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The Year 2000 Team
Y2K will arrive on time: fewer than 90 working days from now. Be sure you and your department, laboratory, or center are prepared for Year 2000. While MIT’s existing contingency and business continuity plans are being updated to address Y2K-specific issues, it is important that departments, labs and centers (DLCs) do their part to plan a smooth transition to the Year 2000.
Plan now for the New Year’s weekend.
Now is the time to plan your activities for the New Year’s weekend. Health and safety issues are paramount. The MIT Safety Office reminds MIT researchers it would be safest to curtail the more hazardous experiments during the transition when the safety systems and emergency response abilities may not be at their normal levels. For questions or concerns, contact the Safety Office at: x3-4736 or send e-mail to safety@mit.edu.
Know what you are responsible for.
At MIT, each department, laboratory and DLC is financially and functionally responsible for the Y2K compliance of its own equipment and overall Y2K readiness. For example, users in most areas are responsible for updating their own desktop computers. See: http://mitvma.mit.edu/mity2k/y2kcomp.html or download a step-by-step guide from: http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/insert.pdf.
In some cases, responsibilities span departmental boundaries. For example, MIT Facilities has responsibility for the preparation of buildings, HVAC systems, elevators, and utilities. MIT Information Systems has responsibility for most (but not all) centralized server systems, the campus computer network (central authentication, e-mail, and Web services), and the campus phone system.
MIT's contractor (TAVA) inventoried, tagged, and evaluated over 6000 pieces of equipment containing embedded processors. See your administrative officer for the evaluation of the TAVA-tagged equipment.
Check your supply chain.
Acquire critical and/or long-lead-time supplies immediately. If your work relies on external support which is beyond your control, consider whether you are able to suspend work-in-progress during the weekend.
Do your own IART.
IART stands for Inventory, Assess, Remediate, and Test. Survey your work area. Identify and list items that are important to your work. Prioritize the list. Assess the Year 2000 vulnerability of each item. Use TAVA evaluations where applicable. Other resources are listed below.
Remediate non-compliant items that are important to your activities: repair, replace, upgrade, or discard. Test your remediated systems, but only in a safe prototype environment, not with "working" systems or "real" data.
Devise and maintain an appropriate backup strategy for your computer systems.
The regular backup of servers and desktop machines is prudent in general, not just for Y2K. Purchase backup media immediately for local backups. Alternatively, consider MIT’s online ADSM backup service. For information see: http://web.mit.edu/is/help/adsm/. Registration by November 30 is recommended for Y2K preparation.
Are your contingency plans in place?
Know your local emergency action plan, and decide what you’d do if a Year 2000 problem (or any other unusual, unpredictable situation) affected your work.
Stay informed.
New and updated information about anticipated events and equipment issues is generated frequently. Your local "Y2K-Partner" can help identify changes that could affect your work. (Your AO can give you the name of your partner.)
Misinformation regarding Y2K is rampant.
These resources address "hype" and rumors:
Will MIT delay the start of classes in January 2000?
No changes to the academic calendar are anticipated, and IAP classes will begin as scheduled on Tuesday, January 4.
What plans are being made for the New Year’s Transition?
To address Y2K-specific risks and effect a a smooth transition to the Year 2000, MIT’s Business Continuity Management Team (BCMT) has formed a Y2K Transition Team to enhance MIT’s existing contingency plans. From December 31 through January 4, the Y2K Transition Team will also coordinate the execution of MIT's contingency plans if necessary. For additional information, see: http://web.mit.edu/bcmt/.
Facilities and Information Systems will have some staff on campus during the New Year’s Transition Weekend to address any service disruptions that may arise. Other departments may select staff to assess departmental systems, and take any needed corrective action. Otherwise, staff should report to work on their regular schedules.
Details about the New Year’s Transition Weekend will appear in the next issue of the Faculty Newsletter.
Will Y2K issues affect Security Systems?
The MIT Card is being verified for Y2K Compliance. We do not anticipate any problems involving systems that rely on the Card. If your space or laboratory relies on a security system provided by an outside vendor, verify compliance soon.
How will MIT community members who are away during the break learn about any changes in plans for the start of the quarter?
Communication channels will be in place so that the MIT community can obtain the latest information on any Y2K-related disruptions that affect the campus. Details will be provided in November.
Resources for IART and other information.
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