The Reynolds and Reynolds Company and Proton Dealership IT announced the completion of a new state-of-the-art security operations center (SOC) at Reynolds’ headquarters in Dayton, Ohio. The new SOC is operational and a substantial upgrade for constant monitoring of suspicious and malicious activity.
The SOC is a vital component of Proton’s ongoing security monitoring and response activities for cyber threats against dealerships across North America. This new 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 Chris Walsh, president of Reynolds and Reynolds.
In the SOC, on-site cybersecurity professionals analyze the current cyber 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 Nikhil Kalani, Reynolds chief information security officer.
Dealerships can be a lucrative target for criminals, and cyberattacks continue to be a problem for them despite updates to the FTC’s Safeguards Rule earlier this year.
“There is a big difference between what it means to be compliant with the rule and being secure,” concluded Kalani. “The cybersecurity professionals in our new SOC, and the tools they will have at their disposal, are dealers’ first line of defense.”
Additional information about how dealerships can protect themselves from cyber threats, meet compliance requirements, and satisfy their IT needs can be found at protontechs.com.
