Update for IT Executives: March 24, 1999
Volume 5, Number 6

In This Issue:

1. ITAA and Attorney General Janet Reno Unveil New Tech Partnership
2. Information Technology Workforce Convocation Draws Nationwide Attention
3. ITAA Calls for Conditions to China’s Accession to World Trade Organization
4. ITAA’s Spring/Summer Year 2000 Directory of Solution Providers to Publish in May
5. ITAA / Mercer Annual Study of Compensation Nears Completion
6. ITAA Praises FCC Actions as Speeding Consumer Access to Broadband Technology
7. ITAA Supports Hatch - Baucus Bill to Establish Permanent R&D Tax Credit
8. Unique Seminar Offers Solutions to Y2K Legal Disputes
9. Strategic Solutions '99 Set for October 24-27
10. State and Local E-Commerce Opportunities Offered
11. Opportunities in the German Market for Internet, IT, and Telecom Industries
12. WITSA’s Digital Planet Survey: The Definitive Guide to the Global IT Marketplace
13. ITAA 1999 Calendar of Events
14. ITAA Out Front…

1. ITAA and Attorney General Janet Reno Unveil New Tech Partnership;
Campaign will Promote Cybercitizenship
ITAA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the Cybercitizen Partnership on March 15th at ITAA’s Policy Summit. The Partnership is a new alliance between the high tech industry and the United States government designed to promote computer ethics and civic responsibility in the cyber age. The partnership also aims to aid law enforcement and industry in the battle against a new breed of criminal - the on-line outlaw. ITAA President Harris Miller and several member CEOs who support the plan joined Attorney General Janet Reno at a press conference announcing the program.

DOJ and ITAA said that computer crime is a growing problem worldwide, increasing concern that new information-based assets must be protected and preserved. A recent survey by the Computer Security Institute estimates that more than 60 percent of companies have experienced financial losses due to cyber crime. The proliferation of low cost computers and networks have spread information technology to every quarter of society. The partnership will conduct a major national campaign to educate, raise awareness and provide resources to empower concerned users and citizens.

"We cannot allow cyberspace to become the wild west of the information age," said Attorney General Janet Reno. "If we are to ensure public safety and responsible computer use, then government, industry and the public must all work together. This Cybercitizen Partnership is an exciting beginning."

ITAA President Harris Miller agreed: "I predict we will see cyber crime proliferate in the very near future if we as an industry, working with government, do not take every necessary step to educate computer users on the consequences of irresponsible cyber behavior. There is simply no greater priority than protecting what has rapidly become the bricks and mortar of this country’s economic well-being - our information technology infrastructure - from falling victim to cyber criminals and delinquents. We are delighted to play a leadership role in critical infrastructure protection by collaborating with the Justice Department on the Cybercitizen Partnership."

One ITAA member company, Computer Sciences Corporation, has taken a leadership role within ITAA to actively address cyber concerns and is representative of many of the members.

"As a provider of I/T solutions for government and industry, we have a first hand view of the growing potential for cybercrime and the need to protect our country’s technology infrastructure," said Van Honeycutt, CSC’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer. "Government and the private sector can always accomplish more by working together on challenging issues such as this, and CSC is proud to be the first company to contribute to the private sector fund for the Cybercitizen Partnership. We encourage others within the I/T and telecommunications industries to do their part to ensure the future safety of our society.

The partnership as it is currently conceived will consist of three complementary segments. The first segment is a "good cybercitizenship" public awareness campaign designed to engage children, young adults and the wider user community on the basics of critical information protection and security, and the limits of acceptable online behavior. The goal of the campaign is to foster responsible cyber citizenship, educate the public on how to protect cyber resources, and decrease the likelihood of attacks through a heightened level of civic preparedness. A second component is a user-friendly computer and network security directory to help public and private sector organizations quickly find the computer security resources they need to protect information assets. Finally, an Information Security Professional fellowship program between industry and government will raise the awareness levels of participants with respect to the views, perspectives and needs of their respective counterparts. Knowledge and experience will be gained that will help shape the development and enhance the utility of potential information products to be shared within and between government and industry.

