system admin.

[MIKEA]

I would like to find out who takes care of all the new systems that GM dealers have to worry about. I'm the warranty admin and sytem admin for our reynolds and reynolds system. Now i'm dealing with all that plus GM ACCESS, Techline, ESI, networking and Sales Vision. Seems like some days I don't have time for warranty!! Maybe we need a forum to discuss GM ACCESS, networking and the demise of DCS.
Are we automotive people or computer people and what kid of pay should we be looking for?

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[Frank Smith]

Hi Mikea,
I agree, it is a full time job administering r&r and Bell & Howell Gm's
Access along with Techline and CCC Pathway's for the body shop it simply requires time.I am the Service Director here
and these duties hang on my hat rack! I have
empowered one person from each area to look
after the day to day items such as updates
simple hardware problems and logging in all
the terminals after power outages. I would not be able to do my job if I did not enlist these helpful people.

[Gerry Laughlin]

Mike, our dealership has gotten to the point where we have 4 routers, 4 NT servers, 4 non ADP laser printers and 40 nodes on our network, so I can really empathize with you. My dealership does pay me well, and I am sure it has a lot to do with my computer skills. Even so I found it tough to keep our system humming and still run a parts department. It took a little work but we finally got it resolved. First we had an outside computer maintainence firm come in and give us an estimate on how much it would cost to have them come in and do what I do, their estimate was $36,000. per year. From there it got easy, we added another parts counterman, and spread most of his salary around to all the departments that need support.
By the way I do agree about the Computer Forum. It seems as though the most active threads concern Computers.

[David Cates]

More and more dealerships are going to be faced with this situation as technology continues to expand its role in the dealership. Dealers will have to decide if it is worth the investment to hire an IT person or continue to have personnel share duties such as what you guys are doing. The move from mainframe to client-server and web enabled technology is adding to the already complicated task of maintaining an in-house system. In addition, as mentioned, there are numerous other manufacturer, body shop, etc.. related networks and applications that need to be maintained. I think the answer to Mike's question is that you are still automotive people, but now must rely heavily on technology to get the job done. This technology must continually be maintained, updated, and changed order to stay competitive with those that are taking advantage of it. I am working with several dealers who are trying to create a department that has an emphasis on business development and marketing, but is also in charge of information management and system maintenance and management. I like this approach because you have dedicated personnel handling the technology issues (and not managers, etc..) and at the same time are revenue producing (hopefully) as well. I know one thing, it's definitely not going to get any easier!

[This message has been edited by David Cates (edited 06-22-99).]