Timonium, MD – March 13th, 2017-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading Information Technology (IT) Managed Services Provider, today issued proactive security recommendations for auto dealerships that may experience customer data breaches. The recommendations come on the heels of an incident that occurred last month and was widely reported in news outlets.

In February, a disgruntled employee with a CRM vendor circulated an email that appeared to be from hackers threatening to release sensitive information from millions of customer records. The data was purportedly taken from several dealerships' DMS databases. The CRM vendor quickly identified the employee, determined that no security breach had occurred, and that the data the employee had in her possession was benign.

"These dealers were lucky because if this hoax had turned out to be true they would be legally liable and could be on the hook for millions of dollars," said Erik Nachbahr, founder and President of Helion Automotive Technologies. "What this incident illustrates is how most dealerships do not understand the serious consequences related to a data breach of this nature and how ill prepared they are to respond."

If a hacker gains access to sensitive data in customer records such as social security numbers and birth dates, the cost to a dealership could be in the millions. That figure is based on an average cost of $30 per customer record breached.

Even if a dealership's CRM or DMS vendor is responsible for the breach of a dealership's customer records, the dealership is legally liable for all resulting costs, which may include:

• Local law enforcement and/or FBI investigations
• Computer forensic investigations
• Business interruptions; in some cases businesses are ordered to close their doors until the source and impact of the data breach is assessed
• Customer notifications and free credit monitoring for customers
• Crisis management and public relations
• Customer and class action lawsuits
• FTC action for non-compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act and software copyright laws

Fortunately for dealers, these consequences can be greatly mitigated by creating a security plan that includes a response to customer data breach occurrences.

The first recommendation that dealers should implement is to assign a point person in the dealership who will coordinate a planned response. The designee is typically a high-level financial executive, which in a dealership may be the CFO, Controller or Chief Compliance Officer.

The designee should have a written response plan that addresses each of the consequences listed in the bullet points above.

The designee should have a list of parties and contact information at the ready in the event of a security breach. Parties that need to be notified immediately include local law enforcement, the dealership's attorney, cyberliability insurance provider and public relations/crisis management representative.

The customer data breach response plan should also include a protocol for notifying customers that their data has been breached, which is a legal requirement. Many states also have a legal requirement that will require your dealership to pay for one or two years of free credit monitoring for the affected customers.

If your dealership does not have cyberliability insurance, get some. Immediately. The typical insurance policies that dealerships carry such as property, liability and casualty insurance do not cover costs related to data breaches.  

If a dealership does not have a crisis management plan in place, create one. Costs related to litigation and compliance violations can be greatly alleviated if the dealership responds publicly, immediately and in an appropriate manner.

"Dealers need to realize this is an imminent threat, and that it's not if, but when this will happen," said Nachbahr. "Having a security plan in place is pretty much expected for every business in every industry these days, but unfortunately we find that many dealerships don't think about it until it's too late."

The likelihood that auto dealerships will experience a customer data breach is high. In the last 12 months 71 percent of Small to Mid-Size Businesses (SMBs) reported a security breach, according to a July 2016 report titled IT Security at Small to Mid-Size Businesses (SMBs): 2016 Benchmark Survey. Companies with fewer than 500 employees proved the most vulnerable with a 75 percent breach rate.

For more information contact Helion at 443-541-1500 or online at http://www.heliontechnologies.com.

About Helion Automotive Technologies

Helion...Putting Your Dealership in the FAST LANE! Helion Automotive Technologies is a leading IT solutions provider, providing auto dealers with faster, more efficient networks and secure data protection. From managed services to IT assistance and service desk help, Helion offers both short-term IT fixes and long-term planning so dealers can focus on what matters most: selling more cars. Helion has specialized in IT for more than ten years and works with 650+ auto dealers nationwide. Dealers can request a free assessment of their IT needs at www.heliontechnologies.com.

A PC is arguably the most important tool you use on a daily basis. It's used to communicate with customers and your colleagues. It's used to store documents and other important files. It's used to run business applications and to access the outside world via the Internet, as well as cloud-based applications.

