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NEED TO KNOW Content on Automotive Digest
Are Your Dealership IT Systems Secure?
The Problem: Possible of Data Breach
Misty Lerch, automotive industry professional since 1993, and controller of two
dealerships in Amarillo, Texas - Street Toyota and Street Volkswagen – had experienced
physical security issues in past. But after an internal employee threat, she realized she
was unprepared for the possibility of a data breach.
Controller’s Responsibility: One of Misty’s responsibilities as the controller of one
of the top dealership groups in her area is to collect sensitive information from a large
database of customers who invest their trust into her brand. She commonly deals with
physical security threats, including an incident when a news station was going through
local dealerships’ trash. Misty protected against this threat by employing a service for
the removal of printed files.
Customer Data: There was still uncertainty surrounding the security of digital
customer information―including the personal and financial information given when a
customer purchases a car.
The Solution: Managed security service provider (MSSP)
A local VAR, Frenzel Computer Services, told Misty about one of their partners, a
managed security service provider (MSSP), who specializes in security for large
distributed networks―including dealerships. Misty was impressed with what she heard,
especially that the MSSP was GLBA and PCI compliant and would regularly provide
audit reports.
Through Frenzel, Misty employed Nuspire Networks to monitor all network activity
going in and out of her dealerships’ systems, and track for suspicious network activity.
After employing Nuspire, Misty says she has had zero complaints on the service and
security the company provides to her dealerships and customers.
Are Your Dealership IT Systems Secure?
The Impact of the Solution on the dealerships:
1) Peace of Mind: Employing an MSSP gives Misty peace of mind. She says she is
reassured someone is always watching her network. Even more, Misty commends
Nuspire for their proactive ability to recognize threats and correlate events before
there is opportunity for foul play.
2) Protection for the Dealership: The solution saves Misty from potentially
embarrassing or reputation-harming issues, and protects the integrity of her online
marketing streams―a vital channel for dealerships today.
3) Countering a Hacker: This was true when Nuspire informed her of an employee
who clicked on an unsafe link, which allowed a hacker to seize the computer and
send out spam. Nuspire alerted Misty of the situation and resolved it before her
customer base received sham emails from her dealership.
4) Deals with External Threats: Nuspire also provides Misty’s dealerships
protection from external threats, something of high value, as her management
system is under a separate umbrella and the company deals with a number of
certifying third parties. The solution and service also ensures Misty’s dealerships are
PCI compliant.
5) Employing IT Security Team: In addition to 24-hour security monitoring, using
an MSSP solution saves Misty the expense of employing an entire IT security team,
made up of five or six employees, to manage the dealership’s network. It would be
much harder for an internal security team to provide the same amount of tracking or
expertise as a round-the-clock MSSP. MSSPs make it their job to adjust and
understand the ever-changing threat landscape, which becomes somewhat of a
daunting undertaking for a small team.
Who Provided the Solution?
Nuspire Networks, a state-of-the-science MSSP, deploys specialized network monitoring
and management services that go far beyond firewall maintenance and IDS monitoring.
The company uses security information and event monitoring that combine and sort
network data in real-time into actionable alerts investigated and mitigated by trained
network security analysts.
The company offers customizable solutions for managing each client’s security posture,
and even provides controls for compliance concerns such as PCI, HIPAA, SOX, and
GBLA—a selling point for Misty Lerch and businesses who extend credit, such as
dealerships.