Endodontic Practice Software: Keep the Server or Move to the Cloud, and What Stays in Your Office

The server in the back closet is six years old, and two things arrived on the same day. One is a quote for a replacement server. The other is a pitch for "TDO cloud", and TDO's own "Why Cloud?" page opens with "The server in your closet is not a long-term strategy." Your office manager wants to know which one to sign, and nobody can say what changes if the endo software leaves the building.

The computers, network, server and backups around the software are what our dental IT support for endodontic practices covers, and this page is one part of our endodontic office technology guide. It uses TDO Software's own published requirements as the worked example, because they are the most detailed in endodontics. It tells the three "TDO cloud" products apart, gives you a keep-or-move decision matrix, the server spec, a version check, a what-moves-and-what-stays table, internet sizing, a 30-day cutover checklist and the questions to get in writing. It is written by Ian Lynch, who has 22 years in dental IT and oversees the NOC, onsite dispatch and client technology roadmaps at Legend Networking.

Who this is for: an endodontic office on its own TDO server facing a replacement quote, a slowdown, a SQL or Windows Server notice, or an offer of TDO Cloud Services, TDO Hybrid or TDOS. Offices on another server-based endo system can use the same checklist; TDO's documents are the example, not the requirement.

What does "TDO cloud" mean? Cloud Services, Hybrid and TDOS

"TDO cloud" can mean three things. TDO Cloud Services is an add-on for offices that keep TDO on their own server, adding portals, Cloud Letters and a 7-day offsite backup through a VPN client on that server. TDO Hybrid puts the main database on a cloud server and keeps a server in each office. TDOS is TDO's browser-based cloud software.

Here is each setup side by side, with the vendor document behind every cell. The last row is a different vendor's system, added so an endo office on it can see where it sits. For the IT side of the whole office, see our IT support for endodontists page.

Sources: TDO KB 39, 107, 367, 803, 891, 1057, 1068 and tdo4endo.com, checked 26 October 2026.

Two-minute self-check: on your TDO server, look for the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\TDOffice\CloudUpdate\CloudSetup\. TDO's own article says that if it does not exist, "you might be on the wrong server or you don't have an active TDO Cloud Service account" (KB 1068). KB 803 also names a "TDO Hosted" implementation without describing it; if a sales call mentions it, ask TDO Support what it includes.

Should you keep the server or move to the cloud? The decision matrix

Keep the server if it meets the vendor's current spec, runs a supported Windows Server and SQL Server, and your internet is below the cloud figures. Look hard at the cloud if the server is due for replacement, you need charts from home or a second site, and your measured internet clears the published bars. Eight inputs decide it.

A rule of thumb, not a formula: if three or more inputs point to the cloud and inputs 5 and 6 are clear, book the demo and send the vendor the contract questions further down. If input 5 is red and you are staying, plan the server replacement now rather than after it fails.

For the money side, see our full cost comparison of server vs cloud; for choosing the software itself, see our comparison of endodontic practice management software.

What does an on-premise endo software server need? TDO's published spec as the example

TDO asks for Windows Server 2016 to 2022, a mirrored data volume (RAID 1 or RAID 10, not RAID 5), at least 8 GB of RAM with 16 GB recommended, a 1 Gb network card, a private static IP address and a UPS. Every TDO workstation needs a wired 1 Gb connection. Check the current page before you buy anything.

Source: TDO KB 39, updated 9 October 2025. Check before you buy.

Three rules people break

1. 1. RAID 5 on the data drives. TDO says "NOT RAID 5 due to write penalty which can cause SQL performance issues" and asks for RAID 1 or RAID 10 (KB 39).
2. 1. Workstations on Wi-Fi. TDO's requirements say "WIRELESS NOT SUPPORTED" and ask for a stable, fast connection to the server, "especially important when acquiring, viewing, and manipulating images" (KB 39).
3. 1. SQL Server Express for a shared database. Microsoft caps Express at 10 GB per database and lets it act only as a subscriber in merge replication (Microsoft Learn). TDO's replication across locations "requires the purchase of Microsoft SQL Server Standard" (KB 39).

Do not buy these for a TDO office yet

• • ARM or Snapdragon workstations ("not supported", KB 39).
• • An M1 Mac as the server: TDO says server and standalone "are unable to run" on M1 Macs.
• • Windows Home on any workstation ("not recommended because of its networking limitations").
• • The Office app bundled with Windows, or 64-bit Office, on PCs that run Letters: TDO wants full 32-bit Office and the same Word version on every computer.
• • A Windows Server 2025 licence before TDO confirms it. TDO's requirements page (Oct 2025) lists Server 2016–2022; ask TDO before buying a Server 2025 licence.

Our dental server setup page covers the hardware side, and the UPS and shutdown habits that protect a SQL database are in our safe server shutdown and UPS checklist.

Why is TDO slow on every computer?

