“It became clear that our customers were asking about these things and they were really trying to figure it out,” Walsh said. “They’re trying to make sure they’re obedient and they’re safe, and that’s when we saw the need to go into an area we’ve never really entered.”
Proton, based in Raleigh, NC, and founded in 2014, provides dealerships with a slate of cybersecurity tools, such as an outsourced IT department, security operations center, remote help desk, and on-site support team.
Founder Brad Holton is the sole owner, and said he wants to continue to lead Proton under the Reynolds umbrella for a long time.
Holton said Proton has about 600 dealership clients, 98 percent of whom are franchisees. Walsh said there is plenty of room for Proton’s products and services to expand, perhaps even “100 percent” of it, in Reynolds’ customer base. Reynolds does not disclose the number of dealership customers it has.
This year, Walsh said Reynolds will increase its acquisition activity and build out its product portfolio.