Dental IT Glossary: 89 Terms Every Practice Owner and Office Manager Should Know

The proposal runs to nine pages and the words that matter are three letters long: RMM, EDR, SLA, RPO. The imaging company says the bridge is broken, the IT company says it is a TWAIN driver, and the cyber insurance renewal asks whether every account has MFA. You are expected to sign, approve or answer, and nobody has stopped to explain what any of it means for your office.

If you are weighing who should look after all of this, our page on dental IT support for practices describes how Legend Networking delivers it. The glossary is written for the practice owner who signs the contract, and it works just as well for whoever reads the tickets. The definitions are short on purpose: what the thing is, where you meet it in a dental day, and what to ask. Security and HIPAA terms are paraphrased from primary sources (NIST, CISA, HHS and Microsoft documentation, read on 22 October 2026) and are not legal advice.

Dental IT terms from A to Z

Every term below has its own entry under one of seven groups. Use this alphabetical index to find the word in front of you and the group it sits in, or read a whole group, which keeps related terms together so you can get through a security proposal or a phone quote in one sitting.

0–9: 3-2-1 backup rule

A: Account offboarding · Active Directory · Audit log · Auto attendant

B: BAA · Backup · Bandwidth · Break-fix · Business continuity plan · Business email compromise

C: Caller ID pop · CBCT · Cloud hosting · Cloud phone system · Cloud-hosted practice management software · Co-managed IT · Conditional Access · Cyber insurance

D: Data conversion · Dental IT support · DICOM · Disaster recovery plan · DNS

E: EDR · Encryption · End of support · ePHI

F: Firewall

G: Global administrator · Guest Wi-Fi

H: Help desk · HIPAA Security Rule

I: Imaging bridge · Imaging software · Immutable backup · Incident response plan · Internet failover · Intraoral camera · Intraoral sensor · ISP

L: Least privilege

M: Malware · Managed IT services · MDR · MFA · Microsoft 365 · Microsoft 365 Business Premium · Microsoft Entra ID · Microsoft Intune · MSP

N: Network switch · NOC · Number porting

O: Onboarding

P: Panoramic X-ray · Password manager · Patch management · Phishing · Phone failover routing · PMS · PoE

R: Ransomware · Remote support · Restore test · Ring group · RMM · Router · RPO · RTO

S: Security awareness training · Security risk analysis · Server · SLA · Softphone · Software vendor support · SPF, DKIM and DMARC · SSO · Structured cabling · System requirements

T: Technology roadmap · Ticket · TWAIN

U: UPS

V: VLAN · VoIP · VPN

W: Wi-Fi access point · Workstation

Practice software and imaging terms

These are the words you hear from software vendors, imaging companies and the IT team when the schedule, a chart or an X-ray misbehaves. Most problems in this area sit where two products meet, so knowing which piece is which shortens every support call and stops vendors passing the problem back and forth.

PMS (practice management software)

Practice management software is the core program behind the front desk and the chair: it books appointments and holds patient charts, treatment plans, billing, insurance claims and reports. Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental and Denticon are examples. When the front desk says "the system is down", they usually mean the PMS. For choosing one, see our dental practice management software selection guide.

Cloud-hosted practice management software

A version of practice software that runs on the vendor's servers and opens in a browser or a small app, rather than on a server in your office. Curve and Denticon work this way. The office still needs a reliable internet connection, managed workstations and local imaging, so moving to the cloud moves the server, not every IT task.

Imaging software

The program that captures, stores and displays X-rays and photos. Sensors, intraoral cameras, panoramic units and CBCT scanners all feed into it. DEXIS, Carestream, Romexis and Vatech's software are examples. It usually keeps its own image database, separate from the PMS, which is why both databases need backing up and both appear in any upgrade plan.

Imaging bridge

A small link between the practice software and the imaging software that opens the correct patient in imaging when someone clicks a button in the chart. When it fails, staff see the wrong patient, a blank screen or an error, while both products work fine on their own. See troubleshooting dental imaging integrations.

Intraoral sensor

The digital X-ray sensor placed in the patient's mouth, connected to the operatory computer by USB or wirelessly. It needs a driver on that computer and a working link into the imaging software. A sensor reported as "not detected" is often a cable, USB port or driver problem, not a failed sensor: check those before ordering a new one.