When TDO is slow on every computer at once, TDO's own troubleshooting article points first at the server: high disk latency or high RAM use. Slowness on one workstation, or only at login, at letters or when switching charts, points to printer drivers or long uptime instead. Work through the table before anyone buys hardware.

Source: TDO KB 617, 17 December 2025.

If the server is old and the first row keeps coming back, that is the keep-or-move decision above, not a tuning job.

Which SQL Server and TDO version is your server on?

Check two numbers: the TDO version (Help > About TDO/Submit Ticket) and the SQL Server version on the server. TDO's version 12 requirements still name SQL Server 2008 or 2016, both past Microsoft's extended support, and TDO supports only its two most recent software versions. Take both numbers to TDO Support before you upgrade anything.

How to check in two minutes:

1. 1. In TDO, open Help > About TDO/Submit Ticket and write down the version (KB 794 uses the same screen).
2. 1. On the server, open SQL Server Configuration Manager or SQL Server Management Studio and note the SQL Server version and edition (Express or Standard).
3. 1. Note the Windows Server version from Settings > System > About.

What the numbers mean:

• • TDO's version 12 requirements (updated 10 February 2025) say the database must run on "SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2016". Microsoft's extended support for SQL Server 2008 ended on 9 July 2019 and for SQL Server 2016 on 14 July 2026. Ask TDO Support which SQL version it certifies today.
• • Windows Server 2016 extended support ends on 12 January 2027.
• • "TDO officially supports only the two most recent software versions", and the user agreement requires customers to keep the software current (KB 1059, 14 July 2026).

Past extended support, Microsoft ships no regular security updates; paid Extended Security Updates exist for some versions. For what that means for your security program, see our summary of the HIPAA Security Rule updates for dental practices, and for every deadline on one page, see the full upgrade calendar in the endodontic technology guide.

Not sure which SQL Server your server runs? Start with the Free Dental IT Assessment.

What moves to the cloud, and what stays in your office?

The practice database, schedule, charting, letters and the backup of that data move to the vendor. CBCT acquisition and its volumes, DEXIS, Schick or Carestream imaging, capture PCs, sensors, workstations, Wi-Fi, the firewall and the internet circuit stay, and so does the backup of everything that stays. TDO's own import guide says external imaging and CBCT data do not transfer.

What does not transfer in TDO's import

Source: TDO, "What transfers when you switch to TDOS", checked 26 October 2026 (written for moves from PBS Endo or EndoVision).

Where are your CBCT scans actually saved?

Often not where the office thinks: the volumes usually sit on the CBCT acquisition PC or a share it writes to, outside the practice software, and TDO's Cloud Backup excludes CBCTs (KB 367). Before any move, check where your CBCT scans are saved. Legend supports the IT environment for Carestream imaging (CS Imaging) and DEXIS imaging; when an imaging bridge stops opening after a change, start with our imaging integration troubleshooting guide.

How much internet does a cloud or Hybrid endo office need?

TDO publishes two different bars. TDO Cloud Services and Replica need at least 10 Mbps down and 10 up, with 50/25 recommended. TDO Hybrid needs at least 50/25, with 100/50 recommended. TDO publishes no bandwidth figure for TDOS (checked 26 October 2026), so ask for one in writing before you sign. TDO's own TDOS readiness checklist also tells practices to "Know your current internet connection speed and reliability."

Worked example (an example, not a guarantee): a four-operatory endo office measures 100 Mbps down and 10 up on a cable line at 10 a.m. on a full day.

• • Cloud Services: 10 up meets the 10 minimum exactly and is below the 25 recommended, so upload is the bottleneck.
• • Hybrid: 10 up is below the 25 minimum, so Hybrid is not an option on this line.
• • Decision: upgrade the upload, or add a second circuit, before either move.

Your numbers: measured down ____ / up ____ Mbps at ____ (time, busy day). Second circuit: yes / no. Setup you are considering: ____. Gap to its minimum: ____. Gap to its recommended: ____.

What happens when the internet is down?

TDOS publishes no offline mode (checked October 2026), and TDO's published bandwidth figures are for Cloud Services and Replica, not TDOS. Plan the outage before go-live with our guide to what to do when the dental office internet goes down.

Can doctors read cases from home over a VPN? What TDO allows

Not through a VPN from a home PC to the office TDO server: TDO's best-practice article says "We do not support VPN remote access to TDO" and that workstations should connect to the local server. TDO Hybrid does require a site-to-site VPN, but that links each office to the cloud server. They are different links.

Three general options for a doctor at home, each with its own setup and security work for your IT team:

1. 1. Remote desktop into a computer in the office that runs TDO on the local network, with sign-in protection on the remote connection.
2. 1. TDO Cloud Services' Admin Doctor Login Portal, which TDO says shows the schedule, call list, patient and referring-doctor information and reports, and lets doctors with e-prescriptions prescribe remotely (KB 367). TDO Mobile sits next to it: TDO says it is "available only to TDO Cloud subscribers" and it shows the schedule, patient information, case images and notes on a phone or tablet (KB 272, 8 Jun 2026). It is a viewer, not remote TDO.
3. 1. Moving to the cloud product, which TDO says runs in a browser with no VPN.

