Resources
Dealership DMS backup glossary
Plain-language definitions of DMS backup, business continuity, compliance, and dealership data protection terms.
Use these definitions when evaluating backup coverage, preparing for DMS outages, or documenting data protection for compliance and cyber insurance programs.
- DMS backup
- A copy of dealership operational data synchronized from the primary Dealer Management System, including records, documents, and media across departments.
- DMSbackups platform →
- Complete DMS backup
- Backup that captures accounting, payroll, F&I, sales, service, parts, CRM, documents, media, and historical records—not limited customer exports.
- Coverage matrix →
- B.A.R.T. (Bidirectional Access Real-Time)
- InDesign Data's core technology for real-time, two-way access to DMS data. B.A.R.T. is not the dealer-facing DMSbackups search application.
- About InDesign Data →
- Business continuity
- The ability to maintain access to critical dealership operations and historical records during and after a DMS interruption or system change.
- Continuity planning →
- DMS outage
- A period when the primary dealership DMS is unavailable due to maintenance, cyber incident, vendor disruption, or connectivity failure.
- Outage preparation guide →
- Air-gapped backup
- A backup physically separated from live networks—achieved when local storage media is detached—reducing exposure to online threats.
- Air-gapped explained →
- Local detachable storage
- Backup media stored within the dealership environment that can be physically removed from the network for separation and controlled access.
- Security and control →
- Independent DMS backup
- A backup copy maintained outside the primary DMS vendor's system of record, under dealership control, for search and continuity.
- Why independence matters →
- DMS vendor backup
- Backup operated by the DMS provider to protect their platform. May not provide independent, searchable, dealership-controlled historical access.
- Vendor vs independent →
- FTC Safeguards Rule
- Federal Trade Commission regulation requiring financial institutions—including many auto dealers—to maintain documented information security programs with data protection safeguards.
- FTC Safeguards page →
- Documented data protection
- Written policies and technical controls demonstrating how customer information is secured, backed up, and recoverable—often reviewed in compliance and insurance audits.
- Compliance readiness →
- Cyber insurance underwriting
- The insurer's evaluation of a dealership's security controls, including whether independent DMS backups exist and can be restored, before issuing or renewing coverage.
- Cyber insurance guide →
- Repair order (RO)
- A service department record documenting vehicle repair work, parts, labor, and customer authorization—commonly searched during continuity events.
- Search capabilities →
- Deal jacket
- The collection of sales and F&I documents associated with a vehicle transaction, including contracts and supporting paperwork.
- Department coverage →
- DMS transition
- The process of changing dealership management systems, requiring preservation and validation of historical operational data across platforms.
- Transition guide →
- TotalKnockOut (TKO)
- InDesign Data's DMS-transition solution. It works with DMSbackups to export sufficient dealership data in the format required by major destination DMS providers.
- Transition guide →
- Data sovereignty
- The dealership's authority to control, access, and retain copies of its operational data independent of any single vendor platform.
- Data ownership →
- Daily synchronization
- Scheduled capture of DMS operational data into an independent backup environment to keep historical records current.
- Sync process →
- CDK Global
- A widely used dealership DMS platform. Backup scope and supported file types require environment-specific verification.
- Supported platforms →
- Reynolds and Reynolds
- A major dealership DMS provider. Integration and file-type coverage are confirmed during a backup assessment.
- Supported platforms →
- DMSconnect
- InDesign Data's bidirectional DMS data gateway that enables real-time data access for backup synchronization and analytics integrations.
- About InDesign Data →
- Power Combo
- The bundled offering of DMSbackups and MyDealerKPI—combining protected historical data with real-time dealership analytics.
- MyDealerKPI →
- Backup assessment
- A structured review of current DMS backup coverage, supported file types, retrieval capabilities, and continuity gaps for a specific dealership.
- Schedule assessment →
- Search and retrieval
- The ability to find and open backed-up dealership records by VIN, RO, stock number, deal number, customer, date, and document type.
- DMSbackups search →