https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/blog Practical IT, security and phone-system advice for UK dental practices, from the Dental IT team in Sheffield. en-GB Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:31:18 +0000 https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/sysadmin-day-2026 https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/sysadmin-day-2026 Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 It is SysAdmin Day, the yearly nod to the people who quietly keep business IT running. A thank you to our team, and a look at the work you never see. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/4g-5g-backup-dental-practices https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/4g-5g-backup-dental-practices Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A 4G dongle in a drawer is not a backup plan. Why real-world 4G falls short, why 5G with an external MIMO aerial genuinely works, and the CGNAT catch to know about. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/starlink-for-dental-practices https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/starlink-for-dental-practices Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Practices keep asking us about Starlink. Our honest take on the speeds, latency, mounting, cost and fixed IP question, and where satellite broadband actually fits. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/state-of-dental-practice-it https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/state-of-dental-practice-it Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 We analysed 192 on-site IT audits across 184 UK dental practices. Slow internet, out-of-date systems, shared logins and failing backups. Download the white paper. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/generic-shared-accounts https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/generic-shared-accounts Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Generic shared accounts are the path of least resistance, but they quietly undermine security, accountability and compliance. Here is why individual logins matter. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/edr-mdr-antivirus https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/edr-mdr-antivirus Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Traditional antivirus still catches most threats, but EDR and MDR go further by watching how attacks behave, with humans on watch around the clock. Here is why. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/do-you-still-need-a-ups https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/do-you-still-need-a-ups Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A UPS battery backup used to be essential for a server. With modern operating systems and the move to cloud, do dental practices still need one? Our honest take. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/ai-answer-patient-emails-outlook-gmail https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/ai-answer-patient-emails-outlook-gmail Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Can you connect Outlook or Gmail to AI to help answer patient emails? Yes, done in four sensible stages. Here is the route, the privacy rules and where to start. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/microsoft-google-zoom-which-tenant https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/microsoft-google-zoom-which-tenant Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or Zoom Workplace for a small business? An honest comparison of governance, collaboration and cost, and what we would recommend. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/dental-practices-cyber-targets-every-day https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/dental-practices-cyber-targets-every-day Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Our live threat feed shows malware blocked at dental practices every single day. Here is what the attacks look like, and the layers of protection that actually work. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/privileged-access-management-dental https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/privileged-access-management-dental Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Most dental practices give staff local admin rights, which is a serious security hole. Here is how privileged access management (PAM) closes it without breaking your software. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/whatsapp-ai-patient-data-compliance https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/whatsapp-ai-patient-data-compliance Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Using WhatsApp or free AI tools with patient data is very likely a UK data protection breach. Here is where the line is, and the compliant alternatives for practices. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/server-overheating-hot-weather https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/server-overheating-hot-weather Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 For the first time, not one dental practice server shut down in the UK heatwave. Here is why server overheating is becoming a thing of the past, and what it tells us. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/leased-lines-dental-practices https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/leased-lines-dental-practices Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Most practices run on cheap broadband with no real SLA. Here is why a leased line, with guaranteed fix times and resilience, is the gold standard for dental practices. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/why-experience-matters-in-it-support https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/why-experience-matters-in-it-support Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A breakdown, a stone wedged in my brake disc, and an experienced AA man who fixed it on the spot. Why that same experience matters just as much in dental IT support. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/external-hard-drive-backup-dental-practices https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/external-hard-drive-backup-dental-practices Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Still backing up your dental practice on an external hard drive? Here is why that is risky, and the modern backup methods (NAS, image and cloud) that protect you. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/how-we-used-ai-to-recruit https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/how-we-used-ai-to-recruit Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A real, honest account of how we used AI to recruit a helpdesk team member, sifting 182 applicants down to one hire in hours rather than weeks. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/david-edge-powerlifting https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/david-edge-powerlifting Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Our lead engineer David Edge competed at the WRPF International in Nottingham, and he is also one of the UK's most knowledgeable people on dental digital imaging. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/dental-it-now-on-whatsapp https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/dental-it-now-on-whatsapp Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 You can now message Dental IT on WhatsApp at our main number 01433 377 977, straight through to our helpdesk. Here is how, plus WhatsApp tips for dental practices. https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/sheffield-college-placements https://www.dentalit.ltd.uk/post/sheffield-college-placements Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 We are hosting Sheffield College T Level students on placement in IT and marketing, continuing years of support for local apprentices and new dental IT talent.