DEG Reboot Enhances Security and Increases Efficiency

As anyone who works in an auto body shop can certainly attest, the operations identified by information providers (IPs), such as Audatex, CCC and Mitchell, are much more likely to be “estimates” of the time and requirements actually affiliated with certain procedures than the detailed repair plans written in today’s facilities. For 15 years, the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG) has been helping the collision repair industry improve the quality, accuracy and standardization of their repair blueprints – with over 20,000 inquiries submitted through the end of last year.

Suffice it to say that the DEG is powerful, yet because it is funded and managed by the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP), along with additional donors/ sponsors, this resource is offered FREE to the industry, allowing users to provide feedback that is used to improve the quality of information in the IP databases…and if that wasn’t already an amazing feat, degweb.org saw a significant reboot earlier this year, designed to enhance security, increase user-friendliness and advance analytic capabilities.

good that DEG is doing its part to keep its data safe.”

“Phoenix Solutions Group’s top priority was ensuring the security of the data we receive cannot be accessed by anyone since that information can be sensitive,” Gredinberg added. “Each user that accesses the information only has a certain level of access, depending on their assigned permissions, for the specific information necessary to complete their review of the inquiry and database.”

Most users are familiar with the DEG from the perspective of submitting questions for clarification from the IPs, and often, those inquiries result in changes to the databases. In fact, 60 percent of the inquiries submitted in 2022 resulted in a net change. “That’s the power of what the DEG does,” SCRS Board member Barry Dorn (Dorn’s Body & Paint; Mechanicsville, VA) noted. “It provides a way for us to collaboratively push the boulder up the hill together.”

While inquiries are still input through a webform, the process has been revamped to provide an updated look while also being updated to work seamlessly with all web browsers, whereas it worked best with Google Chrome prior to the reboot. Optimizing the site to make it more accessible on tablets and mobile devices was another top priority. “A fundamental component of the redesign was to make sure visitors had a seamless experience across all devices, from desktop and laptop computers to tablets and mobile phones,” according to Schoolcraft. “We wanted the site, as well as database inquiries, to be effortlessly consumed by visitors on any device.”