NIH successfully met the year 2000 (Y2K) challenge. The successful—and uneventful—rollover was actually the result of years of hard work and dedication by many NIH staff in all institutes and centers (ICs), as well as of extensive coordination of IC and NIH activities prior to and on "day one." You probably did not notice a thing on January 1, because more than 1000 NIH staff members did their jobs very well. As a result of the CIT-led Y2K efforts, NIH preserved the safety of patients and animals, maintained the integrity of biomedical research, and continued the smooth ad-ministration of intramural and extramural research programs.

Broad Scope of the Y2K Effort

Formally begun in June 1996, the Y2K project at NIH faced numerous obstacles, including the diverse IT environments in ICs, the ubiquity of Y2K issues across all aspects of information technology, and the non-negotiable deadline. Despite these obstacles, NIH’s dedicated Y2K staff conducted inventory, assessment, remediation, and testing on more than 400 application systems—14 of which NIH identified as mission critical. CIT guided a detailed Y2K certification process for biomedical equipment belonging to nearly 1500 principal investigators, placing special emphasis on devices that could affect patient or animal safety.

CIT also guided comprehensive Y2K compliance efforts for more than 23,000 desktop computers and 2,100 Unix systems, as well as for all hardware and software in the NIH Computer Center. CIT and other ICs ensured the readiness of the NIH network and telecommunications infrastructure, while the Office of Research Services (ORS) addressed the compliance of embedded microchips in building facilities to prevent any disruptions in power, water, telephone service, or building access. NIH also revised contingency plans for critical systems and business processes that support the NIH mission, and subjected all systems to a strict "independent validation and verification" process to confirm Y2K compliance.

In preparation for "day one," NIH conducted dress rehearsals. The scenario-based rehearsals enabled ICs to validate their "day one" plans and to engage in test coordination with the NIH command center. On "day one," all ICs reported to the NIH "day one" command center that their systems were Y2K-compliant and functioning properly. A group of CIT "day one" staff at the NIH command center monitored NIH information systems and compiled NIH status reports for the DHHS and White House command centers. The NIH command center also kept in constant contact with additional centers operated by the Clinical Center and ORS.

Appreciation Ceremony

On February 9, CIT held a reception in Natcher for more than 1000 IC staff members to recognize their Y2K efforts. Certificates of appreciation from the NIH Chief Information Officer and NIH Acting Director were given to IC staff members to recognize the many hours of preparation that contributed to the success of the Y2K project.

Interface 213 (March 15, 2000)