The Year 2000 Problem in Information Systems Industry: A Focus on What Can Be Done and the Effects in Public, Private, and Individual Sectors

Abstract

Once the clock ticks over to January 1, 2000 00:00:01, computer programs worldwide could fail because of a tiny programming error, wreaking havoc on governments, businesses, and households. For years, the media has taken a contradictory role by downplaying the significance of the year 2000 problem while sensationalizing the potential disasters that could ensue. Only now, as the year 2000 nears, is Information Technology (IT) finally developing and implementing a strategy to combat the "millennium bug". This SIP consists of an investigation of the year 2000 problem and its intricacies and a report on the work done to solve it on a micro level by the year 2000 team at Valassis Communications, Inc. in Livonia, Michigan.