– The days have become terribly cumbersome. The worst comes afterwards when we get backlogged and everything has to be invoiced and archived, says Svein Ekre at Vågsbygd Bilverksted in Kristiansand. The workshop is among 450 in Norway that are missing their computer systems after the IT supplier Helios Auto in Verdal in Trøndelag was hacked at the weekend. As a result, they are left without information about both customers, cars, parts and prices. – We really have no control over what happens. We just have to accept the cars and write work orders manually, says Geir Greipsland at MJA Bilservice in the same city. In the Nordic region, 1,300 workshops have been affected by the hacking, according to iFinnmark, which wrote about the matter first. Geir Greipsland in MJA car service in Kristiansand says that they have little control after the computer systems disappeared. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news Invented pen and paper Since computer systems disappeared, several workshops have had to think about how to keep track of orders, cars and parts. Advanced computer systems have been replaced by pen and paper. – It is worse than in the old days, when we had a system that worked. This is not a system, says Ekre. When keys are delivered to the letterbox, they have to get hold of the customer to ask what is needed. – We try to find the customers on the Yellow Pages, but not everyone is there. If we don’t get in touch and the inspection deadline is approaching, we’ll take a dead chance that it will be subject to an EU inspection, says Cecilie Arntsen at Vågsbygd Bilverksted. But the feedback from customers has been good. – We try to the best of our ability to ensure that customers do not get involved in this. They are not allowed to pay, but most people are happy with that, says Ekre. Svein Ekre at Vågsbygd car workshop in Kristiansand says that most customers understand that they have problems with the computer systems. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news Working through the night The IT supplier Helios Auto, which operates the computer systems, has been working hard to get the services back since they were hacked. On Thursday evening, they report on their website that the system is approaching ready for use. – Work is in full swing, and some users are already logged in for testing before the system can be opened to everyone. The work will continue throughout the evening and night, they write in an update. The next update is expected on Friday morning. In Kristiansand, Greipsland at MJA Bilservice hopes there will be good news soon. – If this continues beyond the weekend, we will have little work next week. Then it could become a problem for us. At MJA Bilservice in Kristiansand, they hope that the computer systems will soon be back in operation. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news
ttn-69