Yet this ubiquitous workhorse is often taken for granted. We just assume it will always work the way it's supposed to, and when it doesn't? Chaos ensues!

At Helion, we handle hundreds of Help Desk calls from dealership employees every day. Many are PC related. We've noticed that a lot of people make the same mistakes in how they are using their PCs. These mistakes can cause a myriad of problems such as lost files, security breaches or slowing down the performance of the PC.

So we've compiled a list of tips that should help to keep your PC running efficiently and chaos at bay:

1) Don't store documents on your desktop

Do you save important documents on your desktop? Some people find it quicker and easier to find documents this way. But there's a reason why you should store your documents in files on your hard drive. Your hard drive is backed up, but documents stored on your desktop are not. If your computer crashes and has to be restored, all those documents or files stored on your desktop cannot be retrieved and will be lost forever.

2) Don't use your email as a filing cabinet

Like your hard drive, your emails are backed up to the cloud. But because of the sheer volume of data being backed up, most dealerships keep 30 days worth of backups. Unlike the files stored on your hard drive, all emails older than 30 days are deleted. If your computer crashes and the data must be restored via backup, only your emails for the last 30 days will be available.

If an email contains an important document, download it and save it to a file on your hard drive. Also you can take screen shots of important email communications and save those in files as well.

3) Lock your computer when you leave your desk

When you go to a meeting, out to lunch or walk away from your computer for any reason, lock your computer. This is a security issue. It may sound far-fetched, but there have been instances of opportunistic hackers taking advantage of unmanned computers. These could be your colleagues, customers or outside vendors working on site.

It doesn't take long to install a piece of malware, virus or remote login software, which could allow a hacker to take control of your dealership's entire network!

To instantly lock computers using Windows 8 and 10:

a) Open the Start Menu, click on your user icon and choose Lock from the list.

b) Press Ctrl+Alt+Del simultaneously, then select Lock from the options presented.

4) Perform 'software updates'

If your dealership doesn't have a managed services provider doing this for you, it's critical that someone updates the software operating system and applications on every computer on a regular basis. This is an important security issue. Microsoft issues frequent updates for Windows and other business applications that help to prevent new malware or viruses from infecting your computer.

Also, if you don't update software from other vendors, these applications will eventually become incompatible with newer versions of other applications.

The easiest way to check for software updates on your PC is to make a list of all the applications you use on a weekly basis. As you launch each application, check the settings. Update notifications are typically found in there.

5) Don't click on attachments or links in emails from people you don't know

Phishing is the most common way that hackers gain access to your dealership's network. Common examples of phishing emails include:

• An email from UPS or FedEx notifying you that a package is on its way, providing you with the tracking number. It encourages you to click on the link to see when your package will arrive.
• An email from Starbucks containing a coupon for a free coffee. It encourages you to enter personal information to retrieve the coupon.
• An email from PayPal notifying you there is a discrepancy with your account, with a link to the login page.
• A fraud notice from your bank or credit card company with a link to the login page. If you're concerned about fraud, call the institution directly using the phone number on your card.
• An email from your boss or dealership principal asking you to wire money to an account, with specific instructions on how to do so. Always call to verbally verify requests for money transfers.
• An email from Dropbox or Google Docs telling you a file is waiting to be downloaded, with a link to a fake login page.
• Social media invites. If you receive an email alerting you that someone wants to connect with you on Linked In or Facebook, don't click on the link provided. Instead, go directly to the social media site via your browser and accept the invitation there.

6) Re-start your PC daily

Some people leave their PC on all the time, day in and day out. Or they put it into sleep or hibernate mode. This is not healthy for a computer.

Restarting a PC finalizes updates and installations, prevents processors from becoming overloaded, flushes RAM, stops memory leaks and fixes many other coding and bug issues. In short, re-starting your PC daily will keep it running faster and more efficiently.

These are just a few things that every user should know about their PC. Do you have any tips to keep your PC running smoothly?

