Paul, at the last GM DSP (Dealer System Provider) meeting, all DSP's were advised that Rapid is not slated to migrate any time soon. No additional details were discussed.
In the area of VISS to GM VIS, this was slated for July 3, 2000. GM has decided to postpone the shutdown of DCS for several reasons, one of which I believe was the lack of readiness of the dealer community to migrate to a PC connection to GM DealerWorld. Dealers need to ensure that they can access GM DealerWorld from PC's, where ever they are currently accessing DCS (non-Rapid) applications. If you can't, you will lose functionality at that workstation if you only have green screen connectivity.
For some dealers, this migration is a non-issue as they have been converting desktops to PC's for several years. For others, this may be a massive undertaking if they have not started the migration as issues such as cabling, business processes (such as desktop administration), and training need to be addressed.
If you would like to talk to a dealer who is very in-tune to this activity, I suggest you contact Spencer Hondros (Chairman of the GM Dealer IT Committee), and he can give you additional information from a dealers perspective. Spencer can be emailed at
sh804@ibm.net, or you can call him at his dealership - Vila Marin GMC, Buick, Pontiac in Staten Island, New York. Spencer and I have known each other for in excess of 12 years and he is always willing to assist another GM dealer in understanding the effects of IT on their business.
Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2000 10:23 pm