A managed IT agreement for a 10–60 employee orthodontic, oral surgery, or dental practice should cover at least 5 core areas: day-to-day IT support, cybersecurity, HIPAA-related safeguards, backup and recovery, and technology planning. DataSHUR managed IT services generally range from $100–$200 per computer per month, depending on the practice’s technology environment, number of locations, security requirements, and services required.
For example, a Colorado dental practice with 25 computers could use approximately $2,500–$5,000 per month as an initial planning range.
But price is only part of the decision.
The more important question is:
What are you actually getting for that monthly investment?
1. What Day-to-Day IT Support Is Included?
A dental practice relies on computers and technology throughout the patient experience—from scheduling and communications to imaging, practice-management applications, email, billing, and other business functions.
When something stops working, the problem isn’t simply technical.
It can become an operational problem.
Your managed IT agreement should clearly explain what support is provided for areas such as:
- Desktop and laptop computers
- Microsoft 365 and email
- User accounts and passwords
- Networks and Wi-Fi
- Printers and peripherals
- Practice-management technology
- Imaging-related technology
- Remote access
- Third-party technology vendors
- New employee setup
- Ongoing system maintenance
Then ask:
How do employees request help?
How are urgent problems prioritized?
When is onsite support available?
What support generates an additional charge?
Your team shouldn’t have to figure out which technology company is responsible for a problem.
A good managed IT provider should have a defined process for troubleshooting the issue and, when necessary, coordinating with other vendors.
2. What Cybersecurity Protections Are Included?
One of the biggest mistakes a dental practice can make when evaluating IT providers is accepting:
“Cybersecurity is included.”
Instead, ask what that actually means.
Use this five-part framework:
Protect
What safeguards are in place to reduce the likelihood of successful attacks?
Authenticate
How is access to sensitive systems and information controlled?
Monitor
What systems are being monitored? Who receives alerts? What happens when suspicious activity is identified?
Respond
If something suspicious occurs, who investigates it? How is the practice notified?
Recover
If an incident disrupts the practice, how will systems and data be recovered?
The objective isn’t simply to have cybersecurity products installed.
Your practice needs a security process.
3. How Does the IT Provider Support Your HIPAA Responsibilities?
Dental practices that handle electronic protected health information need to consider HIPAA when making technology and cybersecurity decisions.
However, practices should be cautious about an IT company making an overly broad promise that its services will simply make the organization “HIPAA compliant.”
HIPAA compliance involves more than hiring an IT provider.
Instead, evaluate how an MSP will support your practice’s efforts to protect electronic patient information and manage technology-related safeguards.
Use this framework:
Assess → Protect → Document → Monitor → Improve
Assess
Understand the technology environment, potential vulnerabilities, access to sensitive information, and areas requiring attention.
Protect
Implement appropriate safeguards based on the practice’s environment and requirements.
Document
Make sure responsibilities, policies, procedures, configurations, and other relevant information are appropriately documented.
Monitor
Systems change. Employees change. Threats change. The environment needs ongoing attention.
Improve
As technology, risks, and the practice itself evolve, safeguards should be reviewed and improved.
Ask:
“Which parts of our HIPAA-related technology and security responsibilities will you support, and which responsibilities remain with our practice or other advisors?”
4. What Backup and Recovery Services Are Included?
Most practices understand that backups are important.
The better question is:
Can your practice actually recover when you need those backups?
Use this framework:
Backup → Verify → Recover → Test
Backup: Determine what information and systems need to be backed up and how frequently.
Verify: Confirm backups are occurring successfully.
Recover: Understand how systems and information would be restored following data loss, hardware failure, ransomware, or another major incident.
Test: Evaluate recovery capabilities so the practice has a realistic understanding of what will happen during an actual disruption.
Ask:
- What is being backed up?
- How frequently does backup occur?
- Where are backups stored?
- How are backup failures identified?
- Who responds to a failed backup?
- How would we recover from ransomware?
- How is recovery tested?
- What should we realistically expect during a major outage?
A backup that exists but can’t be restored when you need it isn’t an effective recovery strategy.
5. Does the MSP Help Plan Your Technology—or Just Fix Problems?
Managed IT shouldn’t only be about reacting when something breaks.
A dental practice with 10–60 employees needs to think ahead.
Technology planning can include:
- Replacing aging computers
- Planning hardware purchases
- Evaluating network improvements
- Preparing for software changes
- Improving cybersecurity
- Budgeting for future IT expenses
- Opening or relocating an office
- Adding employees
- Supporting growth
- Reviewing backup and recovery needs
Your IT provider should help you answer:
What needs attention now?
What will likely need attention in the next 12 months?
What should we budget for over the next 2–3 years?
That changes IT from an unpredictable expense into something the practice can plan around.
Example: Managed IT for a 20-Person Colorado Orthodontic Practice
Consider this illustrative example.
A Colorado orthodontic practice has:
- 20 employees
- 25 computers
- 1 location
- Microsoft 365
- Practice-management software
- Digital imaging technology
- Patient information requiring protection
- Network and Wi-Fi infrastructure
- Backup and recovery requirements
At DataSHUR’s typical planning range of $100–$200 per computer per month, the practice could initially budget approximately:
$2,500–$5,000 per month
Rather than automatically choosing the least expensive provider, the practice evaluates each proposal across five categories:
IT Support → Cybersecurity → HIPAA Support → Backup & Recovery → Technology Planning
The practice can then compare value and scope, rather than comparing monthly prices alone.
This example is illustrative. Actual DataSHUR pricing and services depend on each practice’s technology environment, requirements, and service agreement.
What Should a Dental Practice Expect to Pay for Managed IT?
For a Colorado orthodontic, oral surgery, or dental practice, DataSHUR’s typical managed IT planning range is:
$100–$200 per computer per month.
| Computers | Approximate Monthly Planning Range |
|---|---|
| 10 | $1,000–$2,000 |
| 20 | $2,000–$4,000 |
| 25 | $2,500–$5,000 |
| 30 | $3,000–$6,000 |
| 40 | $4,000–$8,000 |
| 60 | $6,000–$12,000 |
These figures are planning estimates rather than quotes.
When comparing proposals, don’t simply ask:
“What’s your price per computer?”
Ask:
“What is included in that price?”
10 Questions to Ask Before Signing a Managed IT Agreement
- How much experience do you have supporting dental practices?
- Exactly what IT support is included in the monthly agreement?
- Which cybersecurity protections are included?
- How do you support our technology-related HIPAA responsibilities?
- How do employees request support?
- How do you prioritize urgent problems?
- How do you handle onsite support?
- How are backups monitored and recovery handled?
- Will you coordinate with our dental software and technology vendors?
- Which services, projects, or products cost extra?
How to Evaluate Managed IT for Your Colorado Dental Practice
Use this five-part framework:
1. Support: Can employees get effective help when they need it?
2. Cybersecurity: What specific protections are actually included?
3. HIPAA Support: How will the MSP support your technology-related safeguards and responsibilities?
4. Backup & Recovery: What happens when something goes seriously wrong?
5. Planning: Who is helping you prepare for tomorrow instead of simply fixing today’s problems?
DataSHUR has more than 20 years of experience serving Colorado dental practices and law firms.
We understand that reliable technology isn’t the end goal for a dental practice.
The goal is to help your team stay productive, protect sensitive information, and keep technology from getting in the way of patient care.
Exceptional IT. Extraordinary Service.
If your Colorado orthodontic, oral surgery, or dental practice is evaluating managed IT services—or wondering whether your current IT agreement provides enough support, security, and planning—DataSHUR can review your environment and help you understand your options.