IT Provider is Hiring Staff to Service Auto & Trucking Dealerships Nationwide

Timonium, MD – January 23rd, 2017-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading Information Technology (IT) Managed Services Provider, announced today it is moving its current office in Dallas, TX to a new, larger location. The move comes as the company adds more than 30 technical support and call center positions to service its retail automotive and heavy-duty trucking dealership clientele nationwide.

"Due to unprecedented growth and the recent extension in our Help Desk hours, we are tripling our office space and adding more staff to meet the demand from our customers," said Erik Nachbahr, founder and president of Helion. "The Dallas location in particular helps us to better service our west coast customers."

The newly expanded call center in Dallas is an extension of Helion's call center based in Baltimore, Maryland. Helion offers phone-based technical support to its customers from 6:30 a.m. to midnight daily, Monday through Saturday. Helion also offers technical support on many major holidays.

"It's very unusual for an IT company to offer these kinds of hours, but we are committed to doing business when our customers do business," said Nachbahr. "Auto dealerships in particular can be very busy on holiday weekends and the last thing they need is disruption to their business due to an IT issue."

Helion Automotive Technologies offers a variety of IT services from basic desktop support and software upgrades to infrastructure enhancement, cybersecurity, phone systems, collaboration tools, videoconferencing solutions and more.

Helion currently services more than 650 automotive and heavy-duty trucking dealerships, and 28,000 end users. The company handles an average 300 Help Desk calls every day and resolves more than 6,000 IT issues per month.

To apply for open positions visit: http://www.heliontalent.com

Visit Helion Automotive Technologies at Booth #4303 at the NADA/ATD Convention & Expo in New Orleans, January 26th - 29th. For more information or to schedule an appointment contact Helion at 443-541-1500 or online at http://www.heliontechnologies.com.

About Helion Automotive Technologies

Helion...Putting Your Dealership in the FAST LANE! Helion Automotive Technologies is a leading IT solutions provider, providing auto dealers with faster, more efficient networks and secure data protection. From managed services to IT assistance and service desk help, Helion offers both short-term IT fixes and long-term planning so dealers can focus on what matters most: selling more cars. Helion has specialized in IT for more than ten years and works with 650+ auto dealers nationwide. Dealers can request a free assessment of their IT needs at www.heliontechnologies.com.

If you watched any TV over the holidays, you probably saw the commercials for Amazon Echo, affectionately known as Alexa, and for Google Home. These devices employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) to learn voice commands and perform tasks such as controlling smart home appliances, answering questions, placing orders online, playing music and more.

Right now these AI devices are meant for personal, at-home use. But in 2017, I predict we'll see new and more AI technologies being adopted in the workplace--including in dealerships! Here are three ways AI may impact your dealership in the coming year.

'Traveling' Personal Assistants

Drawbacks to Alexa and Google Home are that they are static, meaning you can only use them at home, and they are somewhat limited in their capabilities. But the technology is advancing at a rapid pace.

Google's assistant technology will soon be embedded into smartphones and cars. This means you can take your personal assistant with you wherever you go. Once this step happens, people will be using their assistants to help them in the workplace as well as personal functions.

AI assistants are very effective at setting appointments and meetings, literally taking over the back and forth email communications until an agreed upon time is reached, checking times against your schedule, then sending out the invites to all parties.

They can also send and receive emails and text messages, perform Internet searches and interact with smartphone apps, all via voice command.

Chat and Text Bots

Several vendors already offer chat and text bot applications that communicate directly with customers. These are sometimes referred to as assistants, but their primary functions are to engage with customers, answer questions and help bring customers down funnel to the point where they are ready to schedule an appointment. At that point, the chat bots can schedule the appointment or hand the prospect over to a salesperson or service advisor.

One of the main advantages of bots is that they communicate with customers instantly and any time of day or night. While your sales people and service advisors are with customers, out to lunch or call in sick for a day, the bots can effectively answer inquiries and FAQs, schedule appointments and notify staff if a customer's inquiry requires a personal call.

