modern dentistry_ technology platforms I (Photo/Provided by Curve Dental) patient charts and notes at home after bedtime. 3. Your data always backed up. If you’re constantly worried about backups, don’t. The specifics are dif- ferent with every vendor that provides cloud-based dental software; however, with Curve Dental, your data is backed up to multiple servers in multiple locations with every keystroke. Even if your practice burns, floods, is crushed or robbed, your data is pre- served up to the last change in data. 4. Better HIPAA compliance. A server in your practice is a magnet for potential HIPAA violations. Nineteen different security rules dictate everything about that server, such as access policies, disposal and reuse of backup media, and requirements for emergency availability. 5. Reduced technology footprint. It’s simple: Get rid of your server and you get rid of the hassles that come with it, such as the expense, maintenance, backup, upgrades, wiring, space, clutter, etc. Cloud- based dental software requires a basic computer, a browser and Internet access. That’s it! Keeping it simple reduces IT and hardware costs. The key to solid cloud-based dental software is the stuff you can’t see, commonly referred to as the infrastructure, the systems required to consistently and quickly deliver the software to your computer. Murphy’s Law states that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. An occasional failure is part of learning and im- proving. Curve Dental, for example, has had more than 11 years of cloud development experience. Certainly, in the beginning, the company dropped a few passes. But after 11 years, you should expect any company to provide dependable service. Those with less experience are going to drop more passes. Naysayers are a dime a dozen. The cloud is the current technology standard, and it’s changing the dental profession — the way you shop for dental supplies, communicate with your patients, collaborate with colleagues, earn C.E. credits and more. Amazon’s foray into the dental profession and gain of market share is another example of how the cloud is changing dentistry. Eric Hoffer, one of America’s greatest phi- losophers and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, said, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beauti- fully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” To this point, Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” Whether you like it or not the cloud is the current technology standard. What’s in your practice?_ I 07