Y2K contingency planning workshops
Y2K contingency planning workshops
Keywords Information systems, Security
ABB Steward has extended its Year 2000 Support Service to include workshops on contingency planning and risk assessment. The company is offering its one-day workshops to executives and staff responsible for ensuring that building services are prepared for the Year 2000.
According to Keith Gilliver, Manager of the Year 2000 Support Service, "in recent months we have surveyed almost 4,000 building service systems, checking their millennium compliance. Of that, about half had no date-related functions and of the remainder we have found around 12 per cent to be non-compliant."
"This is a worrying figure because it tends to be building management systems, intruder alarms, door entry devices and some telephone systems that are most at risk," he adds.
Almost regardless of how thoroughly a millennium programme has been carried out ABB Steward is emphasising the vital importance of risk assessment, prioritising and contingency planning based on these inputs.
"Every organisation must expect to face some unexpected problems," reports Keith Gilliver. "However, with proper preparation, most will quickly identify the most serious and be able to respond quickly to them."
"Contingency planning is the big issue over the next few months," he adds. "Every building is different and the risks vary from shopping centres to warehouses, from office blocks to factories."
ABB Steward's Contingency Planning Workshops can be arranged on or off site. The programme covers:millennium testing, identifying the systems most at risk, HSE guidelines and shared practical experience.
ABB Steward has created a special software program that helps users to assess and prioritise risks and prepare their contingency plans. It enables users to identify the business or safety critical issues and provides an analysis grid which helps the prioritising process. Copies of the software are supplied free of charge to all workshop participants on CD ROM or disk.
Information on the ABB Steward Year 2000 Support Service together with details of the one-day Contingency Planning Workshops is available from: ABB Steward Limited, Sandford House, 41 Homer Road, Solihull, West Midlands B91 3QJ. Tel: +44 (0) 121 705 0411; Fax: +44 (0) 121 705 0064.
