http://www.amcity.com/houston/stories/1999/12/27/story1.html

Y2K worries keeping crews at work; Facing overhyped cyberangst, many will greet new millennium on the job

Jennifer Darwin

Employees at BMC Software Inc. who have to work New Year's Eve will be treated to a movie as part of the Houston company's night-long vigil. The chosen flick: "Entrapment."

"We thought the title was kind of fitting since these people are trapped here," jokes Betty Otter-Nickerson, BMC's vice president in charge of Y2K.

Like so many other companies around Houston, New Year's Eve is a work night at BMC. A skeleton crew will be on hand at the stroke of midnight Dec. 31 to handle any glitches that arise because of the worrisome Y2K bug.

Indeed, what has been billed for years as the party of the century, may turn out to be just another day at the office for many. From tech companies to law firms, from hospitals to financial institutions, Houston businesses are calling in workers to staff the office in case the long-heralded switch from 1999 to 2000 really does create cyberhavok.

WORKING LIKE IT'S 1999

At BMC, about 65 employees will be in the company's "war room" when the clock strikes midnight. Make that 66 if you count the employee Otter-Nickerson says is coming to work just so he can be at the center of the action.

Employees will be monitoring BMC products that manage and maintain their customers' large computer systems. The firm says it's Y2K compliant, so no problems are anticipated. But employees will be on hand to make sure every piece of hardware and software knows it's the year 2000 and not 1900.

Otter-Nickerson decided that since so many BMC people had to work on New Year's Eve, they might as well have fun doing it.

The festivities start at 9 p.m. with a catered dinner for employees and their families, and everyone's eligible to win door prizes. Then it's off to the movies, where the adults can watch Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones while the children view something more to their liking.

Then all the BMC folks will gather, just a few minutes early, for a simulated midnight -- complete with hats, noise-makers, confetti and a toast with sparking cider.

"The whole reason for doing the party is to make it nice for the employees and still allow them to spend time with their families," says Otter-Nickerson, who works in BMC's Austin office.

For many people in the information technology business who have been working for years to correct the Y2K bug, Dec. 31, 1999, should give them more than one reason to celebrate.

"There's a lot of anticipation," says Henry Gonzalez, vice president for Chase Bank's technology division in Houston. "There are a lot of people who are looking forward to being here and seeing that our work was done well."

Gonzalez's division, the largest of three technology divisions for Chase Bank of Texas, will have between 30 and 50 people working on New Year's Eve. They will monitor the systems that control everything from deposits to fund transfers, all of which Gonzalez says have passed a variety of Y2K tests.

Chase can't estimate how many people will be working at its downtown offices, but the bank has booked hotel rooms for its employees so they don't have to drive home in the middle of the night.

Gonzalez says a special year-end party will take place later in January to celebrate all the success and hard work.

POSTPONING THE PARTY John Marino, director of network planning and operations for Reliant Energy, usually doesn't work on New Year's Eve, but he'll be on duty this year. Along with hundreds of other Reliant employees, Marino will make sure there's no disruption in the generation and delivery of energy, electricity and natural gas.

And on the home front, his wife will make sure she tapes Dick Clark's New Year's Eve special.

"We're going to celebrate New Year's the weekend after," says Marino, who adds that there will be plenty of balloons, hats and eggnog to go around.

Jane Brust, director of communications for the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, is one of the 260 people who will be working New Year's Eve to make sure everything runs smoothly at the Texas Medical Center facility.

Her husband, on the other hand, is organizing a block party for their neighbors. It turns out that many of them also have spouses who have to work that night.

"The left-at-home spouses will be drinking champagne and organizing festivities," jokes Brust. "Most people are staying home this year."

The M.D. Anderson employees who do work that night will be treated to a nice dinner and will be able to stay in a nearby hotel, Brust says.

"It will certainly be a memorable New Year's Eve," she adds. "I keep wondering if we're going to see scrubs with sequins."

Dan Jurgena will be working New Year's Eve, too. He's the chief engineer for Macfarlan Real Estate, which owns and manages 1.7 million square feet of commercial space in Houston.

Jurgena's main job will be to monitor the computerized controls in his buildings, such as the energy management systems and security systems. He has complete confidence in his equipment, but will be ready to fix any problems that may occur if there's a break in electricity or water.

But having to work on New Year's Eve is not taking Jurgena away from any big party plans. He says he usually at home and in bed by 10 p.m., so all the Y2K bug is doing is keeping him up past his bedtime.

"If everything goes smooth," Jurgena says, "we'll hopefully be out of here by 1 a.m."

-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@AOL.COM), December 27, 1999