Many companies are preparing for the year 2000. Wal-Mart is currently updating both information and technology. Over 95% of the required coding conversations on information technology have occurred to this date. Wal-Mart is putting up 9 million dollars just to update all the software. 3 million is to update hardware. Wal-Mart expects to be done with all of the planning for the update by July 31st 1999.
AT&T is giving their top priority to machines that affect customers. Some examples of that are the voice and data network, billing machines, etc. John Pasqua, program management vp of the y2k initiative says at the end 0of 1998, "I am pleased to announce that we have achieved 100% assesment, 100% repair, and more than 99% of the testing of these.
Y2k preperation for the Union Pacific Railroad company includes software, hardware, and chips inside machinery. The y2k project has been in affect since 1996, and they are still working on it. Since the 1996 start date, this has been a very high priority. Wal-Mart is spending 12 million, compared to Union Pacific who is spending 46 million. The total cost for the 3.5 years has been 61 million already. Union Pacific has promised to have Mainframe systems, Client Server systems, and User Department Developed Systems updated near the end of 1999.
Banks in North America are getting ready also. The Bank of Montreal, which is one of the oldest banks in North America (I am surprised it's still standing), have split up all of the y2k problems that might take affect into 4 phases. The bank of New York looks as if it is completely reading for the arriving year 2000, or they have fixed all of the critical problems.
The Toronto Stock Exchange looks ready also. The systems that have been changed are Equities trading, Derivatives trading, and the Canadian dealing Network trading system. Nasdaq is paying 20 million just to get a y2k complaint. I would do that too if I had a business that could be worth trillions.
Dried Foods seem to be the solution to emergency foods if you want to stock up on it for y2k.