Most definitions of failure include the loss or corruption of data, an interruption of service, the loss of revenue or damage to property. Failures can be expected to occur anytime a system encounters a date field that looks forward into the new century. For others, failures can occur at the commencement of a new fiscal year. The rest are repaired, tested and in production. These are the most complicated projects to tackle.
Applications represent the business solution that is enabled through computer programs and systems.
To make an application compliant, agencies must either replace, or re-code the existing application. Software State agencies have various versions of software installed appropriate to the generation of hardware they run. In most cases, only recent releases of desktop, mid-range and mainframe software are inherently Year 2000 ready. Hardware Personal computers include Real Time Clocks and Bios Chips that provide basic operational instructions to the computer. Many older computers have Bios Chips that do not accurately process a four-digit year date.