Articles

The Year 2000 Issue
Over the past year or so the Year 2000 (Y2K) issue has received quite a bit of publicity. The Y2K problem arises when computers must cope with the need to make the transition from the year 1999 to 2000. Until recently, most computer hardware and software have been designed to identify years by their final two digits. Accordingly, 1996 was identified as 96, 1997 as 97, and so on. That approach has worked fine. But when 2000 arrives, this lack of precision in recording the year will cause some major problems unless remedial action is taken.

So what will happen on January 1, 2000? Many computers will record that date as 01/01/00. The problem is, thatís the same code used to represent the date January 1, 1900. So which date is it? In most cases, computers are programmed to guess that 00 means 1900. The consequences of such a wrong guess could be catastrophic to your business ó accounts receivable records may become inaccessible; customer orders and inventory records may be lost; payroll processing software may become inoperable. The Y2K issue can and will affect most people in some way.

If you consider that much electronic data processing equipment is date dependent and any software that calculates, compares, or sorts information based on date fields may be affected, you can begin to understand the potential magnitude of the Y2K issue. If you further consider the extent to which entities and individuals around the world rely on technology and interact with each other electronically, it becomes very clear that the Y2K issue has global implications. It has the potential to affect businesses, both large and small, public and nonpublic companies, not-for-profit organizations, and federal, state and local governments. The key is to understand the implications in your hardware and software and take the necessary precautions and corrective actions to minimize the consequences.

It is the responsibility of an entityís management to assess and remediate the effects of the Y2K issue on an entityís systems. The board of directors (or others with equivalent authority) has a responsibility to oversee the activities of management to ensure that the Y2K issue is receiving appropriate attention from management. If an entity has not yet begun to evaluate the possible effects of the Y2K issue on its systems, it should begin the process immediately and implement corrective measures as soon as possible.

So what needs to be done?

• Inventory all systems and applications.
  Compile a list of all hardware, software, peripherals, systems, applications, and data that could be affected by Y2K dates. Be sure not to overlook critical components of every personal computer such as:
• CMOS (A small battery-powered source of instructions for the computer, the CMOS stores date information that could be incorrect come 2000.)
• BIOS (Another set of basic computer instructions that manages the flow of data between the computerís operating system and its hardware.)
• Operating system (Be it DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98 or some other operating system, the potential exists for Y2K problems lingering in the code.)
• Check Y2K compliance of all systems and applications.
  Contact every hardware maker and software supplier for each component of hardware and software used in your business. Request an up-to-date written statement of every productís Y2K compliance, specifying exact models, versions and releases
• Remediation of all instances of noncompliance.