What Dental Practices Need from an MSP

Running a dental practice means dealing with a category of IT problems that most support companies have never thought about. Your practice management software needs to work flawlessly — because when it doesn't, you can't see patients. Your patient records are governed by CQC requirements and GDPR. Your imaging equipment generates huge files that need to be stored securely and accessed quickly. And through all of this, you need the internet to actually stay on.

Most MSPs (managed service providers) will tell you they can handle dental. But when you ask whether they've ever integrated with SOE, Dentally, or Exact — or whether they know what a CQC inspection expects from your IT systems — the conversation tends to get quiet.

Here's what to actually look for when choosing IT support for a dental practice.

What to Look For

1. CQC Compliance Knowledge

The Care Quality Commission expects dental practices to have appropriate systems in place for managing patient records securely. That means access controls (not everyone on the front desk should see clinical notes), audit trails, secure backup of patient data, and evidence that you're taking information security seriously.

Your IT provider should understand these requirements and be able to demonstrate how your systems meet them — ideally before a CQC inspector asks. If they've never heard of Regulation 17 (good governance) in the context of IT, they're not the right fit.

2. Practice Management Software Integration

Your practice management system is the centre of everything — scheduling, patient records, treatment plans, NHS claims. Whether you use SOE (Software of Excellence), Dentally, Exact, or another platform, your IT provider needs to understand how it works, how it's deployed, and how to troubleshoot it when something goes wrong.

This isn't just about installing it. It's about making sure it's backed up correctly, that updates don't break your workflows, that it integrates properly with your imaging software, and that performance stays consistent even when six workstations are pulling records simultaneously.

3. Patient Record Security

Patient records in a dental practice are sensitive health data under GDPR. That means you need proper access controls, encryption at rest and in transit, secure backup with tested restores, and audit logging of who accessed what and when. A breach of patient records isn't just an IT problem — it's a regulatory and reputational crisis.

Your IT provider should configure your systems so that patient data is protected by default, not as an afterthought. That includes making sure old patient records on decommissioned machines are properly wiped, not just "deleted."

4. Endpoint Security for Every Device

A dental practice has a surprisingly complex device estate: reception PCs, surgery workstations, imaging machines, possibly tablets for patient check-in. Each one is a potential entry point for malware. Your MSP should deploy endpoint protection on every device, keep everything patched, and monitor for threats — not just install antivirus and hope for the best.

Microsoft Intune is a good fit here because it lets you manage and secure all these devices from one place, including enforcing security policies and pushing updates without interrupting patient appointments. Ask your provider whether they use Intune or an equivalent for device management.

5. Reliable Connectivity and Uptime

When your internet goes down, your practice effectively stops. Cloud-based practice management systems, NHS Spine access, and digital imaging all depend on a solid connection. Your IT provider should ensure you have business-grade internet with a failover option — and they should be monitoring your connection so they know it's down before you have to call them.

6. Backup That Actually Works for Dental Data

Dental imaging files are large. X-rays, CBCT scans, and intraoral photos add up fast. Your backup solution needs to handle this volume without slowing down your network or taking days to restore. It also needs to be compliant — patient data backups should be encrypted and stored in UK data centres.

Red Flags to Watch For

• No experience with dental software. Practice management systems are specialised. If they haven't worked with them, expect a steep learning curve at your expense.
• One-size-fits-all security. Dental practices have specific compliance requirements. A generic security setup that works for an estate agent won't cut it.
• No proactive monitoring. You shouldn't be the one discovering that your backup failed or your server is running out of space. Your MSP should catch these before they become problems.
• Can't explain their CQC compliance approach. If they treat CQC as "not really an IT thing," they don't understand dental practice IT.
• No out-of-hours support. If your system goes down on a Saturday morning and you have a full book of patients, waiting until Monday isn't an option.

Questions to Ask

1. Which dental practices do you currently support, and which practice management systems have you worked with?
2. How do you ensure our IT setup meets CQC requirements?
3. What's your approach to backing up patient records and dental imaging data?
4. How do you manage and secure all our devices, including surgery workstations?
5. What's your average response time when something goes wrong during practice hours?

Senri supports dental practices across London with IT that's built around how practices actually work. See our IT support for dental practices page for more on our approach.

Related Reading

• IT Support for Healthcare Practices
• How to Back Up Your Business Data Properly
• What Is a Managed Service Provider?