Intraoral camera

A small handheld camera used to show patients their teeth on the operatory screen and save photos to the chart. It connects like a webcam or through a capture device, so Windows updates, USB power settings and the imaging software's device settings all affect whether it appears when the assistant presses capture.

Panoramic X-ray (pano)

An extraoral unit that captures one wide image of both jaws. It is usually tied to one dedicated acquisition computer with specific drivers and network settings. Replacing or updating that computer is therefore planned with the imaging vendor, rather than treated as a routine workstation swap on a busy morning.

CBCT (cone beam computed tomography)

A 3D X-ray unit used for implants, endodontics, oral surgery and orthodontics. CBCT scans are very large files, so they put real load on the network, the storage and the backup. A practice adding CBCT should expect the IT plan to cover faster switching, more storage and a viewing workstation that meets the vendor's published requirements.

DICOM

DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is the international standard for how medical images and their patient details are formatted and exchanged; NEMA acts as its secretariat. In a dental office it matters when you export a CBCT scan to a surgeon or lab, or move images from one imaging program to another.

TWAIN

TWAIN is a long-standing standard that lets imaging software talk to capture devices such as sensors, cameras and scanners, maintained by the not-for-profit TWAIN Working Group. When a vendor mentions a "TWAIN driver", they mean the software on the operatory computer that lets one brand of sensor work inside another brand's imaging program.

System requirements

The vendor's published minimums for running its software: Windows version, processor, memory, storage, database version and network. They change with major releases. Before a practice software or imaging upgrade, every workstation and the server should be checked against them. See our guide to dental software system requirements and safe upgrades.

Data conversion

Moving patient records, appointments, ledgers and images from one practice software to another, usually done by the new vendor while the IT team prepares the data and computers. Not everything converts cleanly, so a test conversion comes first. Our dental PMS migration cutover plan covers the switch weekend itself.

Software vendor support

The help desk of the company that makes your practice or imaging software. It fixes problems inside the product, such as a report error or a damaged setting, while your IT provider looks after the computers, network and server it runs on. Knowing who fixes what between software and IT support saves calls.

Network and internet terms

These terms describe how computers in the practice talk to each other and to the internet. They appear in network proposals, startup build plans and outage calls. When several rooms fail at once, the cause is usually one of the devices below rather than the computers themselves, which is why it helps to know their names.

ISP (internet service provider)

The company that brings internet into the building, such as a cable, fiber or fixed wireless carrier. The ISP is responsible for the line up to its own equipment; inside the office, the firewall and switches belong to the practice and its IT provider. Keep the ISP account number and support line where staff can find them without a computer.

Bandwidth

How much data a connection can carry at once, shown in megabits or gigabits per second. Upload bandwidth matters more than many practices expect: cloud backup, sending CBCT scans, VoIP calls and cloud practice software all push data out of the office, and a plan sold on download speed alone can struggle at the busiest time of day.

Router

The device that connects the office network to the internet and directs traffic between them. The ISP often supplies a modem or combined modem-router; in most dental offices a separate business firewall does the routing and security work. When it fails, every computer loses internet at once, though computers can often still reach the local server.

Firewall

NIST describes a firewall as a gateway that limits access between networks according to local security policy. In a dental office, a business firewall sits between the internet and the practice network, blocks unwanted connections, separates guest Wi-Fi and often manages the backup internet line. It needs firmware updates and, usually, a renewed security subscription.

Network switch

The box in the network closet that connects every wired device in the office: workstations, the server, printers, desk phones and imaging units. A failed switch can take out several operatories at once while the internet itself is fine. Our guide to dental network design and implementation covers sizing and layout.

PoE (Power over Ethernet)

A way of sending electrical power over the same network cable that carries data, so desk phones, Wi-Fi access points and cameras need no separate power adapter. A PoE switch powers them. If that switch or the battery unit behind it fails, every desk phone in the office can go dark at the same moment.

Wi-Fi access point

A device mounted on a ceiling or wall that broadcasts Wi-Fi for part of the office. Larger practices need several, managed together, so tablets, laptops and wireless devices keep their connection as staff move between operatories. Weak Wi-Fi in one room is usually fixed by moving or adding access points rather than buying a faster internet plan.

Guest Wi-Fi

A separate wireless network for patients and visitors, kept apart from the practice network by the firewall or a VLAN. A patient streaming video in the waiting room should not share a network with the server that holds charts. Guest Wi-Fi usually has its own password, changed regularly, and a limit on how much bandwidth it can use.

