Root cause analysis in IT means finding out why a problem keeps happening instead of only getting the user working again. At a dealership, it’s the difference between resetting the same locked DMS login every Monday and finding what keeps locking it. Every service desk has a few tickets that come back like regulars. The … Read more
A Tekion implementation timeline runs about 120 days. The dealer’s IT tasks, week by week: network, cabling, devices, printers, integrations, training rooms.
Auto dealership cybersecurity news for October 2026: a German dealer software breach, an exploited VPN flaw, a record Microsoft patch month, and what to check.
Auto dealership ransomware usually gets in through a phishing email, a stolen password, exposed remote access, or a vendor’s connection. Recovery takes weeks. Systems get rebuilt, paper deals get keyed back in, stolen data gets traced, and notices get filed. Ask a service advisor to define ransomware and you might get a shrug. Ask about … Read more
Least privilege for AI means an AI tool gets only the data and permissions its one job needs, the same rule your staff already work under. At most dealerships, AI tools get far more, because connecting one usually takes a single click. Think about a new salesperson’s first day. They get a CRM login and … Read more
An AI email assistant at a dealership reads whatever mailbox it’s plugged into, can send as whoever plugged it in, and may pass customer data to an outside model. Management should decide all three, not the salesperson. I use Claude all day long, and I’ve got it hooked into Excel, Word, PowerPoint, my mailbox, and … Read more
A dealership IT budget for 2027 lists every technology cost by line: Microsoft 365 renewals, PC refresh, security, compliance testing, cyber insurance, phones, DMS changes, and AI seats. Most stores skip that list, and the missing lines are where overspending hides. Ask a controller what the store spends on technology. You’ll usually get one number. … Read more
A DMS outage plan keeps your dealership selling, servicing, and paying people on paper. What to print, payroll and parts workarounds, and who makes the call.
Microsoft 365 Copilot security comes down to permissions, because Copilot can show each employee anything that employee can already open in SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Outlook, including pay plans and deal files. Lock that access down before you turn it on. The request usually shows up as one line in an email. “Can you get … Read more