NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Alan Shulman, DCI Media Relations
(978) 470-3870

Release Date: March 7, 1997

DCI's Year 2000 Issues and Answers Conference
To Be Held in Toronto, April 15-17, 1997

Leading Experts Will Assess Risks, Present Solutions to Minimize Computer Crisis

Andover, MA -- "How potentially damaging is the Year 2000 computer crisis?" "What can be done to reduce the potential risks to technology-dependent organizations throughout the world?" These and other questions pertaining to the looming turn-of-the-century computer apocalypse will be addressed by many of the world's foremost experts at DCI's Year 2000 Issues and Answers Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, April 15-17, 1997.

The Year 2000 problem is considered by experts to be the most critical issue facing the computer industry today. Estimates of the losses that could be incurred by businesses and government agencies as a result of the inability of computers to make the transition into the next century run as high as $1.5 trillion.

According to Conference Chairman Peter de Jager, the Brampton, Ontario-based information technology consultant, the problem with the Year 2000 is its sheer size. "It's larger than anything the information technology industry has ever faced before. The purpose of DCI's conference is to provide a global overview of how both the private and public sectors are preparing to handle the crisis, highlighting the risks, and offering suggestions as to how those risks can be minimized," de Jager said.

In assessing the scope of the problem, de Jager commented, "If companies are not already working on the Year 2000 problem, then they are playing a nasty game of Russian roulette. Thousands of companies and organizations have admitted that the problem is real, complex, and time consuming. For those that haven't, they are placing their own survival at risk."

Conference topics include: The Year 2000: The Project That Cannot Be Late; Year 2000 Legal Issues: Rights, Liabilities, Protection; Automating Code Repair; and Testing for the Year 2000 Conversion, among others.

Among the featured speakers will be Frank Arthur, Year 2000 Project Manager for Ontario Hydro's Human Resources and Financial Services Divisions. Mr. Arthur will discuss Ontario Hydro's solution focusing on specific issues encountered in mainframe, LAN, and workstation environments.

In a further commitment to the Canadian information technology marketplace, DCI has entered into a strategic partnership with the Year2000 Information Network. That organization has committed to an aggressive plan to increase awareness of the Year 2000 issues in the Canadian marketplace, and to inform information technology decision makers of the conversion options available. The Year2000 Information Network will co-sponsor the DCI event and will conduct its user group seminar at the conference.

DCI's Year 2000 Issues and Answers Conference will run concurrently at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre with DCI's Database & Client/Server World and DCI's Data Warehouse World, Canada's premier events for information technology professionals. These events will feature more than 100 educational sessions and demonstrations of the newest products and services from over 100 exhibitors, many of which are Canadian-based firms. The event will feature a spirited debate among leading industry experts on whether the Internet way of computing will replace the well established client/server architectures that exist in most corporations.

DCI is a leading promoter of information technology conferences, trade shows and expositions in the Canadian marketplace. Other 1997 events include DCI's Internet Expo, the premier Canadian Internet, Web and EMail Conference, and DCI's Sales Force Automation Conference and Exposition, which will run concurrently at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, October 28-30, 1997.