These bots are very efficient and capable of answering sophisticated questions such as:

• Do you still have xyz car in stock?
• Do you have this make/model in red?
• What's the price?
• How do I program Bluetooth in the car I just bought?
• Is your service department open? Do I need an appointment?
• How much do you charge for an oil change?
• Is my car ready for pickup?
• When will my car be ready for pickup?

In one dealership, their bot named "Lisa" was so effective that numerous Yelp reviews praised how wonderful and helpful Lisa was.

Some chat bots can be integrated with CRM, ILM and other communication platforms, increasing lead volumes and conversion rates. Facebook Messenger recently launched its own chat bot designed for businesses to use on their Facebook pages. These bots engage with Messenger users, answer questions and eventually deliver them as leads to your dealership.

Vehicles Connected to the Internet

In the next five years the practice of updating a vehicle's software with over-the-air updates will grow at least tenfold, according to IHS Automotive. Over-the-air software updates are used for maps, apps, infotainment, telematics and electronic control units (ECU). In the not-too-distant future, dealers will even be able to diagnose and correct some performance issues without requiring the vehicle owner to make a shop visit.

In the future when connected cars sense a problem or needed repair, they will notify the dealership and schedule their own appointments.

To prepare for a world where AI is pervasive, dealerships will need to review their IT infrastructure to make sure it can support the additional data requirements. This includes upgrading to fiber optics Internet connections, increasing WiFi capacity and replacing old network switches and other hardware such as PCs.

If you have recently upgraded your IT infrastructure, unfortunately you're not off the hook. The Internet of Things, or the number of connected devices, has nearly tripled in the last three years and will triple again in the next three. AI will be one of the contributors to an increased need for speed. I always tell dealers, don't upgrade your bandwidth to what your data needs are today. Triple that. Go there, otherwise in two years you'll need to do it again.

How Faulty IT Infrastructures are Causing Dealerships to Lose Revenue, Lose Customers and Lose Employee Buy-In

Timonium, MD – January 16th, 2017-- Helion Automotive Technologies announced today the release of a free eBook for auto dealerships, titled Three Service Department Pain Points, Solved! How Faulty IT Infrastructures are Causing Dealerships to Lose Revenue, Lose Customers and Lose Employee Buy-In. The eBook spotlights the problems that many service departments are facing because their current networks do not support all the new technologies and tools that require massive amounts of bandwidth.

"When I tell dealers they need to upgrade their networks, the thing I hear the most is that they just upgraded two years ago and they don't understand why it needs to be done again," said Erik Nachbahr, founder and President of Helion Automotive Technologies. "The reason is because of the Internet of Things, and the number of connected devices has nearly tripled in the last three years. This trend is accelerating and bandwidth requirements are expected to nearly triple again in the next few years. Most dealers are really behind the curve in where they need to be right now and to prepare for the future."

In today's service department, increased bandwidth is required for:

• Mobile tablet applications
• Third-party, cloud-based service applications
• Vehicle computer system updates
• Wireless tech tools
• Employee and customer cell phones
• Smart appliances

In the ebook, Helion gives specific recommendations and minimum benchmarks for dealerships' IT networks, including Internet, WiFi and switches. Helion also addresses the issue of call flow, the number of leads that dealers are losing because of poor call flow, and how most dealers overlook this critical component to their phone system.

The ebook features insights from industry experts, including:

• Chip King, CallRevu
• Jeff Cowan, PROTALK
• Michael Roppo, WithumSmith+Brown
• Ujj Nath, myKaarma
• Bill Wittenmyer, ELEAD1ONE

To download a copy of Helion's free eBook, Three Service Department Pain Points, Solved! click here: http://bit.ly/2iPbOUu

To learn more about how technology can drive revenue at your dealership, visit Booth #4303 at the NADA Convention & Expo in New Orleans, Jan 27th - Jan 29th. For more information or to schedule an appointment at NADA/ATD, contact Helion at 443-541-1500.

