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Reynolds closes modem access?

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#11
This letter came from vAuto.

I have re-read the letter and do not see the verbiage they are referring to.

Good Afternoon Jarrett,

We are sending you this note because you may have received the attached letter from Reynolds and Reynolds regarding Internal Modem Access to your ERA system. The purpose of this letter is to ensure that there is no interruption of your vAuto service. Please note the following


  • Per the language of the letter, Reynolds is only recommending that Dealers uninstall their modems. Reynolds states that modems will no longer be needed (by Reynolds) to communicate into their ERA system. Modems would still be utilized by 3rd parties such as vAuto as well as Manufacturer based programs.


  • Should you decide to disconnect your modem, you can load SMART onto a PC at your dealership that is connected to your ERA system. This will allow data collection for vAuto to continue at no additional cost to you. If you have a VPN or Secure Telnet connection into your ERA system that will also work.

For your convenience we have attached information regarding IntegraLink SMART (Secure Managed Automotive Real-Time) technology. It explains SMART and contains a Q&A section. You can enroll in SMART via the IntegraLink website:

http://www.integralink.com/smart.html; simply click the link labeled “Sign up now for SMART”.

Please don’t hesitate to call us with any questions or concerns.

Thank you,


Mike Augustine
vAuto Customer Support
 
#16
Jarrett said:
This letter came from vAuto.

I have re-read the letter and do not see the verbiage they are referring to.

Good Afternoon Jarrett,

We are sending you this note because you may have received the attached letter from Reynolds and Reynolds regarding Internal Modem Access to your ERA system. The purpose of this letter is to ensure that there is no interruption of your vAuto service. Please note the following


  • Per the language of the letter, Reynolds is only recommending that Dealers uninstall their modems. Reynolds states that modems will no longer be needed (by Reynolds) to communicate into their ERA system. Modems would still be utilized by 3rd parties such as vAuto as well as Manufacturer based programs.


  • Should you decide to disconnect your modem, you can load SMART onto a PC at your dealership that is connected to your ERA system. This will allow data collection for vAuto to continue at no additional cost to you. If you have a VPN or Secure Telnet connection into your ERA system that will also work.

For your convenience we have attached information regarding IntegraLink SMART (Secure Managed Automotive Real-Time) technology. It explains SMART and contains a Q&A section. You can enroll in SMART via the IntegraLink website:

http://www.integralink.com/smart.html; simply click the link labeled “Sign up now for SMARTâ€.

Please don’t hesitate to call us with any questions or concerns.

Thank you,


Mike Augustine
vAuto Customer Support
Click to expand...

Has anyone gotten a quote on what something like this would cost?
 
#17
All -

Here is the bottom-line. Yes Reynolds is restricting access to non RCI vendors. Yes there will be local ways around that if that is really what you want to do.

Data security is a really big deal here guys, surely you have to see that. The DMS is carrying more and more sensitive data. Customer's are becoming increasingly aware of what is being done with their information and increasingly more concerned about it. R&R has to be proactive in guarding that data as ultimately our customers look to us for that security and the dealerships customers demand it. Once one of the 3rd parties has your customers data hostilely we cannot know and have no agreement in place for how they will protect it and use it, it's just that simple guys.

Larry Bruce (@pcmguy)
 
#18
LarryBruce said:
All -

Here is the bottom-line. Yes Reynolds is restricting access to non RCI vendors. Yes there will be local ways around that if that is really what you want to do.

Data security is a really big deal here guys, surely you have to see that. The DMS is carrying more and more sensitive data. Customer's are becoming increasingly aware of what is being done with their information and increasingly more concerned about it. R&R has to be proactive in guarding that data as ultimately our customers look to us for that security and the dealerships customers demand it. Once one of the 3rd parties has your customers data hostilely we cannot know and have no agreement in place for how they will protect it and use it, it's just that simple guys.

Larry Bruce (@pcmguy)
Click to expand...


It's really not that simple. If I could believe that Reynolds is closing access to non RCI vendors has to do with JUST security and not wanting some sort of revenue gain from it would be great! From my understanding there are only a handful of RCI vendors while hundreds of 3rd parties are stuck waiting to get theirs. Making the RCI program faster and easier to achieve would be a great 1st step. To me this seems like scare tactics to get a piece of the pie.
 
#19
LarryBruce said:
All -

Here is the bottom-line. Yes Reynolds is restricting access to non RCI vendors. Yes there will be local ways around that if that is really what you want to do.

Data security is a really big deal here guys, surely you have to see that. The DMS is carrying more and more sensitive data. Customer's are becoming increasingly aware of what is being done with their information and increasingly more concerned about it. R&R has to be proactive in guarding that data as ultimately our customers look to us for that security and the dealerships customers demand it. Once one of the 3rd parties has your customers data hostilely we cannot know and have no agreement in place for how they will protect it and use it, it's just that simple guys.

Larry Bruce (@pcmguy)
Click to expand...

Larry,

Thank you for commenting about this. Too often we get upset with our DMS companies because they never give reasoning to their clients behind changes. Or if they give reasoning, it is only to the DMS system administrator and that person does not get the message out to the soldiers.

As long as DMS companies continue to allow their clients to do what they want with their data, I can only fault a DMS company so much. But when the DMS company dictates to the customer (dealers) what the customer must do with the customer's (dealer's) data, then I begin to get really upset.

Too often changes happen with DMS companies' policies that the water gets extremely murky. It makes it very tough for dealers and vendors to operate. The only thought in these situations is that the DMS company perceives themselves to be losing income due to competition with other technologies so they close down data conduits. If this is the true case, then I foresee more competition developing on the DMS side itself. At the end of the day, the DMS companies are operating on antiquated software filled with patches. Someone is going to code something fresh and either become stringent competition a few years after launch or one of the DMS companies is going to have to spend a lot of money buying that fresh software to shelve it. I sometimes think this is what dealers are really paying for with the large DMS companies: shelving funds.

For a dealer to even suspect that, what does it say about DMS to dealer communications?

P.S. Back on topic: what dealer is still using a modem anyway?
 
#20
It would seem to me that an open architecture would be the most secure and profitable. It would encourage integration and attract end users. This philosophy has already been proven in other segments of the IT world.

Just think if R&R moved groups like STAR and OpenSecureAccess close to their hip and built a programmable DMS how popular and profitable it could be. It would squash ADP and Arkona as a tier 1 sys,

But instead my alternative is I have to answer a question like "What color is the sky?" when I run a 6910 report generator report...

Will ERA still work after the rapture?
 
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