VLAN (virtual local area network)

A setting on switches and the firewall that divides one physical network into separate lanes. A dental office might put clinical computers, desk phones, guest Wi-Fi and waiting-room TVs on different VLANs, so a visitor's phone cannot see the server, and phone calls are not slowed by large image transfers between operatories.

Internet failover

A second internet connection, often cellular or a second carrier, that takes over automatically when the main line drops. With failover in place, card payments, cloud software, phones and remote support can keep working through most outages. Our guide on what to do when the dental office internet goes down covers testing it.

DNS (domain name system)

The internet's address book: it turns names such as your practice website or email domain into the numeric addresses computers use. DNS records also control where email is delivered and how email authentication works. Whoever controls your DNS account controls your website and email, so the practice itself should hold that login.

Structured cabling

The planned network cabling in walls and ceilings, run from each operatory, desk and device back to a patch panel in the network closet, labelled and tested. Good cabling is installed during a build-out or remodel and lasts for years. Poor cabling causes intermittent faults that look like computer or software problems and waste hours of troubleshooting.

Server, cloud and backup terms

These terms come up when a server is ageing, a backup alert appears or an insurer asks how fast you could recover. They describe where practice data lives, how copies are kept and how long it would take to get the practice seeing patients again after a serious failure.

Server

The computer, usually in a closet or back office, that holds the shared practice software database, imaging files and documents every workstation uses. If it stops, every operatory stops. Servers are replaced on a planned cycle; the choice between a new server and the cloud is covered in dental server replacement vs cloud migration.

Workstation

Any desktop or laptop used by staff: front desk computers, operatory computers that open charts and capture X-rays, and the doctor's office computer. Operatory workstations often need more memory, specific USB ports and imaging drivers, so they are bought to the imaging vendor's requirements rather than picked off the shelf.

Cloud hosting

Running servers or software in a provider's data center and reaching them over the internet, instead of keeping the hardware in your office. It can remove the server closet, but adds dependence on the internet and a monthly cost, and imaging often still needs local storage. The cloud changes where data lives; it does not by itself make it secure.

Backup

A separate copy of practice data, such as the PMS database, images and documents, kept so it can be restored after a failure, deletion or attack. An untested backup is an assumption. The HIPAA Security Rule lists a data backup plan as a required safeguard. See our dental data backup and recovery guide.

3-2-1 backup rule

A common rule of thumb: keep three copies of important data, on two different types of storage, with one copy offsite. For a dental office that might mean the live server, a local backup device and an encrypted cloud copy. CISA also advises keeping backups offline and encrypted, because ransomware tries to reach any backup it can see.

Immutable backup

A backup copy that cannot be changed or deleted for a set period, even by someone holding an administrator password. It protects the practice if an attacker gets into the network and tries to erase backups before encrypting the server. Ask whether your backup includes an immutable or offline copy, and how many days it is kept.

Restore test

Proving a backup works by actually restoring data from it, such as yesterday's PMS database to a test machine or a set of X-rays to a folder, and checking it opens. CISA's ransomware guidance tells organisations to test backups regularly. Our dental backup and disaster recovery checklist includes a restore-test record you can keep.

RPO (recovery point objective)

NIST describes the recovery point objective as the point in time to which data must be recovered after an outage. In plain terms, it is how much recent work you can afford to lose. If backups run nightly, a server failure at 4 pm could lose the day's notes, payments and images unless something more frequent protects them.

RTO (recovery time objective)

The longest your systems can stay in recovery before the practice is seriously harmed; NIST's definition is built on the length of the recovery phase. For a dental office the honest question is how many hours of cancelled patients you can absorb. A short RTO usually needs local backup hardware or standby systems, not only a cloud copy.

Disaster recovery plan

The written steps for restoring systems and data after a serious failure, such as a dead server, a flood or ransomware: who decides, which systems come back first, where backups are and how long each step takes. The HIPAA Security Rule lists a disaster recovery plan among its required contingency safeguards. It should be rehearsed, not just filed.

Business continuity plan

The wider plan for keeping the practice seeing patients while systems are down: a printed day sheet, how to take payments, which number patients call and who tells staff what to do. Disaster recovery restores the technology; continuity keeps the practice operating while that happens. The two plans should point to each other.

