Your dealership depends on technology—it’s the backbone of everything you do. From managing customer data to driving sales and service operations, your dealership’s tech infrastructure keeps the wheels turning. So why do so many seem to undervalue dealership IT and cybersecurity?

Here’s the tough truth: most dealerships don’t have the right resources to handle IT and cybersecurity effectively. They often rely on outdated or misconfigured technology, place untrained staff in charge of critical systems, and assume that checking compliance boxes equals protection. This creates a perfect storm of vulnerability that could result in a cyberattack, regulatory fines, or both.

A Recipe for Dealership Vulnerability

Two major issues are driving dealerships toward a potential cybersecurity disaster:

• The Importance of IT is Often Undervalued
  IT has historically taken a backseat to other dealership functions. Management may not fully understand IT performance metrics, find it difficult to manage, and often don’t appreciate the complexity of the systems keeping their business running. As a result, responsibility for IT often gets assigned to employees with a little tech know-how but no formal training, experience, or certification. You know the scenario: “Let’s have the parts manager handle it—he knows tech stuff, right?”  This is a mistake. Technology evolves rapidly, and cybercriminals aren’t slowing down. Without a dedicated, professional team managing your systems, your dealership becomes an easy target.

• Compliance Confusion: It’s More Than Checking Boxes
  Dealerships have scrambled to comply with the new FTC Safeguards Rule. In their hurry to comply—and because the importance of IT is often minimized—many have turned to quick, easy, seemingly magical solutions that promise quick compliance. But here’s the catch—checking those boxes doesn’t mean you’ve built a comprehensive information security program, which the FTC requires. It’s just paperwork unless it’s followed by real action.  Dealerships that confuse compliance with cybersecurity leave themselves vulnerable, creating a false sense of security that’s more dangerous than no security at all.

The Consequences of Inaction: A False Sense of Security

Dealerships that don’t take IT and cybersecurity seriously face significant challenges:

1. Overburdened, Under-qualified Staff
   In many dealerships, IT responsibilities fall on employees who already have other responsibilities. They aren’t equipped to manage cybersecurity or compliance, and when vulnerabilities arise, they don’t have the expertise or time to address them properly.
2. Unresolved Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities
   Penetration tests and vulnerability scans can uncover weaknesses in your network, but test results are only valuable if someone knows how to interpret the results, prioritize the vulnerabilities, and act on them. Without dedicated resources, these vulnerabilities remain open doors for cybercriminals.
3. The Search for a “Magic Pill”
   Under pressure to meet regulatory requirements, some dealerships opt for quick fixes—DIY compliance kits. These software solutions are used to document your efforts to protect consumer data, but they don’t develop, implement, and maintain the comprehensive information security program that the FTC requires.
4. Misplaced Confidence & Wasted Money
   Purchasing cybersecurity tools or compliance solutions doesn’t mean you’re automatically secure. Many dealerships install these tools without configuring them properly, leaving gaps in protection. Dealerships are also notorious for buying software that gathers dust and is never used.
5. Fragmented Solutions
   IT, cybersecurity, and compliance are often implemented in a piecemeal fashion and exist in separate silos. This approach fails at developing and maintaining a comprehensive information security program. IT, cybersecurity, and compliance all need to share information in real time.

Achieving IT Nirvana: A Unified Approach to IT, Cybersecurity, and Compliance

So how do you fix the problem? The key lies in understanding that compliance isn’t just a box to check—it’s a set of best practices that feed into your IT function and cybersecurity strategy. For dealerships, the FTC Safeguards Rule outlines the steps you must take to protect consumer data, and these steps align with well-established cybersecurity best practices from NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and CIS (Center for Internet Security).

Here’s what it takes to achieve IT Nirvana:

1. Align IT, Cybersecurity, and Compliance
   Think of IT, cybersecurity, and compliance as one cohesive unit, all working together. It’s compliance requirements that drive the work done by your IT and cybersecurity resources. Then these resources feed your compliance tracking solution with the real-time data needed to manage your journey toward full compliance. When these elements are integrated, you’ll not only meet compliance requirements but also protect your dealership’s operations and sensitive data.
2. Invest in Specialized Resources
   The complex, ever-evolving nature of cybersecurity and the speed with which technology advances demand specialized expertise. One person simply can’t stay up to date with these changes. By investing in trained, experienced, certified IT professionals, you ensure your systems are in the right hands.
3. Action, Not Just Plans
   Compliance requires action. If you know obsolete technology is a vulnerability, don’t just note it—replace it. If you have security patches that haven’t been applied, don’t just note it—patch it. True compliance requires people to take action.
4. Track, Report, and Improve
   The work doesn’t stop once you’re compliant. Monitoring, reporting, and continuous improvement are necessary to stay one step ahead of threats, keep your dealership safe and ensure your technology environment is always optimized. Remember, your compliance today doesn’t guarantee that you will be compliant tomorrow. Staying compliant is an ongoing effort.

When IT, cybersecurity, and compliance are fully aligned, your dealership will achieve IT Nirvana—a state where your systems are secure, your compliance requirements are met, and your operations run smoothly. It’s time to make IT a priority and build a solid, secure technical foundation for dealership success.