ABELDent IT support for dental clinics

ABELDent on a setup built to last

We build the environment around ABELDent for where your clinic is going, not the least it can get by on.

What IT setup does ABELDent need?

When ABELDent runs on a server in your clinic, the server matters. We build it as a Hyper-V virtual machine on RAID 10 storage, wired at gigabit to every workstation, with room for more operatories and bigger images. One team looks after all of it for clinics in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.

  • Hyper-V, not bare metal. Your server runs as a virtual machine on a Hyper-V host, so it can be backed up whole and restored on other hardware. Most practice software works on a VM, and we confirm your version first.
  • RAID 10 storage, our recommendation. Fast disks that keep working if a drive fails. RAID 6 is the budget option.
  • Gigabit, wired. 1GbE is the standard baseline: cabling to the server and every workstation, with no Wi-Fi for practice computers. Have a CBCT? Consider 10GbE for smooth image loading.
  • Room to grow. Free disk space, capacity for more operatories, and images that keep getting bigger. We never build to the vendor’s bare minimum.
  • Planned changes. Every upgrade has a written plan, a tested backup and a short lived checkpoint taken just before the change, so there’s a planned way back.

ABELDent Local Plus runs on SQL Server on your own server. ABELDent also has a cloud option, so check with the vendor which one you have. Cloud based doesn’t mean nothing is needed: security, internet failover and recovery still matter. We’re independent IT support, not the ABELDent vendor.

One physical serverWindowsPractice softwareImages and files

Everything tied to one box

If the hardware fails, everything on it stops with it.

Hyper-V hostMain softwareFile storageOtherhardware

Whole machines you can move

Back up the whole server and restore it on other hardware.

A virtual machine is a whole computer kept as a file, so it’s easy to back up, test and move.

How do you keep ABELDent running day to day?

Every problem is logged, ranked and closed with your office manager, then reviewed so it doesn’t repeat. We watch the server, storage and backups, and act before your team notices. Backups follow 3-2-1 with tested restores, so a bad day with ABELDent has a planned way back.

  • Incidents. Every problem is logged, ranked and closed with your office manager, then reviewed so it doesn’t repeat.
  • Monitoring. We watch the server, storage and backups, and act early. Backups follow 3-2-1, with restores tested.

Why it matters, in plain words

The tech behind this page, and why it’s there. See all the plain guides.

Hyper-V

Why one dead server shouldn’t stop the clinic

On Hyper-V, the server is a set of files that can come back on other hardware. Restores from local storage have taken less than 2 hours.

Read more about Hyper-V

Immutable backups

Why ransomware goes after the clinic’s backups first

Without backups, the clinic has to pay or rebuild. Our copies are locked for 30 days, and no one, not even us, can delete them early.

Read more about Immutable backups

RAID 10

Why two healthy drives still aren’t a backup

RAID 10 keeps the server running when a drive dies. It also copies a mistake or ransomware to every drive instantly.

Read more about RAID 10

ABELDent questions

Why Hyper-V and not a regular server?

A Hyper-V server is a whole computer kept as a file. We can take a short lived checkpoint before a change, back it up whole and restore it on other hardware. A checkpoint isn’t a backup.

Can you upgrade or move ABELDent?

Yes, as a planned change: agree it, back up, test, then go live or go back. See the conversion matrix for moves.

Want ABELDent on a proper setup?

Local teams serve Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. Call (604) 813-7881 to book an IT review with Tony. No pressure, no jargon.