UPS (uninterruptible power supply)

A battery unit that keeps connected equipment running for a short time when the power fails. In a dental office it protects the server, network closet and phone switch from sudden shutdowns that can damage the practice database. It should be sized, monitored and set to shut the server down cleanly. See safe dental server shutdown and UPS checks.

End of support (end of life)

The date after which a manufacturer stops releasing regular security updates for a product. Microsoft's lifecycle page gives 14 October 2025 as the end of support for Windows 10 Home and Pro. A computer past end of support still runs, but new security flaws stay open. See Windows 10 end of life for dental practices.

Security and compliance terms

These are the terms on cyber insurance forms, HIPAA risk assessments and security proposals. The definitions below draw on CISA, NIST, HHS and Microsoft documentation. They describe what each control does; whether a particular setup meets a rule or an insurance policy is a question for your compliance adviser and your insurer.

Malware

Any software designed to harm a computer or steal from it: viruses, spyware, keyloggers and ransomware are all types. In a dental office, malware usually arrives through an email attachment, a fake download or a compromised website opened on a front desk computer, which is why email and browsing controls matter as much as security software.

Ransomware

CISA describes ransomware as malware that encrypts files so they, and the systems that rely on them, become unusable, with criminals demanding payment and often threatening to leak stolen data. For a practice, that can mean no schedule, charts or X-rays. CISA's first step is isolating affected computers. See our dental ransomware recovery playbook.

Phishing

A message that pretends to come from someone you trust, to get staff to click a link, open an attachment or hand over information. CISA lists email, text, social media and phone calls as channels, and urgency, requests for details and slightly wrong addresses as signs. A fake insurance portal login sent to the billing coordinator is typical.

Business email compromise (BEC)

A scam in which a criminal takes over or imitates a real email account, such as the doctor's, a supplier's or the practice accountant's, to redirect payments or request sensitive information. A request to change a dental lab's bank details by email is a classic sign. Confirm any payment change by phone, using a number you already hold.

MFA (multifactor authentication)

A sign-in that needs two or more kinds of proof, such as a password plus a code or prompt on a phone, a passkey or a fingerprint. CISA and Microsoft both describe it this way. In a dental office it belongs on email, remote access, the practice software where supported, banking and insurance portals, and every administrator account.

EDR (endpoint detection and response)

Software on each computer and server that records what programs do, flags activity that looks like an attack and lets an analyst respond, for example by cutting a device off from the network. Traditional antivirus mainly blocks known bad files; EDR also looks for suspicious activity, such as a front desk computer suddenly encrypting shared folders.

MDR (managed detection and response)

A service in which a team of security analysts watches the alerts from EDR and other tools and acts on them, rather than leaving alerts for the practice to read. The questions to ask are who watches the alerts, during which hours, and what they may do on their own, such as isolating a computer at night.

Encryption

Scrambling data so only someone with the right key can read it. Encryption at rest protects data stored on a laptop, server or backup drive if it is lost or stolen; encryption in transit protects data moving across the internet, such as email or a cloud backup upload. A stolen encrypted laptop is a far smaller problem.

Patch management

The routine of testing and installing updates that fix security flaws and bugs in Windows, practice software, imaging drivers, firewalls and other devices. NIST describes a patch as an update issued to correct specific problems in software. In a dental office, patches are scheduled outside patient hours and checked for imaging compatibility. See dental IT patch management.

Least privilege (admin rights)

Giving each person and computer only the access needed for the job. Front desk staff do not need administrator rights to install software, and a hygienist's login does not need access to payroll folders. Removing everyday admin rights is one of the simplest ways to limit what malware, or an honest mistake, can do.

Password manager

An app that stores long, unique passwords for every system in an encrypted vault and fills them in, so staff stop reusing passwords or keeping them on sticky notes at the front desk. Business versions let the practice share vendor and portal logins safely and remove access when someone leaves. See password management for dental offices.

Security awareness training

Regular short training that teaches staff to spot phishing, handle patient data safely and report anything odd quickly. The HIPAA Security Rule requires a security awareness and training program for the whole workforce, including management. Simulated phishing emails are a common way to check whether the training is actually changing what people click.

ePHI (electronic protected health information)

Patient health information that a practice creates, receives, keeps or sends in electronic form: charts, X-rays, treatment plans, insurance details and appointment records in the PMS, imaging software, email and backups. The HIPAA Security Rule's safeguards apply to ePHI wherever it sits, including a laptop, a phone or a cloud backup.

