The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) is confident that its 10000 PCs will be year 2000 ready well before the December 31 deadline following the implementation of Greenwich Mean Time`s Check 2000 Client Server diagnostic and repair software.
This is the view of Nafeesa Moola, director systems development Corporate Informatics, which provides IT services to the 12 departments that make up the GPG (formerly Transvaal Provincial Administration).
"There are more than 120 000 employees working at the GPG and for most of them PCs either have a direct influence on their work or are responsible for their day-to-working environment."
As a result, Corporate Informatics has recognised that if systems do not meet year 2000 readiness, the running of the GPG could be severely affected after December 31 impacting the various departments such as health, welfare & population development, education, transport & public works, housing & land affairs, safety & security, sport recreation arts & culture, agriculture conservation & environment, finance & economic affairs, development planning & local government, and the Department of the Premier.
"More than two years ago we met Karl Feilder, president and CEO of Greenwich Mean Time, who pointed out the problems we could expect to experience at the turn of the millennium. We installed 1600 licenses of the early version of Check 2000 and soon realised that we needed to pervade our entire PC population with the product. At that time very few people were talking about the year 2000 compliance issue".
"Since then we have replaced the earlier versions with Check 2000 Client Server Version 3 and are currently running a total of 6500 licenses. We were amazed at the progress of the product in terms of functionality and ease of implementation. We did some research on other products but because Greenwich Mean Time has been addressing the problem for several years, it has matured and grown to the extent that no other product can compete with it".
"Our year 2000 readiness project has the full backing and commitment from the Premier," says Moola.
Because of the huge workload and responsibilities Corporate Informatics faces in its day-to-day support of the GPG, it has outsourced a number of IT projects - including Y2K - to three SMMEs which are responsible for four departments each. While they are encouraged to use IT tools that best suit each department`s needs, Check 2000 Client Server has been established as the standard tool throughout all 12 departments.
Alison Joy, MD of Greenwich Mean Time Africa, has been monitoring year 2000 progress at the GPG and is impressed with the commitment it has made to this crucial business issue.
"If all companies and government organisations were as dedicated to their year 2000 projects as the GPG is, the impact of the year 2000 problem on businesses in Africa would be reduced," she says.
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