Bridgeway Systems Solves Year 2000 Crisis for Corporations Worldwide; Dawn of the Millennium Places Many Computer Systems in Jeopardy; Emerging Player Provides Innovative Approach for Year 2000 Migration; Company President Available as Resource at SPG Year 2000 Conference & Expo at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, September 11-13.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 1996--A ticking clock and a worldwide problem: A massive information technology problem will face thousands of corporations worldwide when the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2000. What has been deemed the "Year 2000 Crisis" has been called the single largest problem to face the information systems industry in its history. With many early mainframe systems and accompanying software programs still in use today, the two-digit year/date configuration of the mainframes will cause the applications to misread the "00" in "2000" as the year "1900" when the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2000. This will throw a wrench in financial, medical and other date-reliant databases worldwide as they rely on year/date configurations to maintain accurate records of the dates and times of transactions, essential for mission-critical business functions. According to a study conducted by the Gartner Group, an industry analyst firm, corporations facing the "Year 2000 Crisis" will have to spend $300 to $600 billion over the next few years to correct this problem.

Some companies are witnessing corruption of their databases even now as they use applications that must project figures and data into the 21st century. In the United States alone, there are approximately 20,000 mainframe sites with huge volumes of data which may be rendered completely inoperable at the millennium by the "Year 2000 Crisis." It is estimated that each of these sites will spend between $5 and $50 million to solve this data translation nightmare. These companies have no choice but to spend that money, lest they go out of business.

The "Year 2000 Crisis" did not begin in 1996 or even earlier this decade; it began in the early days of mainframe computing some 30 years ago. At that time, prices for computer memory were at a premium and it took a data storage device the size of a refrigerator to store the same amount of data which today fits on a 3.5 inch diskette. Programmers working on early applications believed that first generation programs would be widely revised by the turn of the century and, therefore, decided to save precious memory by implementing a two-digit year field configuration in mainframe applications. This is essentially the root of the Crisis, one that cannot be ignored as the "deadline" cannot be extended.

Expensive Solutions and an Emerging New Approach:

Solutions for the "Year 2000 Crisis" have been underway for some time but many rely on time consuming and not entirely reliable outsourcing of code reprogramming. This process involves massive numbers of programmers, usually at sites overseas, to rewrite old software code in a manual conversion of data. As well as being time- consuming, recoding can fall victim to human error and is financially constraining for all but the largest corporations. Other companies may be faced with purchasing entirely new computer systems and abandoning two-digit date-encumbered applications, and the data residing in those applications, if they cannot afford manual recoding approaches to the Crisis. Further, with the massive numbers of man hours required to complete an average Year 2000 migration manual recoding project, it is likely that the millennium will arrive too rapidly for average-sized projects to be completed.

Bridgeway Systems, Inc., based in Reno, Nev., a newly formed international, full service Year 2000 migration services provider, is the developer and implementer of an entirely automated solution to the "Year 2000 Crisis" for companies of all sizes. Unlike competitive solutions, Bridgeway believes that the only practical solution to the Year 2000 problem is to implement a process in which the programs do not touch human hands. Bridgeway's completely-automated conversion process produces a cost-efficient, higher-quality, faster and date-predictable result. The company will preview its comprehensive Year 2000 methodology and automated Program Factory Solution to be introduced in October at the SPG Year 2000 Conference & Expo at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, September 11-13. An innovative mainframe/application translation solution that acts as a pendant to the Year 2000 solution will be previewed at the conference as well.

Bridgeway Systems:

Bridgeway provides high-quality, knowledge-based Year 2000 consulting and completely-automated program conversion services using a Program Factory Approach. Bridgeway's conversion services are based on its comprehensive Year 2000 migration methodology supported by an integrated set of proprietary software tools and a Program Conversion Factory.

Bridgeway founder, CEO and President Frederick H. Schuchardt will be at the SPG Year 2000 Conference & Expo, September 11-13, to discuss the Crisis and the Bridgeway solution.

For media-related information, contact Carolyn Rohrer or Jonathan Bloom at McGrath/Power Public Relations, via phone at 408/727-0351, or via e-mail at [e-mail] or [e-mail].

CONTACT: McGrath/Power Public Relations, Santa Clara 

Carolyn Rohrer, 408/727-0351

[e-mail]

Jonathan Bloom, 408/727-0351

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