HIPAA Security Rule

The part of the HIPAA regulations (45 CFR Part 164, Subpart C) that sets administrative, physical and technical safeguards for ePHI, such as risk analysis, access controls, audit controls, training and contingency planning. It describes what must be addressed rather than which products to buy. See our summary of HIPAA Security Rule updates for dental practices.

Security risk analysis

A documented review of where the practice's ePHI lives, what could go wrong, and how likely and serious each risk is. The Security Rule calls for an "accurate and thorough assessment" of those risks (45 CFR 164.308), and it is the starting point for most other security decisions. Our dental cybersecurity risk assessment checklist is a practical start.

BAA (business associate agreement)

A written agreement between a practice and a vendor that handles patient information on its behalf. HHS rules define a business associate as a person or company that creates, receives, maintains or transmits protected health information for a covered entity, subcontractors included; the agreement gives written assurance the vendor will safeguard it. Ask your compliance adviser which vendors need one.

Audit log

A record of who signed in, what they opened or changed and when, kept by the practice software, Microsoft 365, the firewall and other systems. The Security Rule calls for audit controls on systems that hold ePHI. Logs answer questions such as who viewed a chart or who deleted an appointment, but only if someone keeps and reviews them.

Incident response plan

The written plan for the first hours of a security incident: who to call, how to isolate affected computers, who contacts the insurer, how decisions are recorded and when legal or compliance advice is needed. It is short, printed and kept where the office manager can find it without a working computer.

Cyber insurance

Insurance that covers costs after a cyber incident, such as investigation, recovery, notification and lost income, depending on the policy. Applications ask detailed questions about MFA, EDR, backups and training, and an inaccurate answer can affect a claim. See dental cyber insurance requirements and the controls to prove.

VPN (virtual private network)

An encrypted tunnel across the internet between a device or office and the practice network; NIST describes it as a virtual network built on top of existing physical networks. A doctor reviewing charts from home, or a second office reaching the main server, might use one. Every VPN account should have MFA and belong to a named person.

Phone system terms

Phone terms appear when a practice moves off old phone lines, adds a location or wants caller details to appear in the practice software. Most dental phone systems now run over the internet, which ties phone reliability to the office network and the internet connection rather than to a separate phone line.

VoIP (voice over internet protocol)

Phone calls carried over the internet and the office network instead of traditional phone lines. Desk phones plug into the network, and features such as voicemail to email and call recording come from the phone platform. Call quality depends on bandwidth and network setup. See VoIP phone systems for dental offices.

Cloud phone system (hosted PBX)

A phone system whose controls run in the provider's data center rather than in a box in your closet. The practice manages menus, extensions and opening hours in a web portal. If the office internet fails, calls can still be answered elsewhere, because the system itself is not in the building.

Auto attendant

The recorded menu that answers calls and routes them: press one for appointments, two for billing. It usually switches automatically for lunch, evenings and holidays. A dental office should check the menu after every change to opening hours, because an outdated greeting sends patients to voicemail when the front desk is open.

Ring group

A set of phones that ring together or in order when a call comes in, such as all front desk phones at once, then the office manager's phone if nobody answers. Ring groups decide how many calls reach a person before voicemail, so they are worth reviewing whenever front desk staffing or hours change.

Caller ID pop (screen pop)

A feature that recognises an incoming caller's number and displays that patient's record from the practice software before the front desk answers. It needs an integration between the phone platform and the PMS. Our dental phone system integration guide covers how to set it up and test it with real calls.

Number porting

Moving the practice's existing phone numbers from one carrier or phone provider to another. It needs account details and authorisation from the current carrier and can take days or weeks. Port the main number on a scheduled date, and keep the old service active until calls are confirmed arriving on the new system.

Phone failover routing

Rules that send calls somewhere useful when desk phones cannot ring, such as to a mobile phone, another location or an answering service, during an internet outage or power cut. With a cloud phone system this is usually set up in the provider's portal ahead of time, and staff should know how to switch it on.

Softphone

An app that turns a computer or mobile phone into an extension on the practice phone system, with the same number and features as a desk phone. It lets the office manager take practice calls from home, or keeps the front desk working when a desk phone fails, provided the app is installed and signed in beforehand.

