IT professionals are the heroes of Y2K but, as usual, they are
unsung
Champagne corks popped and fireworks fizzed - and the computers
kept on working. So, by the time Britain staggered back to work,
the press was leading a bug backlash. "What bug?" they asked - was
it all a con?
The straight answer is "no". The absence of IT disasters is
testimony to the sterling work of IT professionals over the past
three years and on the night itself. Whether Y2K breakdowns quicken
or slow over the next few days, it was always clear that the clock
problem was the tip of the iceberg. Non-compliant data could still
plague systems, and the organisations that rely on them over the
next few months.
IT professionals faced with a post-Y2K budget backlash should
point to the benefits for the whole business of conquering Y2K.
Y2K remediation has brought systematic project and risk
management to British companies on a scale never seen before. It
has ensured that companies understand the capabilities of their
systems better than ever before. It obliged organisations to carry
out a cull of legacy systems that leaves them well equipped to take
part in the e-business revolution.
Y2K also uncovered the massive extent of the economy's reliance
on computers. Instead of collapsing into Luddite despair, business
leaders did the right thing - they channelled money and resources
into ensuring their computers worked.
All this leaves IT professionals in a strong position. Sure,
skills shortages meant that some were able to command astronomic
fees over the Y2K period, but this should add to our will to
resolve the skills crisis. Britain has too few IT skills because
the profession is undervalued. The early success of Y2K remediation
is the best argument for raising the status and clout of IT
professionals. The bottom line is - at least for the UK's critical
systems - you did the business. You attacked the problems
methodically, hampered only by the short-sightedness that has
re-emerged as a Y2K backlash.
It's not over yet, but round one of the Y2K battle went to the
IT profession.