Guides
Plain answers about the IT in a dental office.
Deadlines, requirements and checklists for practice owners and office managers. Each guide is checked against the vendor's own pages and dated.
- Microsoft deadlines
Windows Server 2016 support ends January 12, 2027
What stops on that date, how to check your server, and the three ways to deal with it before then.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide - Practice software
Server requirements for Dentrix, Eaglesoft and Open Dental
What each vendor's own requirements sheet asks for in a server and workstation, and what that means when you buy hardware.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide - Microsoft deadlines
Windows 10 ESU for dental offices
What Microsoft's paid Windows 10 security updates cover, who can buy them, and how to move office PCs to Windows 11.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide - HIPAA
The IT side of a HIPAA security risk assessment
What the technical safeguards ask of a small dental office, and how HHS's free SRA Tool helps you write it down.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide - Practice software
Open Dental vs Dentrix vs Eaglesoft: the IT side
How the three server-based practice systems differ on servers, databases, backups, imaging and workstations, from the vendors' own documents.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide - Microsoft deadlines
SQL Server 2016 end of life and your practice database
Extended support for SQL Server 2016 ended on July 14, 2026. How to check what your server runs and what your options are.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide - Practice software
Moving to cloud-based dental software: what changes for IT
What moves to the vendor, what stays in your office, and what to fix first when your practice software moves to the cloud.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide - Backups and recovery
Dental office backups: proving a restore will work
What to back up, how to run a test restore, and why one copy has to be out of ransomware's reach.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide - Backups and recovery
Ransomware in a dental office: the first 24 hours
What to do and what not to do when ransomware hits, who to report it to, and the HIPAA breach clock.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide - IT providers
Switching IT providers: a handover checklist
Everything to collect from your old IT provider, what to test, and what to remove once the new one takes over.
Checked October 30, 2026Read the guide
Ready for step one?