Server or cloud: what your practice software actually needs

Dentrix and Eaglesoft want a server in the rack. Curve and Ascend don’t. How to tell which camp you’re in and what it means for the network.

Your practice management software decides whether there is a server in your office. That one choice changes the rack, the backup plan and how much the internet connection matters.

Local database software

Dentrix, Eaglesoft and self-hosted Open Dental keep the patient database on a machine in the office. That machine needs mirrored drives, a battery backup and nightly off-site copies.

Cloud software

Curve Dental, Dentrix Ascend and Denticon run in a browser. No server, but the internet becomes the single point of failure, so backup internet stops being optional.

• Local: invest in the server, the UPS and tested restores
• Cloud: invest in fiber plus a cellular failover line
• Either way: imaging often still needs local storage for speed