You can expand the value and capabilities of your dealership management system by using third-party software.
What is third-party software?
For our purposes, third party software is any piece of software that is not a direct part of your DIS Business System. Third-party software can be completely separate and easily identifiable from any DIS product, or it can be used to perform functions related to your business system. Confused yet? You most likely use a lot of third-party software every day. Examples include Microsoft Office products like Word and Excel, email software like Outlook or Gmail, and antivirus software like McAfee or Norton.
What are some popular third-party software?
Some third-party software is so closely integrated into your daily functions that you might not even think of it as separate software. Some examples include internet browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome), PDF readers like Adobe Reader, and Java, a programming language and computing platform software that is used to interact with most websites. Many third-party software applications are already installed when you purchase a new PC, because they are necessary for normal computing.
The DIS Business System seamlessly uses many third-party applications to perform various system functions, as well. EasyFile uses a PDF reader to display documents, Point of Sale uses your default email to send invoices to customers and Interface Manager launches your default browser for orders and parts catalogs.
Some of the more popular third-party software applications have become the norm – Outlook for email, Internet Explorer for browsing and Adobe reader for PDF displays. What you may not know is that there are other applications that perform the same functions. Your DIS Business System generally uses the default third-party applications – whatever is installed.
Some third-party applications have less overhead and might be faster or function better within the business system. For instance, although Adobe Reader is the most common and popular PDF reader, there are other (and some would say better) PDF readers out there, and many are free. If you experience issues with the Adobe Reader, you might want to try a different reader. Some of our customers have seen a performance boost with EasyFile when using PDFXchange reader versus Adobe Reader.
What to remember when installing third-party software
If you update or install a third-party application, the software is sometimes “bundled” with other software (read: junk) that you might not want installed. Be sure to look carefully at each installation screen and uncheck or say NO to the additional “tag-a-long” software.
Also, when installing antivirus software, keep in mind many have a personal firewall component. As a rule of thumb, DIS recommends disabling personal firewalls on PCs, as they can interfere with legitimate traffic between network devices.
Interested in learning more? Reach out to our support team here.
