How ISACA Helped Prepare the World for Y2K

When complex computer programs were first written in the 1960s, any given year was written as a two-digit code, leaving out the “19.” As the year 2000 approached, we realized this date shortcut meant that systems could interpret “00” as the year 1900 and cause major glitches worldwide.

This year 2000 (Y2K) or “Millennium Bug” prompted breathless headlines in Time Magazine and other major publications – and well-founded concerns in enterprises around the globe. “The early fears about the Year 2000 computer problem featured all sorts of machines driven haywire by their inability to read dates in the new year: computer networks that control power, water and phone systems freeze; railroads, airlines and trucks are idled as dispatch and traffic safety systems crash, and the financial universe, from stock markets to payroll systems to automated teller machines, goes on the blink,” reported the New York Times.

“For Year 2000 projects, everything is negotiable, except the deadline,” wrote ISACA, which helped enterprises deal with the impending issue through numerous programs and three publications:

• An Executive’s Guide to the Year 2000: What You Need to Know About Your Computer Systems and How to Ensure They Will Survive. Written by Robert G. Parker, ISACA past president, the 64-page guide outlined the potential problem and nine steps to address it – from identifying date-dependent IT activities to remediation and testing.
• Year 2000 Management Assessment Guide. A 32-page companion piece included useful checklists for enterprise planning and project management, including documentation, resources, timetables, risk management and external reporting.
• Contingency Planning for the Year 2000. ISACA and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants published this 64-page guide in 1999 when it became clear that many enterprises might need to cope with operational disruptions if they did not complete their Year 2000 system conversions in time.

Due in part to ISACA education (not to mention tens of billions of dollars in computer repairs and upgrades), the clock turned to 1 January 2000 without major problems in computer systems around the globe.