Erik Nachbahr

Co-managed IT responsibilities belong in a written matrix that names one owner for every task: your IT team keeps the users, the local knowledge, and the daily priorities, and the provider owns infrastructure health, security, uptime, and the technology roadmap. Here’s a call I never want an IT manager at one of our dealerships to … Read more

Dealership technology in 2026 runs on eight layers at every rooftop: the DMS, the CRM, phones, the network, F&I and desking tools, service-lane software, security, and AI. Each layer usually has a different owner, and the trouble lives in the space between them. The first thing we ask a new dealership for isn’t a network … Read more

Tekion optimization is the work a dealership does after go-live to close the gap between what Tekion can do and what each department uses every day, in service, parts, sales and F&I, and accounting. When I started Helion, I ran it on feel for a lot longer than I should have. We didn’t have real … Read more

Procede Excede on Azure means Procede runs the Excede server, database, backups, and upgrades in Microsoft’s cloud, while your dealership still owns the internet circuits, counter PCs, scanners, Wi-Fi, logins, and Microsoft 365 accounts at every store. Procede guarantees 99.9% uptime for Excede Hosted Services. That number covers Procede’s side of the line, and this … Read more

GM Dealer Infrastructure and Security Guidelines (DISG), explained: the PC, network, Wi-Fi, and bandwidth specs, plus GM’s 72-hour incident reporting rule.

FTC Safeguards Rule requirements for dealerships, explained: the nine elements of 16 CFR 314.4, the 30-day breach notice, and what stores under 5,000 can skip.

A DMS conversion checklist is the IT plan for moving a dealership from one dealer management system to another. It runs in three phases: the device, network, access, and data work before the install, the cutover itself, and the training and cleanup after go-live. Early in my career I worked in a three-person IT department … Read more

Tekion network requirements come down to three things your dealership owns: business-grade internet with automatic failover at every rooftop, cabling and Wi-Fi that reach every device Tekion installs, and security controls in place before customer data moves. Tekion’s implementation team installs and tests its own hardware. The electrical work, the data cabling, and the sign-off … Read more

Windows 10 ESU Year 1 ends October 13, 2026 for business PCs. What dealerships should renew, replace, or retire, and how it ties to the Safeguards Rule.