Millennium bug delays ecommerce take-up

NEWS Year 2000 conversions could damage ecommerce projects, according to the latest worldwide survey by Ernst & Young. The Global Information Security survey showed companies are delaying implementation of ecommerce and diverting the finances and resources to the Year 2000 problem instead. Over 4,000 companies from 35 countries participated in the survey by Ernst & Young's Information Assurance and Advisory Services. Despite the importance of secure networks to ecommerce, 41 per cent of respondents did not have formal security measures. Ernst & Young claimed the millennium bug is holding back the implementation of such measures, preventing ecommerce reaching its full potential. Fear of hackers and staff gaining unauthorised access is also delaying ecommerce projects.