June 14, 1999 Behind
the News:
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June 14, 1999 Behind
the News:
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Note: This article first appeared in InformationWeek,
June 14, 1999. pg. 148
Extreme conditions can spark extreme behavior--some of it good, some not so good. The year 2000 computer date-field problem is one of those extreme conditions. And with regard to Y2K, the IT industry has behaved despicably.Many IT companies have been deceitful, fraudulent, or, at best, less than cooperative and helpful. These companies have shirked responsibility in a quest to make sales at any cost. It's only a matter of time before we'll all pay for their behavior.
The news isn't all bad, however. Software maker Candle Corp. has been building a public-private partnership with Los Angeles County and its municipalities, striving for a goal of overall community preparedness for Y2K. The partnership has been sharing results with cities throughout the world.
Typically, even those local governments making headway in their Y2K efforts tend to focus on their internal systems, with little consideration for how the systems and supply chains of local businesses and other organizations may be affected.
But who will these businesses and organizations turn to if Y2K problems in a community result in the release of hazardous materials, for example? And who will be called upon to help if Y2K-induced supply-chain disruptions result in higher unemployment? Or if Y2K-related problems delay or damage credit reports, billings, and investment statements?
Local governments, of course, will pick up the slack in many cases. Over the past year I've seen some of the best in action. Those in the Los Angeles area, for example, show what the public and private sectors can accomplish together.
Some local governments have a lot to teach businesses about preparedness, event management, and achieving cooperation, collaboration, and communication among city and county agencies, police and fire departments, airport and port authorities, utilities, and the like.
And businesses such as Candle, with more than 20 years of expertise in monitoring and solving complex system problems for thousands of major enterprises, have much to teach government about cutting red tape, consulting experts, and facilitating communication among the various technologies and techno-subcultures. Ever try to get experts on Cobol, C, Unix, NetWare, CICS, Java, HTML, Macintosh, and Windows to collaborate? Candle has tried often--and succeeded.
Basic Concepts
Some important notions that Candle has imparted to the Los Angeles group are the kind that many IT professionals can relay to their communities:Keep the entire community in perspective when assessing risk, applying triage, and allocating resources. Electricity is important, but so are drinking water and operable burn centers.
To find out more about the practices being developed in the Los Angeles area--and shared throughout the world--visit the Web site of the Millennium Alliance at www.tma2000.org. And check back periodically, because it's updated frequently.Leadership and support are just as important for Y2K community preparedness as they are for any successful system project. Cooperation across political and administrative boundaries on Y2K sets a tone for the entire community.
Just as cooperation is needed from end users inside a business to help make Y2K strategies successful, so, too, is full participation needed communitywide from citizens groups, neighborhood committees, and volunteer organizations in the larger community. It's the foot soldiers, of course, who achieve the most in implementing any change initiative.
Professor Leon A. Kappelman is an associate professor of Business Computer Information System in the College of Business Administration at the University of North Texas. He is also an associate director of the Center for Quality and Productivity at the University of North Texas and co-chair of the Society for Information Management's Year 2000 Working Group. He can be reached at kapp@unt.edu
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