Cyber insurance can help a dental practice manage the financial impact of certain cybersecurity incidents, but insurance should support a cybersecurity strategy, not replace one.
For dental practices with 10-40 employees, the bigger question isn't simply, "Do we have cyber insurance?"
It's:
Do we have the cybersecurity controls our insurer expects us to maintain?
Use this four-step framework:
Assess → Protect → Document → Review
1. Assess Your Cybersecurity Risks
Start by identifying the systems and information your practice depends on.
That may include:
- Dentrix, Open Dental, or Eaglesoft
- Dexis and other imaging systems
- Microsoft 365 and email
- Patient information
- Employee accounts
- Workstations and servers
- Backups
- Remote access
- Cloud applications
Then ask what would happen if those systems were encrypted, stolen, compromised, or unavailable.
Cyber insurance may help address certain financial consequences, but preventing and recovering from an incident still requires a strong IT foundation.
2. Protect the Practice Before an Incident
Cyber insurance applications and renewals may ask detailed questions about your cybersecurity environment.
Depending on the insurer and policy, areas to review may include:
- Multi-factor authentication
- Endpoint protection
- Email security
- Patch management
- Secure backups
- Remote-access security
- Employee cybersecurity training
- Administrative accounts
- Incident-response planning
Don't wait until the application arrives to investigate these controls.
Your practice should know what protections are actually in place.
3. Document Your Cybersecurity Controls
If an insurance application asks whether your practice uses a particular security control, the answer should reflect what is actually implemented.
For example, don't simply assume MFA protects every important account.
Verify it.
Your IT provider should be able to help document areas such as:
MFA → Endpoint Security → Backups → Patching → Remote Access → Monitoring
Documentation can also help identify gaps that should be addressed before renewal.
4. Review Coverage and Technology Regularly
Cybersecurity changes.
So does your dental practice.
You may add:
- Employees
- Computers
- Cloud applications
- Dental technology
- Remote-access tools
- Locations
- Vendors
Your cybersecurity controls and insurance coverage should be reviewed as the environment changes.
Your insurance professional should explain the actual policy, coverage, exclusions, limits, and insurance requirements.
Your IT provider should help you understand and verify the technology controls behind those answers.
The 7-Question Cyber Insurance Readiness Check
Before applying for or renewing cyber insurance, ask:
- Is MFA enabled where appropriate?
- Are computers and servers actively protected?
- Are security updates being managed?
- Are backups protected and tested?
- Is remote access controlled?
- Do employees receive cybersecurity training?
- Could we document these controls if asked?
If several answers are unclear, complete a cybersecurity review before filling out the application.
Cyber Insurance Is Not Cybersecurity
Buying insurance doesn't prevent ransomware.
It doesn't install security updates.
It doesn't train employees.
And it doesn't restore your dental systems after an outage.
Think of the relationship this way:
Cybersecurity reduces risk.
Backup and recovery improve resilience.
Cyber insurance may help address certain financial consequences when an incident occurs.
A dental practice should consider all three.
Why Dental Practices Choose IT Services of Utah
IT Services of Utah has supported businesses for more than 30 years and works with dental practices throughout St. George and Washington County, Utah.
Our team can help dental practices evaluate technical controls involving:
- MFA
- Microsoft 365
- Endpoint security
- Firewalls
- Remote access
- Backups
- Security monitoring
- Employee access
- Cybersecurity training
We provide fast remote support, local on-site assistance, live phone answering, and an internal support team with a cybersecurity-first approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does cyber insurance make a dental practice HIPAA compliant?
No. Cyber insurance and HIPAA compliance are separate issues. Insurance does not replace the safeguards, policies, risk management, and other requirements applicable to the practice.
Can our IT provider complete our cyber insurance application?
Your IT provider can help verify technical information and explain the cybersecurity controls it manages. Questions about policy terms, coverage, or insurance advice should be handled by a qualified insurance professional.
Should we review cybersecurity before renewing our policy?
Yes. Reviewing your technical environment before renewal can help you identify whether the answers on the application accurately reflect your current systems and security controls.
Is Your Dental Practice Ready for Its Next Cyber Insurance Renewal?
Don't wait for the insurance application to discover that an important security control is missing.
Remember:
Assess. Protect. Document. Review.
For dental practices with 10-40 employees in St. George and Washington County, Utah, IT Services of Utah can review your cybersecurity environment and help verify the technical controls behind your cyber insurance application.
Schedule a Dental Cybersecurity Assessment with IT Services of Utah before your next cyber insurance application or renewal.
