The year 2000 � a time for celebration or a disaster in the making?

For most people certainly it�s the former, but for many an IT manager and company director, partying will probably be the last thing on his or her mind. Not since the outset of the infamous computer virus threat has the computing world been so gripped with a fear of the unknown. And like the computer virus problem, uncertainty is the key. So much has been said of the potential "Y2K" problems yet so little has been constructive advice on how to avoid a potential computing Armageddon.

What people need is genuine help; help to understand what the potential problems are in the first place and help with avoiding an ensuing crisis once that understanding has been reached. The former area has been much covered but with little in the way of hard facts and solutions. Yet it is abundantly clear that there are major potential problems with many computer systems come the millennium, so IT managers and directors alike need to be in a position to prove that all the systems under their jurisdiction are Year 2000 or Y2K compliant. But how?

One helping hand might come from UK-based software house IT-Map, in the form of IT-Map 2000; a recently introduced Windows 95 or NT based Y2K application. Many and varied are the potential problem areas and no two companies are alike, with so many in-house developed applications and legacy systems around. Hence the demand currently for those with experience dating back to the �60�s, �70�s and �80�s. The problem is that, even when you have assembled a team of consultants and experts to assist in the tracking down of Y2K systems glitches, the project � often huge � still needs to be managed properly. Except that typically it isn�t, not least because of the sheer volume of

data that companies suddenly find that they have to deal with. And this is exactly what IT-Map consultants found, resulting in the creation of the IT-Map 2000 software. IT-Map 2000 is not a trouble-shooting package, not a miracle cure for Year 2000 problems.

Such a product cannot exist thanks to the millions of variables applicable to each company and every case. Rather it provides a means of enabling you to wholly manage a Year 2000 compliance project; a project which involves you checking all your computer systems � hardware, software, applications, relevant suppliers, contacts and so forth down the chain � to reach a point where you can confirm that ALL your systems are Y2K compliant; that it to say, to reach a point where you can prove due diligence in the event of a legal case.

The aim behind IT-Map 2000, then, is to enable you to say in all confidence: "If there now is a problem come the year 2000, it�s not our problem, your honour, as all our systems have been checked and proven to be compliant."

Think of it as the equivalent of an accounting package you�re using which is approved by the Inland Revenue and therefore validates your company accounts, and you�re getting the right idea. Of course, you could argue that most companies, given the time, could write their own software to handle all the data management involved, but time is the critical factor. Unless you have powers beyond those of Superman, the millennium cannot be put back. So why not use a ready-made tool specifically written for the job in hand; one with which you can be up and running within days of it being installed? It�s a powerful argument and one which, at the very least, suggests that the product should be evaluated purely on a time-saving basis.

What, then, is IT-Map 2000 exactly and how does it work? If you�re familiar with both project management and workflow applications then IT-Map 2000 should immediately make sense to you. As described earlier, the software supports Microsoft�s Windows 95 (soon 98!) and NT 4.0, as tested, operating systems. It also interfaces with several existing database or LAN auditing packages such as Tally Systems� NetCensus, to help you create a complete inventory of your systems with a minimum of re-keying, and then guides you through your Y2K compliance procedures to completion. Naturally every customer has different requirements so IT-Map 2000 does not restrict you in any way.

You declare your own compliance strategy for each and every part of those computer systems and can add, delete, change, adjust each and every element within the inventories created. Basically you can customise the contents as much as you want. What the software does is to provide you with both a consistent working methodology through its interface and screen formats, complete management of the project - linking all the individual elements - and the ability to maintain an up to date status of every element, as well as reporting capabilities at all levels and the ability to carry out what-if type modelling and analysis.

Essentially IT-Map 2000 is broken down into several related modules, all sharing the same interface and working methodology, these being: catalogue, inventory or IT-Map, Year 2000, IT-Impact, IT-Model and IT Queries, the latter being a bought-in query tool which has been integrated with the other in-house developed components. Each of the main modules itself has two or more sub-modules. The catalogue, for example, has catalogue data entry, enquiries, table maintenance and reports options. All are accessed individually from the same interface.

The result of taking what is an untypical application concept and applying it to an independent UK software house is a package which is somewhat removed from the "Microsoft" norm. IT-Map 2000 is not a "typical" Windows application � more Windows meets Web browser with a hint of old mainframe terminal thrown in - and therefore you do need time to help familiarise yourself with the interface, though in practise it works well enough. Another important point is that this "hybrid", not quite standard Windows or browser approach � whether intended or not � means that users coming from a wide variety of backgrounds should be able to adopt to using it relatively quickly.

All the aforementioned modules are always available from a top menu with a single mouse-button press. For each active module there are a range of options which appear down the right-hand side of the screen. Selecting one of these brings up the relevant sub-module � typically a form or report � in the main part of the screen.

