Year 2000 and the Computer

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Articles and Papers

Written About the Millennium

10 Things You Need to Know about Year-2000 Problems

Karl W. Fielder of the Greenwich Mean Time Year-2000 group.

Don't panic, but get aware and get moving! We are coming up on

1,000 days (March 5) and this project has an absolute deadline!

I wish to express my appreciation to Karl for his permission to

reproduce his memos on these pages...

10 Things you need to know

about the year 2000 problem

March 5, 1997

Greenwich Mean Time

Karl W. Fielder, e-mail kwf@gmt-2000.com

http://www.gmt-2000.com

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the following. The information was used in The Sunday Times in South Africa last Sunday.

10 things you need to know about the year 2000 problem, 1034 days to go [on Sunday March 2 1997].

Collated by Karl W Feilder of Greenwich Mean Time from responses on year 2000 mailing list by consultants and

end users who are already working on the problem.

1. Don't panic. Historically, 80% of IT projects are late. Although this project has an immovable deadline, the problem is finite given enough time and money. Many problems will be hidden until they occur.

2. The Domino Effect - your business depends on suppliers and customers - if they do not address the issue you will be at risk. If you do not address the issue, some of your customers may not wish to deal with you any more.

3. Directors are liable. This problem is foreseeable. If a director chooses to ignore this he may be trading negligently and hence liability for damages may be unlimited. Auditors, bankers and insurers of your company may withdraw their support for your company if you do not have an active plan for dealing with the problem.

4. There is no silver (magic) bullet. There are some tools that will help speed up the process, but there is no simple fix.

5. This is a business problem based on a technical oversight. The problem is real, it affects all sizes of companies, and it is bigger than expected (British Telecom has budgeted £700 Million to fix it and the US Govt. has budgeted $3.5 Billion). It may affect any computerized system you use. You do not know what will be affected unless you check every piece of computerized equipment that touches your life.

6. Focus on business survival not IT survival and make a backup plan. In many cases this may be a paper-based system. Prioritize, and fix what's most important first.

7. Budget now and start work now. Otherwise your bonuses, profits, and share price will certainly be affected in the future.

8. The problem belongs to you. There will be no government handouts for this issue (they have their own problems) and no one cares as much about your business as you.

9. Your auditors may refuse to sign your annual accounts if you do not have an active plan in place, which will result in loss of confidence in your business.

10. While you shouldn't bet your business on worthless promises or documents from your suppliers, it is valuable to force them into activity.

Karl W. Feilder,

Greenwich Mean Time

Dedicated to raising global awareness of

PC and client/server Year 2000 issues.

SUMMARY

What's the good news? Very little other than the fact that there are still about 1,000 days until the odometer turns over. Panic, however, is no more constructive than denial.

Businesses and government agencies are interconnected via their computers and databases. Your vendors need to be Year-2000 compliant to communicate with you, and you must be compliant to communicate with your customers ... and these links may be critical to the survival of your business.

Devise a plan. Then devise a back-up contingency, even if it is (gasp!) on paper. As corporate management you will be held personally liable for failures ... as a politician you will be blamed for every late check or darkened traffic light!

The problem is real and will not go away. There will be no magic solution, no government help, and very little sympathy from inconvenienced customers. The credibility of your organization is threatened to the core.

. . . reviewed March 9, 1997 by gary.