Anyone who believes the Millennium Compliance issue is confined to computers and related information systems has failed to appreciate the scale of the problem.

Articles and newsletters dealing with this matter have concentrated almost exclusively on computers and software.

A possible nightmare scenario awaits many businesses who fail to realise which of their machines and systems rely on software programs which use date codes and are reliant on those software programs for proper performance.

Many of today's machines use embedded microchip technology, but how many of them will continue to function in the next century?

Time locks on doors and vaults are examples of the types of equipment which should be checked for Millennium Compliance. But what about lift mechanisms that automatically switch off at night, indicators on industrial machinery, burglar alarm systems that automatically arm themselves at a pre-set time, and telephone switchboards that automatically switch to voicemail at the end of each business day?

These and other similar machinery should all be checked for Millennium Compliance unless you want your business to grind to a halt on January 1, 2000.

You need to undertake an audit of all your business machinery to assess which need to be Millennium Compliant.

Michael Boyd is a partner at commercial lawyers, Pinsent Curtis.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.