Erik Nachbahr
Most dealers don’t shop for IT support until something breaks. The DMS goes down on the last Saturday of the month. A phishing email costs the store six figures. An insurance carrier asks for a written information security program and nobody has one. By then the decision is being made under pressure, and pressure produces … Read more
Why dealerships need continuous compliance management — and an honest evaluation of their IT security — now that AI is in the building Most dealerships I talk to can produce a compliance document. A written information security program, a risk assessment from a vendor, a checklist with satisfying green marks down the right-hand column, maybe … Read more
A Buyer’s Guide for Multi-Rooftop Auto and Truck Groups Helion Technologies Every managed IT provider you talk to will tell you they work with dealerships. Some of them mean they have one rooftop as a client. A few mean they understand what happens when the service drive goes down at 8:15 on a Saturday morning. … Read more
Most dealer management system conversations start in the wrong place. A controller can’t get the report she needs. Service advisors are double-keying into three systems. The parts counter is slow at 7:30 a.m. Somebody in the leadership meeting finally says it: maybe we need a new DMS. Sometimes that’s right. Often it isn’t — at … Read more
Technology has always been an important part of dealership operations, but today it has become a competitive advantage. The modern dealership isn’t defined by the software it owns—it’s defined by how effectively technology supports the business. Artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, cloud platforms, data governance, and compliance have become strategic assets that influence profitability, customer experience, … Read more
For years, dealership cybersecurity focused on protecting the network perimeter. Firewalls, antivirus software, and email filtering were considered the first line of defense. Today, however, dealership cybersecurity has entered a new era. The greatest risk is no longer someone breaking through your firewall—it’s someone logging in with a legitimate identity. The rapid rise of artificial … Read more
For the past several years, dealerships have been told that dealership cybersecurity compliance starts with vulnerability scans, self-assessments, policy templates, and compliance software platforms. As a result, many dealerships have invested in what could be called first-generation cybersecurity compliance solutions. These platforms typically generate dashboards, risk registers, compliance scorecards, and lengthy reports that identify potential … Read more
When dealerships evaluate a new Dealer Management System (DMS), the conversation typically centers around features, workflows, integrations, user experience, and cost. Those are all important considerations. But as cybercriminals continue to target automotive retailers at an alarming rate, there is another question every dealership should be asking: How does this DMS impact our cybersecurity risk? … Read more
AI is rapidly finding its way into dealerships. Employees are using AI tools to draft emails, summarize documents, create spreadsheets, analyze reports, improve customer communications, and solve everyday business problems faster than ever before. In many ways, AI is becoming as common in the workplace as email and web browsers. But there’s a growing compliance … Read more