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PMS Upgrade Planning for Tampa Bay Dental Practices
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Ezra Angelo
- • August 6, 2026
Practice management software upgrade planning is a regular engagement for Tampa Bay dental practices in 2026. The trigger events for PMS upgrade planning are consistent across the practices we work with: a practice running Dentrix on Windows 10 facing Henry Schein’s Windows 10 support deadline, a practice on Eaglesoft considering whether to stay with Patterson through a major version upgrade or evaluate alternatives, a group practice that has outgrown a server-based platform and is evaluating cloud migration, or an acquired practice being asked to migrate to the DSO’s standardized PMS within a defined transition period.
Ekim IT Solutions is the dental-exclusive IT provider serving Tampa Bay from our office at 600 N Westshore Blvd, Suite 701, Tampa, FL 33609.
Each of these scenarios requires a structured planning process that addresses the technical, operational, and financial dimensions of the change before a software commitment is made.
The most expensive PMS upgrade mistakes Tampa Bay dental practices make are committing to a new platform before confirming imaging software compatibility, or initiating a migration without a verified backup of the existing database as the starting point.
When to Upgrade vs When to Migrate
A PMS upgrade means moving to a newer version of the same platform: Dentrix G7 to G7.7, Eaglesoft 24 to version 25, or Open Dental to the current release. A PMS migration means moving from one platform to a different one: Dentrix to Open Dental, Eaglesoft to Dentrix Ascend, or any server-based platform to a cloud-native alternative. Upgrades are lower-risk and faster. Migrations are higher-risk, longer, and more disruptive, but may be the right choice when the current platform no longer meets the practice’s operational or infrastructure requirements. Ekim IT Solutions helps Tampa Bay practices evaluate which path is appropriate before committing to either.
The PMS Upgrade and Migration Planning Process
Ekim IT Solutions follows this process for Tampa Bay dental practice PMS upgrades and migrations. Tap a step to see what it involves.
Before any PMS change, confirm that the current imaging software and bridge configuration will continue to work with the new PMS version or new platform. A PMS upgrade that breaks the imaging bridge stops clinical operations on day one. Ekim IT Solutions confirms imaging compatibility with the PMS vendor before any upgrade or migration begins.
Cloud PMS Migration Timing for Tampa Bay Practices
Tampa Bay dental practices evaluating a move from server-based Dentrix or Eaglesoft to a cloud platform should time the migration to coincide with a scheduled server replacement rather than initiating it mid-server-lifecycle. A practice that migrates to Dentrix Ascend or Curve Dental at the point when the server would otherwise need replacement eliminates both the server hardware cost and the migration disruption in a single planned event. Ekim IT Solutions helps Tampa Bay practices identify this timing window and plan the cloud migration to take advantage of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ekim IT Solutions serves Tampa Bay from our office at 600 N Westshore Blvd, Suite 701. We walk practices through the technical, operational, and financial planning that a PMS change or platform migration requires before any commitment is made.
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- • August 6, 2026
