Portman Dentex is a rapidly expanding dental group acquiring practices across the UK and integrating them under one brand. It currently comprises approximately 200 dental practices across the UK, Ireland and Benelux, including 16 orthodontic Portman Smile Clinics, caring for more than 700,000 patients. Each acquisition was introducing a mix of disparate IT systems, both manual and digital, posing significant challenges to efficiency, security and scalability.
Client challenge
Portman Dentex’s rapid growth through acquisition led to a patchwork of outdated and incompatible systems. With no unified CRM and limited internal technical capacity, the organisation faced significant risks, especially in terms of cybersecurity and operational inefficiency.
A practical, phased approach was favoured over implementing full CRM re-platforming.
Challenges included:
● Security risks: A growing concern over cyber threats due to inherited systems.
● Resource bottlenecks: A small supplier managing front-end systems couldn’t meet demand.
● Internal capacity: Limited client-side resources for user acceptance testing and validation.
● Coordination: Managing multiple external suppliers while presenting a unified face to the end client.
Our approach
Our flexible engagement model allowed us to deliver value quickly, without requiring long onboarding or contractual delays.
Key deliverables included:
● Reviewing and uplifting security posture: We worked with Portman Dentex’s IT teams to prioritise security enhancements and implement actionable improvements, such as installing Cloudflare.
● Advising on website development: We provided recommendations to ensure the website was user friendly, accessible, and future ready.
● Proposing best practices for business as usual activities: We supplied a comprehensive report of recommendations, including the implementation of new tech.
Our solutions
• Onboarded new security technology for new and existing dental practices
• Provided a penetration test for websites
• Improved front-end functionality for internal online appointment booking
• Removed malicious script files following a live incident, resolving the issue within hours.
• Provided ongoing system hardening measures to back-end systems to prevent future cyberattacks
• Centralised the source code for all codebases
• Implemented a multi-agency approach to augment the website delivery. This facilitatedload balancing, burst capacity and redundancy that aligned with practice acquisition targets
• Project managed and streamlined communication processes to minimise client-side effort and maximise output from external developers
Results
● Rapid incident response: A successful mitigation of a website security breach during the project. Post-implementation, the environment remained stable throughout the contract duration
● Enhanced booking experience: UX improvements helped support rapid business growth and overall customer satisfaction.
● Business cohesion: Centralising and homogenising digital operations across the organisation’s many and growing number of practices, helped the business drive efficiency and provide a seamless service.
Conclusion
Despite the complex stakeholder landscape, tight budget parameters, and the business’scontinuous acquisition of new practices, we were able to closely support Portman Dentexthroughout their journey of modernising their digital landscape.
By delivering rapid improvements in web development and security, we enabled tangible enhancements to the customer experience while laying the foundation for a more secure and scalable digital environment. This proactive and agile approach ensured that real value was realised and Portman Dentex was able to swiftly capitaliseon their vastly improved technology and processes.
