A server room in a dental practice is a dedicated, climate-controlled space that houses the server, network equipment, and related infrastructure that your clinical software depends on. In a practice running server-based software like Dentrix or Eaglesoft, the server room is one of the most critical rooms in the building.
In a practice running cloud-based software like Curve Dental or CareStack, a server room may not be needed at all. Here is how to determine whether your practice needs one and what it requires if you do.
Why Server Environment Matters for Hardware Longevity
A server placed in a supply closet without climate control, proper power protection, or adequate ventilation has a shorter lifespan and higher failure rate than one in a properly configured server room.
Server failures caused by heat, power fluctuations, and physical damage are not covered by hardware warranties when the cause is inadequate environment. A proper server room is infrastructure protection, not a luxury.
Need server room requirements specified before construction begins? Find out in 15 minutes if we are the right fit.
The answer depends entirely on your practice management and imaging software. Select your setup to see what you need.
What practice management and imaging setup are you running?
Which best describes your software setup?
Server-based PMS (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental on-premise)
Cloud-based PMS only (Curve, Ascend, CareStack, Oryx, Open Dental cloud)
Cloud-based PMS with local imaging server (Planmeca Romexis, DEXIS server)
Server Room Setup Checklist
If your practice requires a server room, check each requirement as it is confirmed. Every unchecked item is a risk to server hardware longevity and uptime.
Requirements confirmed
0 / 7
Frequently Asked Questions
Temporarily, yes. Long-term, no. A server placed in a supply room without climate control, without a UPS, and without physical security is inadequately protected. Temperature spikes, physical contact with the hardware, and power fluctuations all shorten server lifespan and increase failure risk. If a dedicated server room is not in the original floor plan, add it before construction finishes.
The server room infrastructure including UPS, patch panel, managed switch, and basic climate control typically adds $1,500 to $4,000 to an IT buildout depending on room size and equipment selected. This cost is separate from the server hardware itself. Skipping it and paying for server repairs or replacement caused by inadequate environment costs more.
If you eliminate your local server by switching to a cloud platform, the server room becomes a network closet housing only your firewall, switch, and wireless access points. That equipment requires much less space, less cooling, and less power protection than a server. The room does not need to be repurposed, just scaled back.
Yes. Your IT provider should review the floor plan during the planning phase, specify the server room location and size, identify power requirements, and coordinate with the electrical contractor and low-voltage cabling installer. An IT provider engaged after construction is complete works with whatever space was left available, which is rarely optimal.
Planning your dental office build-out and not sure whether you need a dedicated server room or can skip it entirely based on your software?
Ekim IT Solutions works exclusively with dental practices. We serve New England and New York with on-site support and dental practices nationwide with remote support. We help dental practices determine exactly what server and network infrastructure their software requires and plan the physical space around it before construction locks anything in.
The server room decision needs to be made before walls close. Find out what your software actually requires before construction begins.
Ezra Angelo
