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You Should Know: Cloud9Ortho by Krista Houstoun, Associate Editor, Orthotown Magazine

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You Should Know:
Cloud9Ortho
by Krista Houstoun, Associate Editor,
Orthotown Magazine

Orthotown Magazine chats with Reid Simmons, one of the founders of practice management company Cloud9Ortho, about how the company is changing the way orthodontists practice.

How did you get started in the orthodontic field?
Reid Simmons: After graduating from Georgia Tech, I worked for NCR for 11 years selling computers and was National Sales Manager for Large Computers when I left. In 1982, a life-long friend, Dr. Jim Davis, wanted me to attend the AAO with him and evaluate the computer systems because "everyone is talking about computers." We visited the 10 companies that were exhibiting and not one of them met even one of his needs.

We sat at a table above the exhibit hall and - literally - came up with the idea for Orthotrac on a napkin. Four months later, we were scheduling, billing, filing insurance and checking out patients in his office. I stayed after all the mergers until 2004, "retired" to the Florida Panhandle, and have started or been involved with nine businesses and banks since then. I spent 18 months as a consultant to tops, then joined some of my former employees as owners of Cloud9Ortho in 2011.

What does Cloud9Ortho do to help orthodontists?
Simmons: Cloud9Ortho has a very experienced team that is working to change the practice management industry.Before Cloud9Ortho, offices would have to deal with slow images in their satellite office, server problems and crashes, using a PC when they wanted a Mac, lack of updates, and poor customer service. Cloud9Ortho has changed the way orthodontists practice by solving the issues they dealt with on a daily basis with their previous practice management software so they can focus on their patients.

What is the driving philosophy of Cloud9Ortho? What is the company's goal?
Simmons: We take the Zappos or Amazon approach: we do everything we can for the customer with respect and in a timely manner. Our goal is for an office to have a great experience every time they interact with an employee from Cloud9Ortho. From the day they meet with their sales rep to the days leading up to their training, spending a great week with their trainer, and then, finally, providing world-class customer support. With our years of experience, we have seen time and time again a company grow too large and forget who is serving whom - we always keep that at the top of our mind.

How would you explain "the cloud" to our readers?
Simmons: The cloud is a word that has been thrown around a lot, not only in the orthodontic industry but also in our daily conversations. Everyone seems to have different definitions of the cloud. To us, and most people in the IT world, the cloud is the ability to access your data across any device at anytime 24/7 without installing any software. The program also needs to be written from the ground up as a cloud product. Many software companies take existing software and try to fit a square peg in a round hole and call it "cloud." Because the word cloud is being used so much, we do caution orthodontists to be careful of "cloud washing," which is defined as "the purposeful and sometimes deceptive attempt by a vendor to rebrand an old product or service by associating the buzzword ‘cloud' with it."

How safe is data that is stored in the cloud?
Simmons: Your data is actually more secure in the cloud than in your office. Think of where you store your money - do you store it underneath your mattress or in a secure bank? Your practice management is the same concept. It is much more secure to store your data in a secure, armed data center than in your actual office. We had a user whose office was broken into and all computers were stolen. He called his staff and they brought in their laptops, plugged them into the Internet at the office and then treated patients like a normal day. If he had a server in his office, all his data would have been compromised plus it might have taken days to get everything running properly.

What do cloud users do if the Internet is down?
Simmons: Internet service, particularly cable and fiber, have become increasingly both fast and reliable. Beyond that, it depends on how paranoid you are. You can have as many as three alternative - and inexpensive - methods to connect should your primary method become unavailable. We can help you determine the best arrangement for you.

What kind of service can orthodontists expect when they pick up the phone and call you?
Simmons: We want an orthodontist to have a great experience from the time they pick up the phone on their first inquiry to the time they go live and pick their phone for support. We feel that level of customer service has been lacking in the industry and we want to change that.

How can an orthodontist learn more about Cloud9Ortho?
Simmons: You can call 800-394-6050 ext 1, e-mail info@cloud9ortho.com or if you want to be social you can send us a Facebook message (www.facebook.com/cloud9ortho) or a tweet (www.twitter.com/cloud9ortho).



Orthotown Magazine
September 2025
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