Support and contract terms

These terms appear in IT proposals, contracts and monthly reports. They describe how support is delivered and how it is measured. Reading them carefully before signing is the best way to know what you are paying for, and what will happen at 8 am when an operatory computer will not start.

Dental IT support

Ongoing technical care for the systems a dental practice depends on: practice and imaging software environments, workstations, servers or cloud services, the network, security and backups, from a provider that understands clinical workflows and dental software vendors. See how Legend Networking delivers dental IT support to practices.

Managed IT services

A support model in which a provider takes ongoing responsibility for your technology for a fixed monthly fee: monitoring, updates, security tools, backups and help when something goes wrong. The value lies in problems prevented as well as problems fixed. Our buyer's guide to managed IT services for dental practices explains what to compare.

MSP (managed service provider)

The company that delivers managed IT services. Some MSPs specialise in dental practices and their software; others serve any small business. When a proposal says "MSP", ask which tasks the monthly fee includes, which are billed as projects, and which third-party vendors the provider will contact on your behalf.

Break-fix

A pay-when-it-breaks model: you call a technician when something fails and pay for the time and parts. Nothing is monitored or maintained between calls. It can suit a very small office with simple needs, but costs are unpredictable. Our comparison of managed IT vs break-fix for dental practices sets out the trade-offs.

Co-managed IT

A division of IT duties between an outside provider and internal staff, such as an in-house IT coordinator in a dental group handling day-to-day requests while the provider runs security, servers and projects. It works when the split of responsibilities is written down and both sides can see the same tickets.

RMM (remote monitoring and management)

The agent software an IT provider installs on each computer and server to check its health, push updates, run scripts and connect for support. Alerts such as a full disk on the imaging server come from it. An RMM alert tells the provider something is wrong; see what IT monitoring covers and what support adds.

NOC (network operations center)

A provider's central monitoring function: staff and software that track the health of client servers, firewalls and backups and pick up alerts, often on a rota that covers nights and weekends. A NOC is where someone notices that a backup failed overnight or a firewall went offline. Ask what happens next when it sees an alert. Read what a dental IT network operations center should do.

Help desk

The people you call, email or message when something is not working. They log the problem as a ticket, diagnose it, fix what they can remotely and escalate the rest. In a proposal, check how you reach the help desk, during which hours, and whether the first person you speak to can actually fix things.

Ticket

The record of one support request: who reported it, what happened, when, the priority and every step until it is closed. Good tickets let a practice see patterns, such as the same operatory freezing every Tuesday morning. Our dental IT support ticket checklist shows what to include when you report a problem.

SLA (service level agreement)

The part of a support contract that sets the provider's targets: how quickly work starts at each priority level, when a problem moves to a more senior engineer, and what the practice receives in reports. Response time (when someone starts working) differs from resolution time (when the problem is fixed). See what a dental IT support SLA should define.

Remote support

Fixing a problem over a secure connection to the computer, without a technician travelling to the office. Most software, account, email and printer settings problems are handled this way; physical faults need hands on site. Ask your provider which problems it fixes remotely and when it sends someone; our guide to remote vs onsite dental IT support sorts common problems both ways.

Onboarding (with a new IT provider)

The first weeks with a new provider: collecting passwords and documentation, installing monitoring agents, reviewing backups and security, and learning the practice's software and vendors. A careful onboarding is when hidden risks surface. Our guide to switching dental IT providers without downtime covers the handover.

Technology roadmap

A planned schedule of IT changes and spending over the next one to three years: which computers are due for replacement, when the server ages out, practice software upgrades, a new location or new imaging. It turns surprise spending into planned spending. See our 12-month dental IT roadmap for a worked example.

Microsoft 365 and account terms

Most practices run email, documents and sign-ins through Microsoft 365. These terms appear on licence invoices, in security settings and whenever staff join or leave. Who holds the top administrator account is one of the most important questions in this group, and it is often the one nobody can answer.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft's subscription service for business email (Exchange Online), Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint, licensed per user. For a dental office it usually carries the practice's email and shared documents, so its security settings, MFA and backup matter as much as the server's do.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

A Microsoft 365 plan for small and mid-sized organisations that adds security and device management to the standard apps; Microsoft's documentation lists Conditional Access among its features, alongside Intune. Check which licence each staff account actually has, because the security features available differ from plan to plan.

