My dental software is slow!
Is your dental management system running very slow? Are you embarrassingly waiting in front of your patients while the hourglass keeps going round and round?
Dental offices have specialized computing needs. Combine your dental management software (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Abeldent, etc.) with your digital imaging (Patterson Image, Dexis, Vixwin, etc.) and you get a small number of workstations using a single server. While any computer company can have problems setting up and maintaining their network, it takes a specialist to make it work properly.
There are many reasons for your software slowing down; however, there are a few rules of thumb that are primarily to blame. Not all offices are set up the same and may be affected by one or more of these common issues.
1) Virus software
It is suggested to run an up-to-date antivirus on each computer in your office. But not all are made the same way. First of all, stay away from homebrew versions of antivirus software. These include Norton 360 and McAfee Total Protection. You’ll also want to stay away from full internet security packages. These are great for stand-alone computer systems, but wreak havoc on networked computers. It is recommended that you use the Enterprise versions available from companies such as Symantec and McAfee. Another product that works well in dental offices is AVG Network Edition.
An incorrectly configured antivirus can also cause significant slowdowns. Make sure to set your antivirus to NOT scan your mapped network drives. This is extremely important for the use of digital imaging programs. Check every workstation! Even a couple of workstations scanning network files can have a noticeable effect everywhere. Look for the Exclusion setting within your antivirus.
You’ll also want to check for daily scheduled scans. These are scans that will check all files on the computer for viruses. The scan should be scheduled for a time when your office is closed.
2) Overused server
A common mistake is using your server as a workstation. Although this works, it is not highly recommended. A server must have a role; be a server! Don’t use it for email, web browsing, and image editing.
If you use a server as a workstation, you are more likely to get infected with a virus or malware. With the low cost of computing equipment, it’s not worth risking hours of downtime by letting your staff use the server as their home PC.
3) Multiple switches in the network
As offices grow, they will add computers to their network. It is very common to daisy chain your network switches. For the best possible performance, only one switch should be used. So buy a larger switcher to go along with your entire workstation. This may also be a good time to upgrade from a 100Mb switch to a 1Gb switch.
4) Continuous backup software
Most backup software is scheduled to run once a day when the office is closed. However, there is some software that uses a method called Continuous Data Protection (CDP). The software continuously monitors your data for any changes. Once a change is made, it will take a copy of it. Not bad for files that don’t change very often. But your files can have thousands of changes made during a normal day. Not only is this dangerous as it can corrupt data, but it can also slow down your system.
Problem solving
Diagnosing a slow network can take a long time, even by an experienced technician. However, there are a few main areas you can focus on to reduce your problems.
The first thing is to monitor your server while the office is fully operational. Open your task manager on your server and notice spikes in resource usage. If the server is heavily loaded, you may want to upgrade or replace it. You’ll also want to check how much hard drive space you have left. Any amount less than 20% can cause you problems.
Next is to check each workstation. Start at the stations with the most complaints. Relaunch task manager to observe excessive resource usage. Older systems may have become filled with excess software and junk. Perform a tuneup to clean up any unnecessary software. A few slow computers can affect the others by extending software load times and thus occupying the server longer.
Slow dental software (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Abeldent, and Tracker) may be a thing of the past. By checking for common areas of concern, performing general maintenance, and following the golden rules of a network, your computers will continue to run smoothly.