ITAA Members interested in joining the Cybercitizen Partnership are encouraged to participate. ITAA Contact: Kevin Roth.

2. Information Technology Workforce Convocation Draws Nationwide Attention
Second Annual Conference on IT Workers Planned for April 12-13, 1999

The Second Annual National Information Technology Workforce Convocation, hosted by ITAA, will take place on April 12-13, 1999 in Austin, TX. The Convocation will bring together hundreds of key practitioners in education, government, and industry to gauge the nation's progress in addressing the current shortage of IT workers.

The Convocation will include workshops on attracting women and minorities to IT careers, older workers training and development, school to work programs, rural solutions and incumbent worker training. It will highlight replicable programs to expand training and recruitment opportunities, determine priorities for the private sector and government action and recognize excellence in innovative partnerships.

ITAA President Harris Miller pointed out the increased need for collaboration on attracting workers to the high tech field. "We in industry, government and education must recognize the new realities of our global information economy-an economy which is increasingly fueled by the high tech industry. This economic growth, however, is not a given. The marketplace continues to experience a ‘disconnect’ between the skill sets that employers demand and the education, training and experience of many American workers. The Convocation will help all involved in solving the IT workforce equation to ‘reconnect’ with creative new strategies that help us meet this vital challenge."

The Honorable Lloyd Doggett, Congressman from the 10th District of Texas, is a guest speaker at the Convocation. In addition, the Convocation will feature prominent speakers on education and workforce training, including Dr. Larry Faulkner, President of the University of Texas, Dr. Ernst Volgenau, President and CEO, SRA International, Gary Beach, Publisher, CIO Magazine, Nancy Lewis, General Manager of Training and Certification, Microsoft, Gale S. Fitzgerald, Chairman and CEO, Computer Task Group and Dr. Pierre Hessler, Gemini Consulting.

Event corporate sponsors are EDS Corporation, Cap Gemini, AT&T Solutions, Microsoft, DeVry, Inc. and Cisco Systems. ITAA, the National Alliance of Business and Education Development Center also sponsor the event through a National School-to-Work Office-funded initiative. ITAA Contacts: Marjorie Bynum, Shannon Bickford.

3. ITAA Calls for Conditions to China’s Accession to World Trade Organization
In a recent letter to the United States Trade Representative Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, ITAA expressed concern over the conditions of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization. ITAA said that unless conditions are created and met by China, U.S. companies providing value-added and information technology services in China might be subject to new regulations and restrictions.

ITAA recommended that China meet four conditions before accession:

• agreement to open the telecommunications market for enhanced and basic services, and adherence to the principles of WTOs’ Basic Telecommunications Agreement;
• agreement to open and liberalize the value-added services market, within a timeframe not to exceed five years;
• agreement to continue to permit the provision of IT services without restriction by foreign firms and under an expanded definition;
• and agreement to adhere to other IT-related WTO commitments.

"The New Economy is fueled by the high tech companies we represent, and these companies reach the countries far and wide which make up the World Trade Organization. ITAA supports China’s accession into the WTO, but we believe its induction must be conditioned to meet the same standards by which all other WTO countries are bound. Fair, equal treatment under global agreements is what we ask for, but we fear that under China’s current system, those agreements may be jeopardized unless conditions are met up front," commented ITAA President Harris Miller.

ITAA also urged the USTR to ensure that China’s accession agreement allows American firms to continue to provide value-added services and IT services in China, while committing China to further liberalization. Contact: Sheila O’Neill.

4. ITAA’s Spring/Summer Year 2000 Directory of Solution Providers to Publish in May
ITAA will publish the ninth edition of its Year 2000 Directory of Solution Providers in May 1999. Each Directory listing includes the company location, key organization contacts and a brief description of the Year 2000 products and/or services offered. ITAA's Year 2000 Buyer's Guide is also included in the publication. Company listings in the Directory are free to ITAA member companies. New company listings or listing updates are available now, and must be submitted, via email or on disk, no later than Friday, April 23, 1999, for inclusion in the ninth edition of the Directory.

