Bill, their is a dichotomy on the Y2K issue among IT managers
and Ho Ho HO 79% of the most knowledgeable people on this are not planning on flying near the turn of the millennium
and 85 percent believe that the LDC's will cope with the threat, at least not all of them, and what if it is half of them?
Y2K on My Mind?
Date:
04/06/99
Author:
Kazim Isfahani
Catalyst:
March 23, 1999 Businesswire release
Question:
What do the Crossroads '99 survey results tell us?
Answer:
A Year 2000 (Y2K) survey conducted at the 6th Annual Crossroads Conference highlighted some interesting
trends among senior IT executives from Fortune 1000 firms. The results show that the expectation for a major,
widespread computer-related failure is diminishing. The raw numbers include the following:
84 percent do not expect "major" computer problems in the 2000.
87 percent believe that major corporations will have solved the problem by year-end 1999.
84 percent feel no need to purchase a generator or wood stove as a back up in case of power-grid
failure.
83 percent do not think that banking and accounting systems will fail.
74 percent do not think a major economic recession is likely.
Yet...
96 percent do not believe that government agencies will have solved the problem by year's end.
85 percent do not believe that all less-developed countries will successfully cope with the threat.
38 percent believe that air traffic control systems will fail.
79 percent say that they will personally avoid air travel around Jan. 1, 2000.
Analysis
These figures represent a in Y2K knowledge at the senior IT executive level. While most IT
executives are able to comprehend the enormity of the Y2K task at their own firms and hypothesize about the
status of their peers, there is still a great unknown when it comes to the U.S. government and foreign nations.
This fear is driven by a lack of information, rather than factual data points.
More disconcerting, however, are the figures surrounding the remediation of desktop systems. A specific set
of questions, which revolved around the Wintel platform, point to further evidence of the development of a
severe schism between large and mid-sized firms. The table below provides the percentage of each grouping
expecting to complete all Wintel desktop, OS, and data remediation by year-end 1999.
[Approximately two-thirds of Crossroads 99 attendees represent Fortune 1000 companies, while about 32%
represent mid-size companies. Technology vendors, consultants or small business owners are not represented
in the survey sample. ]
Recommendations
Users conducting business with smaller businesses and organizations should take precautions when
exchanging files and data with them.
Unless Y2K compliance has been proven through project reports, testing documents and company statements,
users should ensure that alternative compliant small/mid-sized suppliers are in line should any failures occur.
Year 2000 desktop remediation vendors should take solace in these figures and realize that there is indeed a
potentially large market for last-minute desktop Y2K fixes.
Doc. No.:
122634-KI99 |
