What do you know about your Data Security?

Some estimating and bodyshop management software provider's primary goal is to help you to achieve better efficiency and profitability. For others, it is to profit off of you.

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How this is done is often embedded in the fine print. First and foremost, if you don't read on or take anything else from this article, know this:

The data recorded by the software package you subscribe to should always be yours. If you don't own the data that’s being recorded within the system, what are you paying monthly fees for?

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Some software providers may be entitled to onsell your data to the highest bidder. Over time, Insurance providers have been known to seek this otherwise secure information out, either directly from collision repairers or through other, indirect means such as industry consultants who may have built up a cache of benchmarking data from their client’s books and databases. Historically this was less of a problem as the line defining IP was quite clear. In modern times, however, where online data recording and storage are King, it has become somewhat of a grey area.

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Be aware of the fine print when you're choosing a quoting system or BMS. If you cannot export your data from any report or page within your software package at any time, or if you don't own your data inside or outside the system it is recorded, ask why; it may be being onsold.

WebTRIM offers an opt-in benchmarking service to our customers and uses this data anonymously to rank performance against the industry. WebTRIM customer data is not automatically used in industry benchmarking without permission, and WebTRIM does not onsell this data at all.

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Industry benchmarking can be an insightful way to know and understand the areas in which you rank strongly as well as highlight focal areas in which improvements can be made if hosted within its customer's best interests.

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If you're paying fees for data collation, reporting or storage, you should always ask these questions:

Do I own the data recorded within this system?

Do you, the software provider, reserve the right to sell it?

WebTRIM has been built on the pillars of our customer's successes, we have been around for a long time, we’ve paved the way for the industry, and we ride on the back of the successes of our customers. Your successes are in our best interests as ours are in yours.

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We’re not just in it for a good time, but a long time as well.