ITAA’s Year 2000 Directory of Solution Providers provides companies with a definite advantage in the Year 2000 marketplace. The Directory educates the marketplace on up-to-the-minute available offerings of Year 2000 solution providers, and helps organizations expedite the conversion process by identifying quickly leading commercial providers of Year 2000 products and services. Over 50,000 copies of the directory have already been distributed worldwide. The Directory is also available through ITAA's Web Site and receives over 50,000 hits per month (http://www.itaa.org/year2000).

Advertising opportunities in the Directory offer additional exposure in the Year 2000 marketplace. Special placements are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact: Heidi Hooper.

5. ITAA / Mercer Annual Study of Compensation Nears Completion
Each year ITAA, in conjunction with William M. Mercer, Inc., conducts a compensation survey of information technology positions in the software and computer services industry. This survey reports compensation information about a wide variety of jobs vital to the industry from systems engineers to customer support personnel. Participation in this survey is restricted to companies specifically developing software and/or providing computer services as their main line of business. As a result, the compensation data provided by the survey is tailored to match the labor market in which most ITAA members compete.

ITAA and Mercer are still soliciting data for the survey. ITAA members and survey participants will receive a significant discount on the purchase price of the survey results. Contact: Todd Monsour at Mercer at 502-560-8248.

6. ITAA Praises FCC Actions as Speeding Consumer Access to Broadband Technology
ITAA President Harris Miller praised the Federal Communications Commission's adoption of several measures to enable competitive providers of advanced services, such as high-speed Internet access, to deploy new technologies on a faster, more cost-effective basis to consumers.

"Consumers are the direct beneficiary of the FCC's actions. The Commission has taken a valuable step to encourage the deployment of broadband access and that means more flexible options and more affordable prices for everyone," said Miller. "ITAA believes that this is just one more example of how the FCC is using the Telecommunication Act of 1996 to promote competition and to encourage investment in the advanced technology. We applaud Chairman Kennard and the other Commissioners for putting consumers first."

The FCC's recent order (CC Docket No. 98-147) facilitates the ability of new competitors to access space in the incumbent's central office (collocation space). The Commission adopted rules to strengthen collocation requirements and to reduce the costs and delays associated with collocation. In particular, the Commission required incumbent local exchange carriers to make new collocation arrangements, including cageless and shared collocation, available to competing carriers. New entrants will be able to locate all equipment necessary for interconnection, whether or not such equipment has a switching function.

ITAA has actively participated in the FCC proceedings on behalf of the information technology and Internet industries. More information on ITAA's telecommunications activities can be found at <>

"The FCC deserves great credit for eliminating the barriers that keep consumer homes and businesses locked out from the latest digital technologies," said Mark Uncapher, Vice President & Counsel of ITAA's Information Services & Electronic Commerce Division. The Division serves as the focus for ITAA's telecommunications policy activities. Contact: Mark Uncapher.

7. ITAA Supports Hatch - Baucus Bill to Establish Permanent R&D Tax Credit
ITAA supported immediate passage of a bill to make the Research and Development Tax Credit permanent this week when Harris Miller joined the bill’s co-sponsors, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Max Baucus (D-MT), at a press conference. Miller said the United States Congress should make the credit a top priority this year.

"Senators Hatch and Baucus recognize the value of a permanent R&D credit. U.S. businesses rely on the credit to develop their products in the U.S. rather than overseas, by helping to offset higher labor costs. American jobs and our long-term competitiveness are at stake," said Miller. "By making the credit permanent, business decision-makers will be able to rely on its availability in forming their long-term corporate R&D programs. We applaud Senators Hatch and Baucus for taking this important step toward encouraging long-term business investment."

