World's Largest Y2K Web Site Sounds Wake-Up Call for the Public
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's largest information
resource on the Y2K problem was launched in the nation's capital today.
"Y2Ktoday" (www.Y2Ktoday.com) will have a daily newsfeed of around
500 stories created by its own team of writers and newswire reports from
around the world. The site is expected to be the most comprehensive
repository of Y2K information as the potential crisis unfolds in the months
ahead. In addition, the site will draw on many of the world's leading experts
to provide technology solutions to the problem, help communities and people
with contingency planning, and advise on how lessons learned can be applied
for the future.
"There's clearly been a need for this kind of service for some time," said
James Adams, CEO of Infrastructure Defense Inc., sponsor of the site. "It's
time the public worldwide had access to accurate and timely information. That
is the objective of Y2Ktoday.com."
Today Adams, former CEO of United Press International, and Joe Firmage,
chairman and CEO of USWeb Corporation, (Nasdaq: USWB) demonstrated the
Y2Ktoday Web site at the National Press Club. Adams also hosted a panel
discussion with some of the nation's top Y2K experts to explore the need to
share critical information about and potential solutions to this vital issue.
The Y2Ktoday site brings together the latest news from sources around the
world while also providing in-depth analyses, expert commentary, and industry
and community status reports. It also offers access to a variety of chat
groups and local community preparedness organizations. Visitors to the site
are expected to range from schoolchildren to corporate Chief Information
Officers, government officials and foreign heads of state. These users can
navigate the site to find resources and information tailored to meet their
specific needs -- such as material sorted by geographic region or industry.
The roster of Y2Ktoday's advisors and supporters is comprised of
high-powered government and technology industry leaders as well as
internationally recognized Y2K experts. In addition to Adams and Firmage,
they include:
* Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) Supporter, Chairman of the Senate Special
Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem
* Dr. Marv Langston, Supporter, Deputy Chief Information Officer for the
Department Of Defense
* Bruno Giussani, Member, Head of Online Strategy and Operations for the
World Economic Forum
* Ambassador Ahmad Kamal, Member, Pakistan's permanent UN representative
and sponsor of the UN Y2K Resolution
* Ed Yourdon, Member, author and Y2K consultant
* Ed Yardeni, Member, Chief Economist and a Managing Director of Deutsche
Bank Securities.
Monday's Y2K panel included: Firmage; Langston; Congressman Steven Horn
(R-Calif.), who issues regular "report cards" on the Y2K preparedness of
federal agencies; Joel Willemssen and Jack Brock, both of the Government
Accounting Office; Paloma O'Riley, co-founder of the Cassandra Project; and
Jack Hoeft, Member of the Supervisory Board of Random House, Inc.
Infrastructure Defense, Inc. (iDefense) (www.idefense.com) is sponsoring
the non-profit site as part of a massive public awareness and educational
campaign. Adams calls Y2Ktoday "required reading" for people around the
globe. IDefense's mission is to create a robust, safe, and integrated
national infrastructure for the 21st century. This impacts the entire network
of telecommunications, transportation, power grids, finances, and other vital
services required for the basic operation of the economic, business, and
private communities.
USWeb Corporation, (www.usweb.com), a leading strategic Internet services
firm created the Y2Ktoday site for iDefense. The Company's prominent and
diverse client base includes Boeing, NBC, The Coca-Cola Company and The World
Economic Forum. USWeb has 35 offices throughout the world and is
headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
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