The Reynolds and Reynolds Co. and Proton Dealership IT announced completion of a new security operations center at Reynolds’ headquarters in Dayton, Ohio. The center is operational and a substantial upgrade for constant monitoring of suspicious and malicious activity.

It's a component of Proton’s ongoing security monitoring and response activities for cyber-threats against dealerships across North America. The security hub combines the strength of both Reynolds and Proton to allow for higher-scale delivery of service expertise.

“This new operations center further demonstrates our commitment to being the best choice for automotive dealership cybersecurity,” said Reynolds and Reynolds President Chris Walsh.

On-site cybersecurity professionals analyze the cyber-space landscape, the tools and techniques criminals use, and the signals received by Proton’s tools. “This team will continuously monitor the security of Proton’s clients, defend them against security breaches, and actively isolate and mitigate security risks,” said Reynolds Chief Iinformation Security Officer Nikhil Kalani.

Dealerships can be lucrative targets for criminals, and cyberattacks continue to be a problem for them, despite updates to the Federal Trade Commission’s Safeguards Rule this year.

“There is a big difference between what it means to be compliant with the rule and being secure,” Kalani said. “The cybersecurity professionals in our new [center], and the tools they will have at their disposal, are dealers’ first line of defense.”

More information about how dealerships can protect themselves from cyber-threats, meet compliance requirements, and satisfy their IT needs can be found here.