The R&D credit has been helping American business for 17 years, but Congress has always renewed it on a temporary basis. This year the credit is scheduled to expire on June 30, 1999. ITAA believes that the temporary nature of the credit deprives business decision-makers of the confidence that the credit will still be on the books in the out-years, and hinders long term projects. Contact: Carol Cayo.

8. Unique Seminar Offers Solutions to Y2K Legal Disputes
Many businesses are concerned about being pulled into the estimated $1 trillion whirlpool of Y2K-related litigation. Thus, industry leaders have embraced mediation as an efficient and economical tool to minimize litigation exposure. Mediating Year 2000 Disputes, a seminar to be held Thursday, March 25, in Reston, Virginia, is believed to be the first public program in the nation to train mediators and prepare mediation participants to resolve Y2K conflicts.

The seminar will give an overview of the technical, legal, insurance and legislative issues necessary to put the Y2K problem into settlement perspective. Following the overview, a panel of experienced mediators will give a checklist of issues and suggestions for resolving these unique disputes, and then lead a round table discussion to share varied perspectives and experiences.

Mediating Year 2000 Disputes differs from other Y2K seminars because it assumes the participants have developed and implemented a Y2K action plan, and focuses solely on resolving remaining Y2K problems in a cost-effective, timely manner that preserves business interests and relationships. This seminar also assumes familiarity with mediation of general business disputes and zeros in on the uniqueness of Y2K conflicts.

The seminar is co-sponsored by Technology Mediation Services, LLC, Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), J·A·M·S/Endispute, AH&T Technology Brokers, and The St. Paul Companies Inc.

Mediating Year 2000 Disputes will be held at the Hyatt Regency Reston Town Center on Thursday, March 25, 1999, from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Cost of the seminar $325. For further information or registration information, visit http://www.technologymediation.com/seminar_Y2K.htm or call 703-734-1810. ITAA Contact: Lisa Wallenda Picard.

9. Strategic Solutions '99 Set for October 24-27
Planning is underway for one of the IT industry's most dynamic, information packed events for senior level information technology executives - Strategic Solutions '99 at the Westin La Paloma in Tucson, Arizona.

Featured keynote presenters will provide valuable insight about emerging industry trends and opportunities for business growth in the new millennium. Participants will have the opportunity to attend informative breakout sessions and discuss essential issues that affect the economy, technology and the political arena and mingle with industry peers at networking events. And enjoy the splendor of a world class resort, nestled at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, in the lush Sonora Desert.

Companies may use Strategic Solutions as a focal point for holding a corporate retreat or strategy meeting with company executives, and corporate sponsorships are available for Strategic Solutions '99. Contact: Beth Mayhew.

10. State and Local E-Commerce Opportunities Offered
ITAA’s seat on The National E-Commerce Coordinating Council has opened the door for member participation on a number of electronic commerce working groups. The Council is comprised of representatives from NASIRE (State CIOs), NASPO (State Purchasing Officers) and NASC (State Comptrollers). The focus of the Council is to promote and facilitate the implementation of electronic commerce solutions in state government in a collaborative environment.

Joining the working groups is an opportunity to work side by side with state and local government customers on projects of mutual benefit aimed at problem solving, sharing experiences and promoting e-commerce solutions in government. The working groups for 1999 include: Communications Committee, Programs Committee, Annual Conference planning, Electronic Procurement Systems, E-Commerce Transactions - "Service to the Citizen", Credit Cards, Funding Issues and Approaches, and Financial Electronic Data Interchange (FEDI).

Updates on the Council's recent planning activities, an overview of the working groups for 1999, and participation opportunities are available through ITAA. Contact: Kevin Roth.

11. Opportunities in the German Market for Internet, IT, and Telecom Industries
ITAA will co-sponsor a breakfast briefing on April 28th in San Francisco to learn about opportunities in the German market for the IT, Internet and Telecom industries. The breakfast is from 8:30-10:30am at the US Department of Commerce conference facilities in San Francisco. Jürgen Scheller, Deputy Consul for Economics for the German Consulate in San Francisco will moderate the discussion. Presentations by Rudy Kulzer, Silicon Valley Correspondent for the leading German newspaper, Handelsbatt, as well as advice from Deutsche Telecom, Morrison & Foerster LLP, and other industry representatives will cover topics pertinent to successful business ventures in Germany. Attendance cost is $25.00. Contact: Amy Callahan.

