As the modern dental practice continues to evolve, many dentists are aiming towards a “paperless” practice. I personally think that the term “paperless” isn’t really accurate as there will always be paper in the office. However, chartless is a realistic goal and we’ve set up many, many practices that no longer have a physical chart that they move from room to room.  

However, as the data becomes digital, protecting that data is absolutely critical. What I unfortunately see in many practices is inadequate or no backup protocol for this crucial data. Offices we’ve worked with have lost 2-3 years of data. How would your practice recover from such a traumatic loss? Why find out?  

If you talk to ten people in the IT (Information Technology) field, you’re going to get ten different opinions on how to do a proper backup. Rather than give you a long drawn-out explanation of how I design my backup, here are the important points:
 

1. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to do a backup. For me there are two absolutely critical parts to the backup design. First, you need to backup on a frequency that would minimize the amount of data you’d need to enter manually should you need to restore the data. For most offices, this is once/day, but for busy, large group practices, more frequent backups may be indicated. Secondly, and just as important, the backup must be taken offsite on a daily basis. Having a great backup at the office won’t do you any good if the computers are stolen or if the office burns down.
2. There are many programs that you can use to backup your data. Windows has a built-in program that, while rudimentary, can get the job done. My favorite is a $29  (it’s free if you use it at home!) program called Karen’s Replicator, which can allow you to customize the days and times of your backup. Certain dental programs (Eaglesoft, Dentrix Image) need special software to back up if you don’t want to manually “close” the database each night.
3. You must verify the backup on a regular basis. I recommend at least once/month, but once per week would be great if you have the time. How do you do this? Easily…just restore the data to another computer. For many dentists, they will install the programs on a home computer, load the backed-up data, and then run the program at home. Check to make sure the data is correct, that the schedule looks right, recent transactions are in there, etc. This is, in my opinion, the only true way to know if the data has been backed up successfully.
4. I’m not a huge fan of tapes. Why? Well, see #2 above. Nobody has a tape drive on their home computer so there’s no easy way to verify that tape. Secondly, the server is usually the only office computer with a tape drive, so if the server crashes, that tape would be just as useful as a paperweight. Finally, I find most tape backup software to be confusing and clunky.
5. I do like external USB drives, such as those from Maxtor, Western Digital, or Seagate. They are USB, so they can easily be used at home, are fast, secure, and have almost unlimited storage.
6. I suggest getting two drives with a folder on each for each day of the week. Swap the drives out daily. That way, you’ll end up with 10 days worth of data spread over two drives…that’s fine for almost any office.
7. Having redundant backup is always a great idea. Options to consider would be       backing up to at least one workstation, a laptop, and/or using an online backup service. Choose that service wisely, as you’ll want one that can keep multiple days of data, can allow for quick restoration, and will protect the data well.  

Every office that is computerized should take stock of their current backup regimen, verify the data, and take any steps necessary to prevent a disaster from happening.