing the practice to maintain servers. If we removed Dentrix, every other server function could be replaced using technologies they already owned.

We set up vendor meetings to look for the easiest and most user-friendly way to address Dentrix’s server requirement. We found that Dentrix has a browser-based product (Ascend) which eliminates the need for in-house servers.

Even better, Ascend has a migration path to automatically move Dentrix data into Ascend, and training modules to help the staff learn the new software.

Over the course of one month, the practice manager, Ascend and TechxRev worked to migrate their data, train their staff, and “go live” on their new practice management software.

Ascend runs entirely within a web browser (Edge, Chrome), requires no servers, no databases and no maintenance. We successfully removed their dependence on servers.

Non-Dentrix roles of their servers were moved to other technologies (Entra ID, SharePoint etc.) and the three servers were shutdown permanently.

The Benefits

Free from their dependence on servers, the dental practice is now enjoying significant benefits:

• Ascend, (not the dental practice), now maintains and updates the practice management software. Which means that . . .
• . . . the practice’s technology is significantly easier to manage so they pay their MSP less.
• And because they’ve moved their data from their in-house servers to Ascend, the practice is more secure and more immune to threats like ransomware.
• There new practice management software has a browser-based, more modern look, feel and flow. The staff interactions and workflow is significantly improved.
• The high risk of downtime has been significantly reduced.

We’d Like to Help You

If your technology feels dated, if you still use servers, we’d like to talk to you about how we can:

• Reduce your technology footprint
• Make your environment more secure
• Reduce technology costs
• Create a more modern experience for your staff and customers.

About TechxRev – the MSP that’s not like other MSPs

We are a business-centric MSP, focused on driving operational-efficiency into your company.

We use technology solutions that are more modern and more advanced, allowing your business to operate more efficiently.

And we provide customer service that goes well beyond what you’ve experienced in the past.