With just two months to go before the millennium rollover, East African countries have recognised the havoc that can be caused through computer systems not being Y2K ready with many taking appropriate action.
A unique concept used by the three East African countries is that of a joint strategy and co-ordination as well as reporting on their work plan of achieving a compliant East African community. This co-operation has so far achieved commendable results. Uganda`s official Y2K web site attained special recognition for the level and quality of information disseminated. To date, Uganda is about 70% year 2000 ready .
A Uganda-based IT company - InfoTech 2000, a division of InfoTech Systems Ltd - is one of the leading organisations that is assisting East African companies meet the December 31 deadline.
InfoTech has been at the forefront of the Year 2000 project management having started with the first awareness programs for both the public and private sector institutions. They have a more dedicated and skilled personnel with a vision for the future.
After InfoTech decided to recommend Greenwich Mean Time`s Check 2000 diagnostic and corrective software to its clients, it has made significant inroads into preparing the computer systems at East African private and public sectors for the new millennium.
These include development projects funded by the United Nations and World Bank. It has just completed a major task of helping the National Water & Sewerage Corporation achieve year 2000 readiness with respect to their mission critical systems spread all over the country.
Other key prospects underway by InfoTech 2000 are Uganda`s largest commercial bank (Uganda Commercial Bank Ltd) and The Uganda Telecomms Ltd, the country`s largest telecommunications network.
More recently the Rwanda government`s Y2K National Steering Committee has endorsed using Greenwich Mean Time`s Check 2000 to prepare mission critical PCs in various government departments.
InfoTech 2000 was established in April 1997 - well ahead of other IT companies in Uganda. It has invested considerably in year 2000 research and development, patent and copyrights, international representation and reseller contracts and sponsorships of awareness programs and educational publications.
Other InfoTech Systems customers in Uganda include Shell Uganda Limited, Civil Aviation Authority, Uganda Revenue Authority, Libyan Embassy, Pepsi Cola (Crown Beverages Ltd), Development Finance Corporation of Uganda, Bank of Baroda United Assurance Company Ltd, National Execution Unit (Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development) projects.
Baguma Rogers, the chief executive and a senior IT consultant at InfoTech Systems, says Greenwich Mean Time`s Check 2000 Client Server toolkit was subjected to several rigorous tests.
"The ability to scan, collate data and report on an unlimited number of client workstations on a given client/server network running any NetWare or Windows NT versions, is a class apart in the line of products tested. This and many features of this software has also led to wider acceptance in the year 2000 testing industry," said Rogers.
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Greenwich Mean Time
Headquartered in the UK, Greenwich Mean Time currently has 15 offices around the world, in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific. Karl W Feilder, founder and president of the company, is acknowledged worldwide as the authority on the year 2000 PC problem and, vitally, it`s cause: lack of control at the desktop. Greenwich Mean Time has comprehensively researched the year 2000 problem and is the developer of the award-winning Check 2000 suite of diagnostic and corrective year 2000 PC software, and the DataCop/DataPatrol suite of data correction and protection tools.