The Bermuda Connect Association began a campaign to expand membership in its secure electronic network for the Island last week. The network, currently made up of 21 member organisations with 2,500 users, has been operating on a trial basis using E-mail for the past 18 months.

The association wants to expand membership and the commercial applications on the network, which operates as a kind of separate, private Internet using the same browser software.

As Graham Pearson of Paragon Bermuda Ltd. said during an information session at the Bermuda Insurance Institute, the Island is probably a year behind other offshore competitors in establishing such a network. Paragon manages the network, which is hosted by Quantum Communications on its fibre optic system.

Singapore is probably the leader in the field, although Dublin, Guernsey, the Cayman Islands, and Malaysia all have some form of similar network.

In Singapore, the government has financially backed Singapore-One, a vision of an "intelligent island''. The project has been put together with a layer of fibreoptic rings which currently connects 5,000 homes and businesses. About 80 percent of the high rise buildings are connected. The government wants to make the island the premier offshore jurisdiction in the world by expanding access globally through a co-location in California.

Singapore-One has about 103 applications developed for the network so far.

It's community driven with an on-line medical service, video mail, multi-media education and a 3-D on-line meteorological service.

The business applications include the issue of digital certificates and smart cards, and a multimedia offering of insurance products though a virtual agent.

It's the business model Bermuda Connect is trying to emulate. Get more information on Singapore One at www.s-orie.gov.sg.

Bermuda Connect is more business driven although the Registrar of Companies and the Bermuda Monetary Authority are necessarily on board to facilitate such electronic transactions as registry searches and statutory financial reporting.

As a non-profit association, members of Bermuda Connect are hoping the organisation will grow to 8,000 individual members in 60 organisations.

In this column's look at how local public companies are fairing in their drive to fix the Year 2000 computer problem, this week the focus is on the Bank of Bermuda Ltd., and the Bank of N.T. Butterfield and Son Ltd.

Both banks have appointed project directors and a senior executive specifically devoted to overseeing they are compliant in time, and that deadlines are met. What's also important is that both have specific newsletters that update staff and clients about the banks' efforts.

Bank of Bermuda is in the testing phase and is also working on compliance for desktop computers. But the development and system testing for the majority of the bank's 30 mainline systems have been completed. These are the systems that service the products offered to clients. Integration testing, the testing of all the products together, was completed in July.

Local and site specific testing is scheduled to begin next month and completed by December this year. Year 2000 Project Director Carole Gilbertson has also begun requiring statements of compliance from clients and suppliers.

Full compliance and certification is scheduled for the end of February 1999.

Interestingly the bank has also told all staff they can't take any vacation time during the next two new years. The bank wants all hands on deck to deal with any problems encountered in the change over to the Euro currency by the European Community in January 1999, and with the rollover to year 2000.

The Bank of Butterfield expects to be compliant by first quarter next year.

The bank is in the testing phase and is currently checking on suppliers and other business partners and clients to ensure compliance. Chief executive officer Calum Johnston is on the Y2K committee and is directly involved with the project. The Y2K project director is Bryan Dowling.

On a wider scale, a recent Associated Press story reported that banks are considered ahead of most other sectors in becoming compliant. Most are also making contingency plans for the possibility that their customers and trading partners, especially in developing and less-wealthy countries, will not be prepared. For example, plans are being made to conduct trades manually, in case this is necessary to continue conducting business.

The new iMac has been a roaring success for Apple Compter Inc. A recent survey shows that nearly 15 percent of buyers were purchasing their first computer.

About 13 percent were replacing a Windows-based personal computer, according to the survey conducted by ComputerWare, a retailer specialising in Apple products.

Tech Tattle focuses on technology issues. Contact Ahmed at 295-5881, ext. 248, or 238-3854, or techtattle ygazette.newsmedia.bm.