What is SD-WAN? SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Networks) is an application of SDN (Software Defined Networking). SD-WAN is used for connecting enterprise networks including multiple locations and data centers, separated by geographical distances through the cloud. How is it Different from MPLS? MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) can also be used to connect multiple office locations, [...]
July, 2017 – A new survey by the Gillrie Institute ranks ‘Service’ as the most important area for dealership success far above New and Used Car business. Almost 9 out of 10 responding dealers anticipate that the size of their Service department will become somewhat or substantially larger over the next 5 years. As the [...]
Download our Infograph 'Cox Automotive vs. CDK Global vs. R&R' for FREE! When it comes to Automotive Technology, most dealers automatically think of CDK Global or R&R as the market leaders in automotive technology. First of all, both vendors supply mission-critical software for a dealership - Dealer Management Systems (DMS). And secondly, both vendors [...]
We've worked with over 7,000 car and truck dealers in the US and Canada on great contracts for auto tech vendors. Discussing dealers’ options for Business Office, Front-End, Fixed Operations, and Dealership-wide application is a daily routine. Below is a shortlist of 5 auto tech vendors that have a selling proposition that stands out. Put [...]
Because we have worked with over 7,000 dealer partners in the US and Canada we know a thing or two about phones. We have been seeing first-hand what challenges dealerships are facing when selecting the wrong phone system, and more importantly, the wrong partner to install and maintain the phones. Here are three things [...]
Just glance at your monthly financial statement. You know that almost everything you need to know about your store is right there but sometimes it’s easy to overlook some important details. It’s always the right time to remind ourselves of the business basics and the real costs of overpaying for technology. Our intuition tells [...]
At the Gillrie Institute we are involved in over 500 dealership technology deals every year. From large (public) to smaller single-rooftop dealerships, over 7,000 dealer partners have had us assist them with negotiating Dealer Management Systems (DMS), Customer Relationship Management systems (CRM), phone solutions (VoIP) and many others. Most dealers spend an enormous amount of [...]
Many a dealer has had sleepless nights thinking about the security of his data. Running a dealership with a technologically current, efficient Dealer Management System (DMS) or Customer Relations Management (CRM) system while still protecting sensitive data can be quite a balancing act. CDK’s recent announcement of their SecurityFirst initiative has once again focused [...]
2016 is only 20 days young and dealers and yet dealers are already planning for expenses and allocating resources for the rest of year. As a major facilitator of sales and business success and one of a dealer’s major expenses, dealership technology has always been a priority in budgeting. Here are 5 technology projects [...]
New Payment Standard for Credit and Debit Cards Over the course of the last year or two, many banks and credit card institution introduced new EMV-compliant “chip” cards to replace the old-fashioned magnetic stripe cards. Credit and debit cards using EMV technology have been the standard in Canada, Europe, and Asia for several years, and [...]
