On another small business computing note, you may need to be concerned about the PC you are using in your business. Is your computer ready for the millennium? Even if you purchased your system just a year ago, it might not be. Dell's desktop systems became compliant in January of 1997 and Compaq became compliant toward the end of the year. Estimates of non-compliant 486 and Pentium systems in use today are as high as six million.
The major dilemma facing most companies, and maybe yours, is whether it's worth it to upgrade systems or if it would be better to just buy new machines. And, if your computers are networked, you may have even greater problems. It seems that upgrades over networks are even more difficult, since each individual system is different.
Businesses are offering solutions, though. Compaq is suggesting that those who have Compaq systems use Insight Manager software. The software will find the individual revision date of each system's BIOS. Additionally, Unicode, a subsidiary of Award Software, plans to release a test kit this year. The kit, called Millennium Pro Check, checks all manufacturers' BIOS for Year-2000 compliance. If the test is failed, the company offers Millennium Pro ($79.95), which will convert the BIOS to year-2000 compliance.
