Reynolds Announces ERA Enhancements for More Secure Systems Access

Latest Enhancements Add Better System Performance and Protection for Consumer Information in the ERA DMS

DAYTON, Ohio, Feb. 12 -- Reynolds and Reynolds today announced a number of advancements from the past 18 months to enhance the functionality of the ERAŽ dealership management system (DMS) and apply industry-standard approaches to data protection and to safe, secure, and verified access to the DMS.

"Our focus remains providing our customers with the solutions and technologies that best meet their business needs and help them operate more effectively," said Trey Hiers, vice president of Corporate Marketing at Reynolds and Reynolds. "As a result, we continue to enhance the capabilities of the ERA system to deliver newer, more advanced functions for dealership management. Increasingly, those enhancements include improving secure access to the DMS and the data in it."

  --  Earlier this year, Reynolds finalized the installation of newer, more
      secure Internet-based connections at all customer sites as a means of
      communicating with the ERA DMS.  This enables Reynolds to deliver
      software releases and diagnostics faster and more efficiently to
      dealerships.  The new connectivity replaces older, less secure
      telephone modem connections.

  --  Additionally, Reynolds has implemented improved DMS access protection
      through more sophisticated password management and encryption
      technologies to help dealerships ensure an authorized individual is
      accessing the system.

  --  New safeguards have been added in the ERA software to better protect
      the handling of sensitive consumer data sent to a printer or viewed on
      screen in the dealership, such as Social Security numbers and
      financial data.

  --  Reynolds also continues to add features to help dealerships meet the
      requirements of state and federal compliance regulations for data
      security and privacy.

"We're pleased with our progress in enhancing the functionality and performance of the ERA DMS," Hiers said. "We've continued to improve system security so that dealerships are better able to know who accesses what data, when, and for what purposes. After all, there is as much personal and financial information in the DMS as there is in a bank, and none of us would be content for our bank to offer unmonitored access to our personal data. We'd expect the bank to assure us they know exactly who's pulling the data, where it's being sent, and how it's being used."

About Third Party Access

Reynolds and Reynolds provides the largest program for third party access of any dealership services provider in the industry. Dealerships that use a Reynolds and Reynolds DMS to run their business can choose from more than 100 third parties who can provide safe, secure, and verified handling of a dealership's data.

About Reynolds

Reynolds and Reynolds is the automotive industry's leading provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms to help dealerships improve business results. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, and Celina, Ohio. (www.reyrey.com)