5 Reasons to Move Your Software to the Cloud
I know many dentists who are using traditional client-based practice management systems that run on an in-house server, and there is (or was, at least) good reason for that. At one time, this system may have been more cost-effective if, for example, there was a problem with internet service in the practice. But, at this point, it seems obvious that every practice should at least explore moving to web-based software, which operates on an off-site service and is paid for via a monthly subscription fee.
There are many tangible and intangible benefits of moving your practice management software to the web—from cost-effectiveness to greater data security—but here I’ll list the top 5:
Reason No. 1: Low Startup Cost
Because it uses subscription pricing, web-based software such as Dentrix Ascend has little upfront cost—unlike traditional client-based servers. You’ll pay a modest monthly fee for software, and that price includes data storage, automatic backups and updates, and tech support.
Reason No. 2: No New Hardware
The computers and tablets you use in your practice are all you need—your web-based software can work with any device that has an internet connection. There are no installation costs.
Reason No. 3: Cut Costs for Tech Support
With the traditional model, a crashing server can be a pretty bad situation. Unless you have an onsite IT person, you’re calling your IT provider to pay you a visit, and that can be expensive. With cloud-based software, most maintenance, backup, and upgrade processes are automatic, so you pay nothing extra.
Reason No. 4: No More Downtime
Since backups and updates are done automatically with a web-based system, you won’t lose the time (and money) of having to perform those tasks manually on your client-server software.
Reason No. 5: It’s Easy to Get Started
When you switch to cloud-based software, you learn how to use it online at your own pace. Training is made available via videos and tutorials that team members can watch when convenient. That means there are no in-person training costs and associated downtime.
Check out this free ebook to learn how you can prepare your practice to switch to a cloud-based practice management software.