Cloud Computing Eases Point-of-Sale Conversion

August 9, 2011 - Cornelius, NC. - Andreoli & Associates, Inc. (A&A) announced today that they have successfully completed their first major installation entirely via the "cloud" and without going on-site. Knapquist
- Tires Plus, a 6-location retail operation in Minnesota, went "live" on August 1st with A&A's cloud-based HITS point-of-sale software.

Mike Andreoli, A&A President stated, "The ability for a dealership of this size to go live without on-site technical assistance represents a significant change in how software will be implemented going forward. In
addition to substantial savings, multi-location dealerships, who might otherwise be reluctant to change their existing systems, can realize greater ease of implementation and confidence of success."

Gregg Lundquist of Knapquist echo's Andreoli's comments and adds that preparation was a critical component, "Because we opted out of on-site assistance, we placed added emphasis on preparation. Working with A&A, we
jointly developed an implementation plan that included a lot of practice invoicing in a demo version of the software. When launch day arrived, there was little new to discover. To coin a phrase, 'we made the switch without a hitch'."

Knapquist further indicated that in addition to the labor and hardware savings from using A&A's cloud-based solution, they also benefit from changing to A&A's true multi-location software.

Lundquist continues, "Prior to switching to A&A, each of our stores ran their own copy of another shop management package. Not only was there virtually no consolidation of sales data, inventory maintenance and re-ordering was also a nightmare. Now with A&A's HITS cloud-based software, all of our stores are on-line with each other and we started realizing the benefits of real-time data on the very first day."

When asked if running his business in "the cloud" concerned him, Lundquist responded, "Just the opposite. We are tire and auto service people, not computer people. We did not want to deal with the complexity of issues related to housing and maintaining our own server with multiple locations. With A&A's cloud solution, and their 25 year history of service to the industry, we have a peace of mind that enables us to focus on our core business and customer service."

Andreoli added, "Cloud computing and the elimination of an on-site technician during changeover enables us to keep our clients' cost lower, maximize our human resources, and provide a higher level and quality of software and assistance. The same technician that typically would be on-site for a week or more can now manage multiple clients' launches right from our offices. Additionally, any technician on our team can assist any client. The level of efficiency is unprecedented."

Lundquist concludes, "We cannot imagine the conversion from free-standing systems in our six locations to an integrated on-line multi-location system having gone any smoother."

Knapquist - Tires Plus is a 28+-year-old company located in Minnesota. They operate six tire and auto service locations. More information on Knapquist - Tires Plus is available at www.tiresplusminn.com.

Andreoli & Associates, Inc. is a 25+-year-old company located in North Carolina. They provide point-of-sale and shop management solutions to the tire and auto service industry with clients in 40 states. More information on Andreoli & Associates, Inc. is available at www.aasys.com.

###