About Helion Automotive Technologies

Helion...Putting Your Dealership in the FAST LANE! Helion Automotive Technologies is a leading IT solutions provider, providing auto dealers with faster, more efficient networks and secure data protection. From managed services to IT assistance and service desk help, Helion offers both short-term IT fixes and long-term planning so dealers can focus on what matters most: selling more cars. Helion has specialized in IT for more than ten years and works with 650+ auto dealers nationwide. Dealers can request a free assessment of their IT needs at www.heliontechnologies.com.

Timonium, MD – January 11th, 2017-- Helion Automotive Technologies announced today it's celebrating the company's 20th anniversary. For 20 years Helion has been a Managed Services Provider for auto dealerships, designing and implementing proactive information technology (IT) strategies to support auto dealers' business success. One year ago Helion expanded into the heavy-duty trucking dealership space when they brought Summit Truck Group on board as a new customer.

Like many well-known tech visionaries, Helion founder and president Erik Nachbahr started in his basement and grew his business through referrals. His first automotive client was a Toyota dealer who referred him to several other Toyota dealers, and on it went. After recognizing a need in the automotive niche, Nachbahr quickly decided to specialize in providing managed IT services to auto dealerships.

"A lot of auto dealers struggle with technology because so many of the IT problems they have are specific to what they do; such as issues with multiple vendors playing the blame game, or DMS and integration issues," said Nachbahr. "Focusing only on automotive gives us an edge because we know if a vendor's latest software update is buggy, or if there's a problem with an OEM application, so our clients know the problem is not on their end."

With an average 15 percent annual growth rate, today Helion services over 650 dealerships and 28,000 end users. The company handles an average 300 Help Desk calls every day and resolves more than 6,000 IT issues per month.

Nachbahr credits Helion's growth to its reputation for service excellence and keeping its primary focus on auto dealers' success via the implementation of proactive IT strategies.

"We show dealers how IT can help achieve growth and other business goals they want, by planning out a detailed IT strategy for 60 months," said Nachbahr. "Without this planning dealerships' responses to IT problems tend to be reactionary, which hinders productivity and affects employee morale."

Helion also advises dealerships on new technologies, security issues, the importance of understanding the systems they have (such as their phone configurations' impact on incoming leads and customer satisfaction), as well as how IT can improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace.

Win a free Amazon Echo Dot! To celebrate its 20th 'birthday', Helion will be giving away one Amazon Echo Dot every day during the NADA/ATD Convention & Expo at Booth #4303. Amazon Echo Dot is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that users frequently refer to as "Alexa" and is commonly used to play music, control smart home devices, set alarms, read news and more.

To join the celebration, visit Helion Automotive Technologies at Booth #4303 at the NADA/ATD Convention & Expo in New Orleans. For more information or to schedule an appointment at NADA/ATD, contact Helion at 443-541-1500.

About Helion Automotive Technologies

Helion...Putting Your Dealership in the FAST LANE! Helion Automotive Technologies is a leading IT solutions provider, providing auto dealers with faster, more efficient networks and secure data protection. From managed services to IT assistance and service desk help, Helion offers both short-term IT fixes and long-term planning so dealers can focus on what matters most: selling more cars. Helion has specialized in IT for more than ten years and works with 650+ auto dealers nationwide. Dealers can request a free assessment of their IT needs at www.heliontechnologies.com.

Cybersecurity is more than just a buzzword that's hanging over from the election. This issue is a real threat to every small business, including dealerships. You may think your network is protected with a firewall and anti-virus software, but that won't stop sophisticated hackers from gaining access to your emails, your data, your customer records and possibly all that cash sitting in your dealership's bank accounts.

One dealership I know of experienced an attack when hackers installed a type of surveillance software in their network called keylogger. This was done by sending an email that contained a link or file to an employee. When the employee clicked on the link or downloaded the file, the malware was installed. In the case of this dealership, the malware was installed on a computer in the accounting department.

Surveillance software tracks every keystroke that employees make on their keyboards. Using this tactic the hackers were able to figure out the login and password used to access the dealership's TransUnion account.