Microsoft Entra ID

The sign-in and identity service behind Microsoft 365, formerly called Azure Active Directory. It holds every staff account, password policy and MFA setting, and decides who can sign in to email, Teams and connected apps. When someone leaves the practice, disabling their Entra ID account is the first step.

Active Directory

The older, on-premises Windows system that manages user accounts and computers on a practice's local network, usually running on the server. Many dental offices still have it because practice software and shared folders rely on it. It is often linked to Microsoft Entra ID so staff use one password for both.

SSO (single sign-on)

Signing in once with one work account and then opening other assigned apps without separate passwords, as Microsoft describes it. A practice might let staff open a cloud practice portal or a training site with their Microsoft 365 account. Fewer passwords help, but MFA on that one account becomes essential.

Conditional Access

A Microsoft Entra feature that applies if-then rules to sign-ins: if a user wants to reach email from an unknown device or another country, then require MFA or block access. It lets a practice allow normal sign-ins on office computers while challenging risky ones. It needs a licence that includes it, such as Business Premium.

Microsoft Intune

Microsoft's cloud service for managing and securing devices and apps: enforcing encryption and updates on practice laptops, deploying software and wiping a lost device. It can also protect only the work apps on a staff member's personal phone, so practice email can be removed without touching personal photos.

Global administrator

The highest-level account in Microsoft 365, able to change every setting, grant itself access to any mailbox and add or remove users. A practice should know who holds these accounts, keep them few, protect them with strong MFA, and make sure the owner can regain control if the IT provider changes.

SPF, DKIM and DMARC

Three DNS records that help other mail systems check that email claiming to come from your practice domain really does. SPF lists who may send for you, DKIM adds a digital signature, and DMARC tells receivers what to do with mail that fails and sends you reports. Together they make it harder to spoof email in your practice's name.

Account offboarding

The steps taken when a team member leaves: disable their accounts, sign them out of every device, change shared passwords they knew, recover equipment and hand over their mailbox. Done on the last day, it closes a common gap. Our guide to dental employee IT onboarding and offboarding has the checklist.

Which dental IT terms are most often confused?

The pairs that cause most trouble are the ones that sound alike but answer different questions: RTO and RPO, response and resolution time, monitoring and help desk, EDR and MDR, backup and disaster recovery. Mixing them up is how a practice signs a contract it misreads. The table sets out each difference in one line.

How should you use this glossary with your IT provider?

Use it as a list of questions, not a test. When a proposal, ticket or form uses a term, find it here, then ask the provider what that term means in your practice: which product, which computers, who watches it and what you would see. A good provider answers in plain words and can show the evidence.

1. 1. Mark every term in the proposal or contract that you could not explain to a colleague, and look each one up here.
2. 1. For every security control (MFA, EDR, backup, encryption), ask the provider to show it working on your own systems, such as a screenshot of MFA enforced on every mailbox or last month's restore test.
3. 1. For every target (RPO, RTO, SLA response times), ask for the number in writing and how it is measured and reported.
4. 1. For every product, ask who owns it when it fails: the practice software vendor, the imaging vendor, the ISP, the phone provider or the IT provider.
5. 1. Keep a one-page "our setup" sheet: ISP and account number, firewall, backup product and its RPO, who holds the Microsoft 365 global administrator account, and who controls the DNS and domain registrar logins.

For the bigger picture of how support fits together, from help desk to backups and choosing a provider, start with our complete guide to dental IT support. This glossary is the companion you keep open while reading the paperwork.

What to ask your IT provider about the terms in your proposal

Who is Legend Networking?

Legend Networking is a dental IT company with 22+ years in dental IT (since 2004), and it has served over 3,500 practices since 2004. Its support combines 24/7 monitoring with in-house engineers; no outsourced first-level triage. Legend's operations are led by Ian Lynch: 22 years in dental IT; oversees the NOC, onsite dispatch and client technology roadmaps.

Legend Networking at a glance:

• • 22+ years in dental IT (since 2004).
• • Served over 3,500 practices since 2004.
• • 24/7 monitoring.
• • In-house engineers; no outsourced first-level triage.
• • The practice software platforms whose IT environment we support: Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, Archy.
• • The imaging platforms whose IT environment we support: DEXIS, Vatech, Carestream, Planmeca/Romexis, Dolphin Imaging.
• • 4.8 rating · 173 Google reviews.