NZ should cash in on better Y2K readiness says analyst

By Adam Gifford

An International Data Corporation (IDC) survey has found New Zealand leads Australia in fixing the Year 2000 computer bug.

IDC analyst Peter Hind said firms here could turn this to commercial advantage.

"Working on Y2K is an internal focus. When you finish, you can look outwards," he said.

"This is a significant opportunity for New Zealand business to steal market share, particularly if Australia follows Y2K work with GST work," he said.

The survey of IT trends and challenges was conducted on both sides of the Tasman in January.

The results contradict a Gartner Group ranking of infrastructure risk released in March, which put Australia in tier one ahead of New Zealand, which shared second-tier status with countries such as Brazil, Hungary and Thailand.

Mr Hind said 54 per cent of New Zealand firms reported they were Y2K compliant, compared with 38 per cent in Australia.

"I've got the feel the larger organisations in Australia have more complexity in the Y2K projects than the smaller business environment in New Zealand, so it is easier for New Zealand to get ready," he said.

When asked to rate the challenges they faced, chief information officers in New Zealand put completing Year 2000 projects at number four, compared with two last year.

Their Australian counterparts saw Y2K as their number one challenge.

John Good, the Year 2000 Readiness Commission's technical adviser, said the IDC figures were "consistent with the sort of numbers which we are sensing now."

The commission's second survey will be released in early June.

He said there was no room for complacency. "We've got to take this effort right to the wire," Mr Good said. "Even if we think our organisation is internally compliant, there is the supply chain to consider, the customer, business continuity and the overall business strategy components."