Each "form" has several fields or sub-forms within it, which are accessed either directly or via tabs at the bottom of the form. A cassette deck like set of control icons � not dissimilar to those common on Windows-based databases � is used to add and change records within a form. In some cases links can be created between different forms or modules, in which case an extra set of icons and buttons appear onscreen. While this means that, in some cases, screens can appear a little busy, the approach is consistent through the many modules and forms. Like most applications it is a case of once you�re familiar with the basic processes involved then they can be applied throughout. In any case, IT-Map offers consultancy aimed at both getting a company up and running with the application and general familiarisation with the interface and working methodologies. A comprehensive manual � almost 400 pages � and onscreen help and readme files are also provided to assist a novice user.

So onto the modules themselves. At the heart of the software is the IT-Catalogue � a complete breakdown of every "component" in your entire network. To what extent you declare an item as a component is up to you. For example, you might decide that a Pentium PC can be classified as a single component. Alternatively, you might want to be cautious about the many different revisions of elements within the PC, in case of problems, and therefore break that PC down into several components for cataloguing, such as disk drive, memory, BIOS and so forth. IT-Map 2000 handles any level of breakdown you want; simple or exhaustive � the choice is yours. With the optional bridge program, in most cases much of this data will be imported directly from an existing data source in the company. However, any new or revised components can be added or changed. IT-Map 2000 takes into account the whole chain of information from component and sub-component as described above, through to suppliers, part numbers and any other relevant information.

One step up from the catalogue is the inventory or IT-Map level. Here, individual elements of the catalogue can be grouped in several ways so that where a set of components makes up several "identical" elements of the network � such as sub-components of the same spec PC � they can be treated as one component. Similarly the company structure and supplier contact chain is broken down into individual groups and sub-groups, so that all levels of detail can be satisfied as efficiently as possible. For example, an inventoried item may be classified as being in the inventory, store, shelf or trash. The basic aim here is to identify and index every last element of your computer systems, their status and location, users, suppliers and all other "components" in a way which makes the whole compliance task manageable; hence the grouping of components and links between every element from component part, through user, department, office and company to actual supplier.

These catalogue and inventory modules are the basis of IT-Map 2000 but, of course, even the most accurate, detailed inventory in the world is no use without then having a compliance strategy or process to check against that inventory. Therefore IT-Map 2000 lets you enter a step-by step compliance process for every element within the inventory which it then tracks as you move through the process until � hopefully � the point is reached at which Y2K compliance is confirmed, within the Year 2000 module.

This is the module of the product most like a classic project management tool. Tasks are therefore created and assigned to individuals and groups responsible for those tasks being carried out. This means that every element of the compliance process from components to tasks or work in process to individuals can be monitored, results checked and status identified for any job at any time. This is the area of Y2K projects with IT-Map has identified as being a real problem for companies and therefore the Year 2000 module is particularly critical.

It should be noted that the whole compliance process is aimed at satisfying both individual elements of a system and the overall system itself. To this end, IT-Map 2000 includes IT-Impact and IT-Model modules to enable what-if type modelling to be employed. Specifically, the IT-Impact modules lets a company record and test dependencies between different items within the catalogue, where those links have been set up. With the IT-Model module, on the other hand, you can create and test the effects of a project change � such as an inventory change�� whereby the system creates a snapshot of the original "map" and compares it with a virtual map developed as a result of the potential changes.

In both cases, the basic premise is that any change or failure in one component may or probably will - impact on a related component or sub component. It is important therefore to establish, in advance, what the fall-out may be in such a circumstance arising; to gauge the impact of changes made to a project, in terms of how they affect others, as a result of often complex inter-dependencies between component parts of systems which therefore spread the effect of a change across multiple processes. What-if type queries produce a graphical illustration of the degree of impact on each process, so you can quickly gauge whether effects are likely to be critical or not. If they are then the whole compliance process is likely to be delayed significantly, hence the importance of being able to find out in advance by modelling the scenarios.

Within each module and at all stages of a project, a wide range (over 80 in total) of pre-formatted reports can be run covering every aspect of the software and projects running on it. Ad hoc queries can also be carried out using the integrated query builder tool, IT-Query.

Interestingly, IT-Map has also integrated its own word processing and mail-merge software so that any general queries regarding component compliance generated in the query builder can be easily mailed out to a number of suppliers, or internal departments, for example.

It seems a bit unnecessary but when used within the system it makes sense. It makes even more sense when you note that you can also input the suppliers' replies via a scanner so have complete records of transactions within the one system.

Overall, IT-Map 2000 tries to address an often overlooked element of Y2K compliance � managing it properly � paying great attention to fine detail, such is the depth of the product.

In the end it could make the difference between merely paying lip service to the Y2K issue (and paying for it later) or resolving it before it is potentially too late. And we all know what the consequence of that might be