After hours, the hackers logged in and began pulling credit information on the dealership's customers. More than 200 records were compromised before TransUnion stopped the suspicious activity. The FBI got involved and the dealership had to pay over $150,000 for a security audit and other costs associated with notifying customers that their information had been compromised.

Imagine if hackers gained access to all the customer records in your DMS, or CRM, or to your bank accounts. They could steal your customer information and initiate wire transfers. Costs to your dealership could run into the millions.

It's called two-factor authentication. Every dealership should contact their banks, credit bureaus and all their software vendors, especially if your dealership's data is backed up into the cloud. Ask your vendor to require two-factor authentication in order for your accounts to be accessed.

You are probably familiar with two-factor authentication. If you try to log in to your Google account or bank account from an unfamiliar device, they text or email an access code that must be used within a certain timeframe, such as 30 minutes. Many banks now mandate the usage of two-factor authentication.

Two-factor authentication is a very effective method for stopping hackers in their tracks. The first factor is your password, which is usually static so hackers can figure it out. The second factor is the temporary code that's synced to a different system and constantly refreshes, so it's very difficult to breach.

In the workplace, two-factor authentication is sometimes still accomplished using hardware tokens, but those are now going out of vogue. Now everything is moving towards the use of software tokens.

In dealerships, two-factor authentication should be used for access to:

• Bank accounts
• Credit bureaus
• DMS vendors
• CRM vendors
• Any third-party software that contains your customers' personal, confidential information
• VPN remote access

The problem right now is that many CRM and DMS vendors do not offer two-factor authentication. The reason? Dealers aren't demanding it.

Dealers, if you demand this from your vendors they should start providing it. Vendors, if you don't offer this option, your clients' customer data is vulnerable.

Google has an excellent two-factor authentication system that just about any vendor can integrate with. We use it here at Helion and we mandate its usage for all of our applications, so employees are forced to use it. Your employees may complain about this a little at first, but they will quickly get used to it.

Two-factor authentication is an inexpensive and very effective method for ensuring that your data, your customers' data and your bank accounts are not compromised.

However, in the event that your customer records are compromised, you still need cyber liability insurance. Data breaches are expensive and the vast majority of dealerships are not protected.

Cybersecurity should be a top priority for every dealership this year. Hacking can be very profitable to cyber criminals, and small to mid-sized businesses are most vulnerable to attacks. Auto dealerships are an especially attractive target because of the social security numbers, bank account information and other valuable information associated with thousands of customer records.

Timonium, MD – December 12th, 2016-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions for auto dealers, today announced the top technology priorities for auto dealerships in 2017. As dealerships plan to improve operational efficiencies, allocating budgets to these five areas will result in strong, fast and secure IT backbones that will support new business and technology initiatives.

"Dealers often view IT as a cost of doing business, rather than as an investment that can help them become more competitive," said Erik Nachbahr, President of Helion Automotive Technologies. "In this industry time is money and an outdated IT infrastructure can result in downtime, lost revenue, reduced customer retention and loss of employee buy-in."

Helion's top IT priorities for auto dealers in 2017 are:

1) Internet Bandwidth

Until recently a Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) T1 Internet connection may have been sufficient for the average dealership. Not any more. Today's cloud-based, third-party and OEM applications require greater data throughput than a T1 can handle. Dealerships that haven't already upgraded to a fiber optics connection, may want to seriously consider this option.

A T1 connection carries data at a rate of 1.544 Mbps. A fiber optics connection carries data at rates ranging from 100 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps). Fiber optics is the future of Internet connectivity, so why wait? Nothing kills productivity and employee morale like slow Internet.

2) Wireless

This is a huge area of frustration for many dealers, as they discover their dealerships don't have nearly enough wireless for today's mobile tablet and software applications, especially in the service department.

As OEMs and third-party application developers push location-based technologies and programs, the average dealership with six to ten high-speed wireless access nodes will need to increase their wireless capacity by three to five times, to a minimum of 25 wireless access nodes per store.

