Should Your Practice Upgrade to Windows 10? Yes. Here's Why.

Computer screen showing Windows operating system

Microsoft's free Windows 10 upgrade offer ends July 29th. After that, you'll pay $119+ per machine. If your practice is still running Windows 7 or 8.1, this is your last chance to upgrade for free.

We've been getting a lot of questions from practices about whether they should take the upgrade. The short answer: yes, with some caveats.

Why Upgrade

Security

Windows 10 is meaningfully more secure than Windows 7 or 8.1. It includes Windows Defender (a decent built-in antivirus), BitLocker drive encryption on Pro editions, Secure Boot to prevent rootkits, and more frequent security updates. For a practice handling patient data, these aren't nice-to-haves. They're necessities.

Windows 7 extended support ends in January 2020. After that, no more security patches. Running an unpatched operating system in a healthcare environment is a HIPAA compliance risk. Getting ahead of that deadline now is smart.

Compatibility

Software vendors are increasingly building for Windows 10 first. Dentrix, Open Dental, Dexis, and most dental imaging software now fully support Windows 10. Some newer versions require it. Upgrading now means you won't hit compatibility walls when you need to update your practice software.

Performance

Windows 10 generally runs faster than Windows 7 on the same hardware, especially on machines with SSDs. Boot times are shorter, sleep/wake is more reliable, and overall system responsiveness is improved.

The Caveats

Check Compatibility First

Before upgrading any machine, verify that your practice management software, imaging software, and any specialty hardware (scanners, cameras, sensors) are compatible with Windows 10. Most are, but some older devices may need driver updates or firmware upgrades.

Don't Upgrade All at Once

Upgrade one machine first. Test everything: PMS, imaging, printing, insurance portals. If it all works, roll out to the rest of the practice in phases. Never upgrade your server and all workstations on the same day.

Back Up Everything First

This should go without saying, but: make a full backup before upgrading. The upgrade process is generally smooth, but "generally" isn't "always." Having a backup means you can roll back if something goes wrong.

Privacy Settings

Windows 10 has aggressive telemetry defaults. During setup, turn off unnecessary data collection. Disable Cortana on practice machines. Review the privacy settings and lock down anything that sends data to Microsoft that doesn't need to be sent. For HIPAA compliance, you want to minimize unnecessary data transmission.

The Timeline

You have until July 29th. That's nine days. Here's a realistic plan:

This week: Back up everything. Check compatibility with your PMS and imaging vendors.
Monday-Tuesday: Upgrade one workstation. Test thoroughly.
Wednesday-Thursday: If the test machine is clean, upgrade the remaining workstations in batches.
Friday: Verify everything works. Adjust settings. Document any issues.

If you need help with the upgrade or want someone to handle it for you, give us a call. We've been doing Windows 10 upgrades for practices all month, and we'd rather do it right than fix it later.