One View

Recently there has been some chatter around auto dealerships regarding data and your ability to work with thrid party providers.  One catalyst that resurfaced the old issue is a recent modificaiton asking security questions throughout the DMS. 

Who owns your data?  Well you do of course and a very fundamental right of any system you own or lease correct?……. Well not so fast.  Many dealers are now discovering details in their DMS Vendor contracts that limits their ability to work with data and third parties and it’s just the beginning.

There have been many along the way who have tried proprietary approaches to hardware and software for a multitude of reasons and typically they reach the same destination.  In the era of open source, collaboration, business intelligence and the expeditious pace technology moves, it’s no longer practical to believe one vendor provides a comprehensive solution alone.  Is it a marketing strategy? Meticulous DMS provider with your best intrests in mind?  Are you missing opportunities?  Are you able to change DMS and easily have your data?

These questions will either give you comfort in your answers or raise concerns:

• Where is my data?
• If I want to move to a new DMS, how can I get my data and how much will it cost to migrate?
• How long is our DMS contract and what constraints are put on data?
• Does our DMS allow us work with third party technology partners?
• Is the integrity and security of our data protected?

In 2007 the NADA was aware of the trends and challenges dealers were facing.  http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-159037523.html  Have times changes and what does the future hold for your dealerships information?