3) Incoming Call Flow

Up to 30 percent of incoming phone leads never connect with an employee who can help them. This has nothing to do with people and processes, and everything to do with call flow. A phone system's call flow defines rules such as how many times an extension rings, whether the caller goes to voice mail or back to the receptionist.

"Dealers are losing a crazy amount of leads due to something they probably don't think much about," said Nachbahr. His recommendations include creating a new call flow designed to support dealer processes and, once established, not allowing individual managers to make spontaneous changes.

4) Security and Regulatory Compliance

Security breaches have become frighteningly commonplace. In the last year 75 percent of businesses with fewer than 500 employees reported a security breach, according to a July 2016 report titled IT Security at Small to Mid-Size Businesses (SMBs): 2016 Benchmark Survey. If customer records are exposed, associated fines and lawsuits can add up to millions of dollars per incident.

To avoid harsh financial consequences, Nachbahr's top recommendation for dealers is to get cyber liability insurance. Additionally, dealerships should have established security policies in place.

5) Software Licensing

An estimated 45 percent of auto dealerships have been audited by Microsoft in the last two years. Additionally, Microsoft has issued warnings that 100 percent of businesses should expect a software audit at least once every four years.

Dealerships not in compliance with licensing laws are being slapped with huge fines from the Business Software Alliance, Microsoft and other software vendors. Violations most commonly occur with unlicensed copies of Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat and antivirus programs.

"One dealership I know of got caught using unlicensed copies of Microsoft Office on over 300 computers, and had to pay a fine of $1.5 million," said Nachbahr. "This is something that dealers cannot afford to mess around with."

To avoid fines Nachbahr says dealers need to ensure that employees are not using unlicensed copies of software. If the cost of Office 2016 is prohibitive, try Microsoft Office 365 Business, a cloud-based subscription program. Just be sure that Internet and WiFi connections can support the increased data throughput that cloud-based applications require.

For more information contact Helion at 443-541-1500 or visit http://www.heliontechnologies.com.

About Helion Automotive Technologies

Helion...Putting Your Dealership in the FAST LANE! Helion Automotive Technologies is a leading IT solutions provider, providing auto dealers with faster, more efficient networks and secure data protection. From managed services to IT assistance and service desk help, Helion offers both short-term IT fixes and long-term planning so dealers can focus on what matters most: selling more cars. Helion has specialized in IT for more than ten years and works with 650+ auto dealers nationwide. Dealers can request a free assessment of their IT needs at www.heliontechnologies.com.

Here's a scenario that unfortunately many dealers are familiar with: your star salesperson is poached by the competition. To add insult to injury, the salesperson takes with him a list of all his--and your dealership's--former customers.

Now your competition is reaping the benefits of your dealership's marketing dollars. If you're lucky, that list of contacts is the only thing the salesperson took. In some cases former employees take a lot more than that.

In fact, right now an ex-employee could be logging into your CRM to steal leads and view your recent sales activity, and you don't even know it's happening.

Fortunately, stopping this type of nefarious activity is easy. But you can't fix what you don't know.

A simple checklist is all it takes to ensure that unauthorized users have zero access to your database, leads and other information.

At Helion we call this a "User Account Creation" list, which, upon termination of the employee, becomes the "User Account Termination" list. A manager or someone on your human resources or information technology (IT) team should be assigned the task of going through the list, and it should become a mandatory part of the hiring and firing process.

When someone is hired, create a list of every account that person has access to. Include licensing information for all software that person will use.

Your list may include the following:

Logins and passwords for the following accounts:

• PC/Windows
• DMS software
• CRM software
• OEM interfaces
• Social media accounts
• Dealership bank accounts
• Other third-party websites or software

Licensing numbers for:

• Microsoft Windows
• Adobe Acrobat
• Antivirus programs

Every time a person is hired, create the checklist and keep it in the employee's file. When the person leaves your company, someone must go through the checklist and delete the user from every account. This will eliminate that employee's ability to log in and view financial data or customer records.

