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Global bug fear escalates
The public sector heads the list of users least prepared for the year 2000 crisis, write Dominique Deckmyn and Colin Barker.
Analyst GartnerGroup’s latest quarterly survey of 15,000 organisations in 87 countries reveals that government, healthcare, education, agriculture and food processing are causing most concern. Among these, 66 per cent of organisations will experience at least one mission critical system failure, Gartner predicts.
Key utilities fare little better – half of power, gas and water companies, as well as oil companies, are expected to see one or more mission critical system failures.
The research mirrors the findings of Computing’s own Confidence Index. Last week our regular survey of senior IT industry experts and users revealed that confidence in the UK’s ability to beat the bug was at an all-time low.
Our experts are especially worried about prospects for the health service, government agencies and utilities.
Gartner defines a mission critical system failure as the failure of an application, causing interruption of a business operation or of a piece of a business operation. About 10 per cent of these failures will disrupt business for more than three days.
Year 2000 problems are already having a direct, negative impact on businesses worldwide – they are swallowing an ever larger slice of scarce IT resources.
In 1997, year 2000 work accounted for 5% of total IT spending. In the first half of 1998, it was up to 18%. By the end of the year, it will be up to 29%, says Gartner.
13 August 1998