Bringing business to the cloud

It's time to open up about the real deal behind certification programs and what they mean for auto dealers. You might have heard the news about one of my companies on the wire:  Press Release Here  where it was announced that Authenticom has acquired the assets of RyanTech on DMSi(c), Carpod and VIN Explosion.  Because of that, we are no longer in the DMS Integration business and I have three words to say about that, "Thank You Authenticom!". The truth of the matter is that the certification programs from DMS providers and attempts to block access for a dealer to freely move their own data where they want it has become such a CORE competency that you either do DMS Integration and ONLY that or you get out of the way and let somebody bigger do it for you.  This is the case with the recent acquisition of our technology and moving it over to Authenticom, where it will serve dealers well.  They have a great, friendly, seasoned and competent staff and the technology they ju

For those of you who know me I think it is safe to say that I have earned the ability to post this blog after being involved in technology and privacy since 1992 in a very intimate way.  For those that do not know me I invite you to research if you so choose in order to validate my thoughts. This whole effort to validate privacy and government access is a crock.  The Patriot Act was established long ago and has provided our fine country all access to phone, Internet and financial data since its inception.  If you make a phone call it costs money people, if you send an email that was done on a device or connection that costs money or was transacted for free it is capable of being intercepted by our defense dept. There must be a new incentive/motive for this discussion about privacy and spying that is created by Corporate America.  In the most recent articles I have read I shake my head.  Our government has had this ability for over 12 years and I personally and professionally suppor

Thank you for those who attended the 8:30 session this morning which I know could be tough.  Congratulations to our first 10 attendees that walked away with Windows 8 and Office 2013 for FREE!  For those that did not attend, here are my notes and answers to questions asked after the presentation.  The presentation was recorded and will be available online by Digital Dealer as they have prepared. Q.  Why is Windows XP not compliant in April, 2014?      A. The support for operating system updates and security patches will no longer be supported by Microsoft after April, 2014.  Due to the lack of updates, the operating system will no longer by PCIC or GLB compliant.  What's more is that users will likely be targeted for attacks from cyber criminals just as has happened in the past with retired operating systems. Q. We are thinking about utilizing thin clients instead of PCs in our store.  Do you have any recommendations for us?      A. Since most thin client systems use either W

R unning a dealership is a complex business and requires computers to manage operations. Sure, there’s a DMS to handle inventory, accounting and OEM requirements, but we’re talking about the day-to-day business that requires multiple devices and PCs, with licensed operating systems and office software. Unfortunately, most dealerships aren’t keeping their PCs current, licensed and legal. Recently, thousands of dealerships were surveyed and scanned regarding their use of basic PC office software and technology. In a survey done by Microsoft Cloud Services, information was collected on how many PCs/laptops were at a dealership and what operating system and software was installed. In addition, dealers were surveyed on the number of unique e-mail addresses and how those addresses are being utilized. The results aren’t pretty. This will give you the opportunity to see where your dealership fits in. Dealerships, on average, have 80 PCs with 100 e-mail addresses, along with a varie