With less than three weeks to go until the year 2000 date change, technology company Information Sciences Group has launched a so-called 'silver bullet' solution for existing computer systems.

The package, called Mitigator, has already been taken up by the Canadian Government and the US military. But given the short time now available for others to implement this, it has also been designed to handle on-the-spot resolution of trouble.

Last week, Action 2000 reported that 65% of FTSE 500 organisations had uncovered problems that could have caused "operational failure" or serious damage to business.

Even those companies that are now compliant run a significant risk of being affected by Y2K-related residual bugs and data corruption. IT researchers Gartner Group recently predicted that 5-9% of 'fixed' code will actually remain defective.

ISG says its product combines a unique methodology with a processing speed 1000 times faster than conventional tools. It can be installed now, using that speed to test critical systems. Alternatively, it can be installed and used later on a fix-on-failure basis.

Information Services Group is on 0171 553-4040.

Elsewhere, there is bad news for IT staff who will be on the job throughout New Year's Eve. Fear of legal action has upset plans to establish a dedicated chat-line for these unhappy souls. Solicitors have warned that employers might have grounds for complaint if staff spend the evening chatting rather than working.

Elliott Chase