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Does Your Dental Practice Need a Server in 2026?
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Ezra Angelo
- • March 15, 2026
A few years ago, every dental practice needed a server. That is no longer true.
Whether you need one today depends on which software you run, how many users you have, and how much IT overhead you want to deal with. Here is the plain-language answer.
Servers need regular updates, security patching, backup management, and eventual replacement. Most practices underestimate this cost until something goes wrong.
What a Server Actually Does in a Dental Practice
Your server stores and runs your practice management software and imaging data locally. Every workstation in the office connects to it to access patient records, X-rays, and treatment plans.
Without a server, that data lives somewhere else. Either in the cloud or on a vendor’s servers. That is the core decision you are making.
Do You Need One? It Depends on Your Software
It depends. Open Dental supports both a local server and a private cloud deployment. If you want to eliminate the server, Open Dental with a private cloud is a clean option. As a certified Open Dental vendor partner, Ekim sets this up regularly for practices across New England.
No server needed. Curve is 100% cloud-based. Everything runs through a browser. The tradeoff is that your internet connection becomes critical infrastructure. If it goes down, so does your access to patient records.
Ekim IT Solutions helps practices evaluate whether a server or cloud setup is right for their specific software, size, and budget.
For Dentrix, Eaglesoft, and Open Dental practices that need a local server done right.
For practices that want to go serverless without switching software.
For cloud-based practices where internet connectivity is critical infrastructure.
Server vs Cloud: The Real Tradeoffs
You have full control over your data and how it is stored.
Performance is fast and not dependent on internet speed.
Some imaging software still performs better on a local server than in the cloud.
No ongoing subscription fees to a cloud hosting provider.
No server hardware to buy, maintain, or eventually replace.
Staff can access the system remotely from any device.
Software updates happen automatically with no IT intervention.
Lower upfront cost for startup practices.
Cloud practices still need network management, HIPAA compliance documentation, device security, and help desk support. The server goes away. The need for dental IT does not.
What to Ask Before You Decide
Does my practice management software support a cloud deployment?
How reliable is my internet connection and do I have a backup connection if it goes down?
How old is my current server and am I facing a replacement cost soon?
Does my imaging software perform well in a cloud environment?
Frequently Asked Questions
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 look at your software, your patient volume, and your growth plans and give you a straight answer on which direction actually makes sense for your practice.
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- • March 15, 2026