Designing a second office around these choices is covered in planning an endodontic second location.

The 30-day cutover checklist

Whether you replace the server or move to the cloud, the work runs on a calendar. For a server replacement, TDO's own migration article sets the order: the same TDO version on the new server, the X-ray copy weeks ahead, a short freeze when everyone logs out, then the restore. For a cloud move, the IT tasks sit beside the vendor's weeks.

A. Replacing the practice-software server (TDO's published sequence as the worked example)

Source: TDO KB 794, 8 September 2026; the day markers are ours. For the weekend itself, see our Friday-to-Monday cutover plan.

B. Moving to TDOS or another cloud endo system

TDO's switching page sets weeks 1–2 for the contract and import, weeks 3–4 for training and weeks 5–6 for go-live, and lists no IT tasks. These sit beside it:

1. 1. Week 1: measure the internet on a busy day and order a second circuit if it misses the vendor's written figure.
2. 1. Week 1: list every imaging program, CBCT unit and capture device, and where each one stores its data.
3. 1. Weeks 2–3: set up the network folder per capture workstation for the TDOS Service Broker, which TDO Support installs (KB 1057).
4. 1. Week 3: keep the imaging licences, viewers and PCs, and confirm their backups run without the old server.
5. 1. Week 4: the office enters fee schedules and payer IDs; spot-check the imported data before sign-off.
6. 1. Day before go-live: TDO's import guide says appointments are imported then; nobody books in the old system after that import.
7. 1. Week 7 onward: keep the old server read-only for look-ups, with a written decommission date.

Before either move, run through what to back up before a software migration.

TDO's own backup and the Fire Drill

TDO is direct about ownership: "The doctor is responsible for the TDO backup!" (KB 675). The utility writes to a dedicated drive on the admin workstation, "not your server"; the first run copies every image and later runs only new or changed ones. TDO says it does not support tape or other backup applications "and we cannot restore your data from them", and that other backups "should not be an alternative to the TDO Backup" (KB 891).

The Fire Drill simulates a dead server: the admin workstation is set up as the server, Server Data is restored first (about 15 minutes, TDO says), images follow while the office works, and every workstation is pointed at the stand-in. TDO says an office that follows its protocol can be "up and running in 30 minutes". TDO's own terms ask the office's IT professional to run a monthly Fire Drill and to keep an off-site backup made with the TDO Backup utility and tested monthly (KB 125). Anything your IT team adds, such as an offsite copy of that drive and backups of imaging folders outside TDO, sits on top of TDO's utility, not in place of it. Our dental backup and disaster recovery checklist covers the rest of the office.

What to get in writing from any cloud endo software vendor

Vendor pages describe the move; the contract decides what you get. Ask these eight questions in writing before you sign, and keep the answers with the contract.

1. 1. What internet speed do you publish for our office size? Why: TDO publishes figures for Cloud Services, Replica and Hybrid, but none for TDOS.
2. 1. What happens when our internet is down? Why: no offline mode is published.
3. 1. What uptime do you commit to, and what happens if you miss it? Why: a commitment in the contract is different from a line on a marketing page.
4. 1. Will you sign a business associate agreement, and can we see it first? Why: TDO says BAAs are in place; read the one you sign.
5. 1. In what format can we export our data if we leave, and at what cost? Why: the import guide shows what does not travel in one direction; ask about the other.
6. 1. Which imaging, CBCT and capture integrations need a local PC? Why: the Service Broker and the imaging PCs stay in the office.
7. 1. Who installs and maintains those local components? Why: TDO Support installs the Service Broker; your IT team sets up the folder and the network.
8. 1. What happens to our current server licence and support contract? Why: you may keep the old server read-only for months.

What to ask your IT provider about an endo software server or cloud move

Two or more locations

Replication needs SQL Server Standard (KB 39); Hybrid needs a site-to-site VPN and 50/25 Mbps (KB 803); TDOS needs internet and imaging PCs at each site. The site-by-site decision is in planning an endodontic office build-out or second location; groups should see our DSO IT support.

How Legend Networking can help

Decide the software first, then size the server, the internet and the backups from the vendor's current documents. If the software moves, the office's IT work changes shape rather than disappearing. More on how we work with endo offices is on our endodontic IT support page.

We look after the server hardware, network, workstations, imaging PCs and backups around the endo software you run; the vendor supports the application. Legend Networking has served over 3,500 practices since 2004, with in-house engineers and no outsourced first-level triage, 24/7 monitoring, and onsite dispatch by appointment across served dental markets, remote-first nationwide.