Another way that employees may gain access to your dealership's network is by installing remote access software onto their PCs. This off-the-shelf software, such as logmein or gotomypc, is designed to allow employees to use their home computer to access their work computer so they can work from home.

Unfortunately, this means the employee can use their home computer to access their work computer even if they're no longer employed at your dealership. These remote access software programs run in 'stealth mode,' which means the average user doesn't know they're installed.

The best way to disable remote access software is to use Microsoft Active Directory. Active Directory is a centralized administrative software program that has been used in corporate America for decades. Active Directory keeps every employee in a directory and allows administrative rights to be assigned to each individual.

With Active Directory you can prevent employees from installing any new software of any kind onto their computers, which I highly recommend. When an employee leaves the company and their account is disabled in Active Directory, they will no longer be able to access their former PC or your dealership's network, even if they do have remote access software.

Creating this checklist will greatly reduce the likelihood that a former employee will steal your data. Unfortunately, you may not be able to protect against every kind of theft. I know of one dealer who discovered that a former sales manager was paying the receptionist to feed him leads out of the CRM. This type of 'theft' is harder to protect against.

But most ex-employees are more opportunists than outright thieves. Their attitude is, "Well if they didn't want me in the system, they would have locked me out, right?"

Right. So if you don't want former employees in your system, lock them out.

Insurance is one of those business costs we all hate paying every month, until the day we actually need it. I'm not an insurance expert so I don't know exactly how many policies a typical dealership has. I imagine it's quite a few when you add up the various property, casualty and liability coverages.

But I do know there is one very important insurance that a lot of dealerships don't have and don't realize they desperately need: cyber liability insurance.

Cyber liability insurance covers costs related to a breach of data at your dealership. The likelihood of this occurring is high. In the last 12 months 71% of Small to Mid-Size Businesses (SMBs) reported a security breach, according to a July 2016 report titled IT Security at Small to Mid-Size Businesses (SMBs): 2016 Benchmark Survey. Companies with fewer than 500 employees proved the most vulnerable with a 75% breach rate.

Property insurance may cover physical damage to your hardware, software and networking equipment, and casualty insurance may cover losses of the same due to theft. But neither will cover costs related to loss or theft of your data.

If a hacker gains access to your customer records, the costs to your dealership can be astronomical.

In one dealership I know of, a cybercriminal hacked into their credit bureau and pulled over 200 credit reports, costing the dealership over $150,000.

If your dealership database contains 100,000 customer records and someone gains access to all of those records, the cost could be in the millions. This is based on an average $10 to $30 per customer record breached.

Why so much?

When criminals gain access to your company database, they gain access to sensitive data like social security numbers, credit card numbers and addresses. They then try to use this information to open and access accounts, drain money and destroy individuals' credit.

Your dealership is liable for these types of attacks and the resulting costs, which may include:

Investigations. When a data breach occurs, it's recommended that you notify local law enforcement. This may lead to the FBI getting involved. In some cases the FBI will notify you that a data breach has occurred. If this happens there's a good chance that a computer forensic investigation will be ordered, the costs of which your company must bear. Computer forensic experts charge up to $1,000 per hour and an investigation takes many, many hours.

Business Interruptions. In some cases your business may be ordered to close the doors while the source and impact of the data breach is assessed.

Notifications and Credit Monitoring. In many states, your business is required to notify customers if their Sensitive Personally Identifiable Identification (SPII) have been accessed or acquired. In addition, you may be required to offer free credit monitoring services to every person impacted.

Crisis Management and Public Relations. When a data breach occurs, quick action is important to help restore the public’s confidence. Professional services may be needed to help your business recover from the negative publicity.

Lawsuits. It's likely your dealership will become a target for customer and class-action lawsuits related to the data breach. Also be prepared for possible FTC action for non-compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act and software copyright laws.

To protect your dealership from the harsh consequences of a data security breach, consider adding cyber liability insurance to your list of policies. You may not think you need it, but if you ever do, you'll be very grateful to have it.