How do I inventory equipment across many locations?

Key facts

Why does multi-location inventory break down?

Because each office starts its own list. One site uses a spreadsheet, another relies on the dealer's records, a third has whatever the IT vendor keeps. Columns don't match, rooms are named differently, and nobody can answer "how many sensors do we have that won't work with the next PMS upgrade?" HHS's guidance for medium and large healthcare organizations treats IT asset management as a foundation that supports every other cybersecurity practice, and recommends discovery tools to reduce unknowns (HHS 405(d) HICP Vol. 2).

Step 1: One schema for every site

Start from the dental equipment inventory template or the CSV (free download, coming soon), and don't let sites add their own columns.

Step 2: Load every site, then keep it current

Do an initial walk of each office with the template. For IT, use discovery tools where you can (HHS 405(d) HICP Vol. 2). After that, the inventory updates on events: purchase, move, repair, retirement. A new site's inventory should come from its build-out record, not a walk after opening; see the DSO de novo checklist.

Step 3: Add lifecycle dates

NIST's Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 says hardware, software, services and data should be managed throughout their life cycles (ID.AM-08) (NIST). For a dental group that means three dates per item:

• Warranty end, from the manufacturer. A-dec's current warranty, for example, is 10 years for chairs and 5 years for upholstery, compressors and vacuums (A-dec).
• Support end, from the software or OS vendor. Windows 10 ended October 14, 2025 (Microsoft); Windows Server 2016 extended support ends January 2027 (Microsoft Learn); Dentrix no longer supports installs on Windows 10 after June 30, 2026 (Dentrix).
• Planned replacement, set by the group from age, condition and support dates.

Network edge devices deserve their own watch list. CISA warns that end-of-support firewalls, routers and VPN gateways are exploited by nation-state actors (CISA).

Step 4: Turn the inventory into a capital plan

Sort by planned replacement year across all sites. Group buys where you can: every workstation reaching end of support, every sensor generation that won't carry to the next PMS release. Check sensor and software compatibility before you standardize; see sensor and PMS compatibility. Standard operatories make this easier, because the same equipment package repeats; see standard operatory templates.

Step 5: Retire assets properly

When equipment leaves, record it. HHS recommends recording the decommissioning of each device and keeping the certification of destruction when a provider destroys data-bearing devices (HHS 405(d) HICP Vol. 1). HHS's medium-organization guidance also covers secure storage for inactive devices awaiting reuse or disposal (HHS 405(d) HICP Vol. 2). Retired items keep their row with a status, so the history survives.

What about moving equipment between sites?

It happens constantly in groups: a spare sensor goes to the busy office, a chair from a closed site goes into storage. Treat every move as an event. Update the location and room ID the day it moves, note the condition, and if the device stores patient data, confirm where the data went. A device sitting in a closet still needs a row, with an inactive status, until it's reused or decommissioned.

Why does this help at sale or refinancing?

A group's equipment is collateral and a valuation input. A complete, dated inventory by location is what an appraiser and lender ask for; see how to appraise dental equipment and used dental equipment value.

Which free tools help with this?

The equipment inventory & appraisal report (free tool, coming soon) is planned to turn your equipment list into an appraisal-ready report. The device compatibility checker (free tool, coming soon) is planned to check sensors, imaging units and bridges against your practice software. FloorStack Studio (live, free plan) places every device on your floor plan and gives you a device schedule with rooms, ports and cable lengths (FloorStack FAQ).

How FloorStack helps

FloorStack is a dental build-out platform with inventory built in. Floor Stack ($39/mo, billed yearly) keeps live inventory with specs, serials and warranty dates and gap detection, including end-of-life gear; Full Stack ($119 per location per month, billed yearly) adds a group dashboard, standard builds across offices, and SSO, roles and API for 2+ locations (FloorStack). Studio (live, free to start) places every device on each site's floor plan, so the inventory starts at the build-out. The free Equipment inventory & appraisal prep tool (coming soon) will standardize lists from each site. The free Compatibility checker (coming soon) will flag sensors and software that won't carry forward. Start with the inventory template (CSV). See the Dental Equipment Inventory hub.

Free tools for this step

• Equipment inventory & appraisal prep tool: one format for every site (free tool, coming soon).
• Dental equipment inventory template (CSV) (free download, coming soon): the shared schema.
• Compatibility checker: plan group-wide upgrades (free tool, coming soon).
• Studio: every device on every floor plan (live).