SOE Exact and Dentally are both excellent products, backed by solid companies, with years of innovation, industry experience, and customer support behind them. I recommend and support both.
But when I see marketing lines like "No More Servers, No More Hassle", I can't help but call it out as misleading.
The promise vs the reality
On the surface, it sounds like a dream: move your practice management system (PMS) to the cloud, and suddenly you can throw away your servers, stop worrying about IT, and pocket big savings.
And yes, moving to a non-server setup does bring advantages: less complexity, fewer headaches, reduced upfront capital costs (though usually replaced by ongoing monthly costs).
But here's the problem: the message often glosses over the hidden costs and practical realities. Moving your PMS to the cloud doesn't automatically mean "there's no need for expensive servers", "you don't need third-party IT support anymore", or "backups are someone else's problem, forever".
That's not how it works.
Servers still do a lot more than you think
Servers on a dental network aren't just a box sitting in the corner. They often provide multiple essential functions, including:
- PMS hosting (your practice management system, unless cloud-based)
- Authentication and identity management (usually Active Directory)
- Document hosting (practice policies, HR, finance, compliance docs)
- Digital imaging hosting (x-rays, OPGs, 2D and 3D imaging)
- Other applications (Sage Accounts, cycle loggers, databases, specialist integrations)
So before you decide you don't need a server anymore, you have to ask: which of these roles can realistically be moved to the cloud, and which can't (at least, not yet)?
Breaking it down
PMS hosting. This one's easy. Move to Dentally (or another cloud PMS) and you no longer need a server for that. Backups, upgrades, and access become their responsibility. All you need is an Internet connection.
Authentication and identity. Yes, you can move to Microsoft Azure Entra ID. That's the modern way. All users authenticate in the cloud, with centralised account management. But this isn't "free" or simple. You need a Microsoft tenant, a migration process, and properly managed accounts (generic local PC logins are not compliant, secure, or fit for Cyber Essentials). It's essential, but it's not trivial. Read more on why workgroups have to go.
Document hosting. Again, a solid candidate for the cloud. We recommend SharePoint and OneDrive (though GSuite or others work too). But this isn't plug-and-play; it requires design, setup, migration, and security controls. Otherwise, you risk a compliance nightmare.
Digital imaging. Here's where it gets tricky. Dentally Vision is excellent, secure, and cloud-backed. But it doesn't yet support every digital imaging system. If your DI system isn't supported, you still need a local server for your data. Shoving it onto a desktop PC is a retrograde and insecure move.
And then there's cost: some practices report paying £1,000 a month once PMS + imaging are in the cloud. Compare that to a £3k-£5k server, which might last 8-10 years. Even at the high end (£5k over 8 years), that's £50 a month for hosting your imaging data.
I'm not saying you shouldn't go cloud. I strongly encourage it. But let's be realistic: it's rarely cheaper in pure financial terms.
The myth of "no more IT support"
Perhaps the most misleading claim is that moving to the cloud means you no longer need IT support.
Here's some reality from our helpdesk. At Dental IT, we support hundreds of sites daily. Our AI-driven phone system categorises every call.
On Thursday 28th August 2025, here's a sample of the first 18 calls that came in: a laptop query, a power issue to a single PC, a PC upgrade issue, a phone system issue, another phone system issue, printing (from Dentally), a WiFi issue, a PMS issue (R4), a Microsoft subscription issue, a PC booting issue, a VPN issue, a login issue, another PMS issue (R4 again), another Microsoft subscription issue, a VPN issue, a label printing issue, an OPG issue, and a call from SOE to access a server: the first server related call of the day.
That was just the start of the day. By the end, we had handled around 100 calls, and only 3 of them were actually about servers.
So yes, we still get server calls, and sometimes they're serious. But the overwhelming majority of IT problems we deal with are nothing to do with servers. Laptops, WiFi, VPNs, Microsoft accounts, printing, phone systems: these don't magically vanish when you move to the cloud.
That's why the suggestion that you can "ditch third-party IT support" if you go cloud is not just misleading, it's completely disconnected from what happens in the real world of dental practices.
To conclude
Moving to the cloud is positive. It should be encouraged. It simplifies some things, reduces reliance on local servers, and can improve resilience.
But let's be clear:
- It doesn't eliminate costs, it just moves them.
- It doesn't remove the need for IT support; if anything, support demand often shifts to different areas.
- It doesn't suit every system yet; digital imaging in particular can still anchor you locally.
So by all means, embrace cloud. But don't fall for the line that it means "no more servers, no more hassle". The reality is more nuanced, and the costs and risks must be properly understood before you make the leap. Book a call if you'd like an honest assessment for your practice.