If you're an executive or board member of one of the many businesses in Bermuda who's only now coming around to dealing with the Year 2000 computer bug, then you've really got a problem.

Ok, so you were asleep at the wheel. What to do now? Businesses that haven't started by now are basically at the stage of disaster recovery. Michael Branco, John Tartaglia and Michael Moniz of MM&I Technology Group (in chorus) called the process "contingency planning'' during a discussion I had with them.

"It's a known disaster,'' Mr. Tartaglia said.

Yes, there's a lot of hype about the Year 2000 problem. Some business leaders probably got so immunised to the warnings they found it easier to ignore the problem rather than deal with it. Like many others, my eyes glaze over much of what's being said. But that's like turning off the fire alarm because it's making such an annoying din.

Or they thought they wouldn't be affected. Or, because they were listening to the short term imperative of devoting their attention to making cash, many business leaders put off the long-term business goal of survival.

And that's the watchword at this late stage of the game: business survival.

Some will sail on clear and free for the most part. Others may flounder and then right themselves up, while many on the margins will simply fail.

Even if the business is going to be alright, being prepared to deal with the Year 2000 problem and all the uncertainties likely to occur could translate into important competitive advantages for those who hit the ground running.

For those who don't already know, the Year 2000 bug refers to a computer systems problem. Many systems were designed with only two digits in their date fields. All years were considered to be in the 20th Century and the 19 was dropped. The programmes are in use today and this could spell disaster when the year hits 2000.

Those in the know say such machines as computers, fax machines, elevators -- anything that operates on a programmed chip embedded with the bug -- start behaving strangely, or not at all. It could be a technological disaster.

The object at this point in time is to start a programme to find out how the Year 2000 bug will affect the business, identify the critical components and personnel needed to stay in operation, then implement a survival plan, the consultants said.

Along side the disaster recovery programme of saving the important bits, the business should at the same time begin fixing the problem -- to work toward becoming Year 2000 compliant.

"It's a two-pronged approach,'' Mr. Tartaglia said.

The first step is to do an impact analysis, one which identifies all the critical business units, the systems that support those components, and the business partners and suppliers that could have an impact on the operations.

The analysis could take about one to two weeks for a company with about 100 to 150 employees.

Then you map out a contingency plan so staff have a strategy for dealing with any worst case scenario that could occur because of computers not being able to distinguish between say 2001, and 1901. Accounting, customer service, and public image are key areas to focus on.

Keeping a copy of customer accounts on a separate "clean'' computer system might be one strategy. Changing suppliers who aren't Year 2000 compliant to those who are is another.

"You need to look at alternative business partners and vendors,'' Mr. Moniz said. "You might need to look at an alternate site, for example another building, if the elevators stop working.'' Keep in mind also, if you're a supplier to another business, they'll be asking you if you're Year 2000 compliant. If you're not then you could get dropped pretty fast.

While going through this exercise of getting prepared and getting compliant, MM&I advises you not to trust anybody. Don't trust the sales representative who sells you new computers and systems to replace the old, and assures you they're Year 2000 compliant. Don't trust the computer technician who tells you everything will be OK come 2000. Don't trust your supplier who says "Yeah, yeah.'' When the century turns what they said won't matter while you're business goes under, although you might get some satisfaction out of trying to allocate blame. MM&I consultants have already found at least one business that thought they bought Year 2000 compliant hardware which on testing wasn't. They won't name the vendor.

"Don't make any assumptions,'' Mr. Moniz said. "The word `trust' is not a very good approach. We always tell our clients `You're responsible'. You must protect your business and ensure survival.'' You're responsible. That's a good way to describe how to deal with the Year 2000 bug. The bug is really a business problem, rather than a technical problem . After all, the technicians know how to fix the bug. Do you know how to debug the business? rag Tech Tattle is a column dealing with technology issues. If you have any comments or ideas please contact Ahmed at 295-5881, or 238-3854.