12. WITSA’s Digital Planet Survey: The Definitive Guide to the Global IT Marketplace
Did you know that the worldwide information and communications technology (ICT) market was responsible for $1.8 trillion in spending in 1997? And that this represents about 6% of total global gross domestic product? ICT spending is growing at an incredible 27% faster than overall worldwide GDP, and ICT spending has grown in every economy worldwide, regardless of population growth rates or GDP.

The Digital Planet, the first global comparative study of the ICT market, provides an in-depth look at Global ICT spending and expansion in over 50 countries worldwide. Free Executive Summaries of the study are available through WITSA’s website, http://www.witsa.org.

Filled with important statistics, charts and information on global spending, the Digital Planet study is for all companies competing or hoping to compete on a global scale. For ITAA members, the full study is available for U.S. $300 plus shipping and handling, and $500 plus shipping and handling for non-members. ITAA Contact: Anders Halvorsen.

13. ITAA 1999 Calendar of Events

March

3/25: "Mediating Y2K Disputes" Reston, VA. More info: mpearl@itaa.org.

3/26: 11:30am HSITAG meeting at Andersen Consulting. More info: Kroth@itaa.org.

3/31: Washington Software Association’s Washington State Information Technology School-to-Work Forum, co-sponsored by ITAA in Seattle, WA. More info: jdonaldson@itaa.org.

April

4/2: CIP Task Group at ITAA, contact: Kroth@itaa.org.

4/6: 1:00pm E Commerce Working Group at ITAA, contact Psmith@itaa.org.

4/7: Y2K Task Group Meeting, contact: Hhooper@itaa.org

4/12-13: HR Forum at the Omni Hotel in Austin, Texas. (http://www.itaa.org/software/act/hrforum.htm) (Software and ITS Divisions) contact: nridnouer@itaa.org.

4/12-13: The National IT Workforce Convocation at the Omni hotel in Austin, Texas. Program details are available on the web http://www.itaa.org/workforce/events/99convo.htm.

4/14: Procurement Policy Committee Meeting at ITAA, 9:30am. More info: tfresch@itaa.org.

4/14: Federal Supply Service Committee Meeting at ITAA at 11:30am. More info: tfresch@itaa.org.

4/23: HSITAG meeting, More info: Kroth@itaa.org.

May

5/2-3: CFO Roundtable in La Jolla, California. (Software and ITS Divisions) (http://www.itaa.org/software/act/cfo.htm Contact: dsabo@itaa.org.

5/5: Y2K Task Group Meeting, contact Hhooper@itaa.org.

5/21: HSITAG meeting. More info: Kroth@itaa.org.

June

6/2: Y2K Task Group Meeting, contact: Hhooper@itaa.org.

6/25: HSITAG meeting. More info: Kroth@itaa.org.

July

HR Forum (Software and ITS Divisions) details TBA.

7/7: Y2K Task Group Meeting, contact: Hhooper@itaa.org.

August

8/4: Y2K Task Group Meeting, contact: Hhooper@itaa.org.

September

9/1: Y2K Task Group Meeting, contact: Hhooper@itaa.org.

October

10/6: Y2K Task Group Meeting, contact: Hhooper@itaa.org.

10/24-27: ITAA's Fall Executive Conference in Tucson, Arizona at the Westin La Paloma resort. Watch ITAA's website for program updates and details on sponsorship opportunities.

10/24: HR Forum in Tucson, AZ.

10/24: CFO Roundtable in Tucson, AZ.

November

11/3: Y2K Task Group Meeting, contact: Hhooper@itaa.org.

December

12/1: Y2K Task Group Meeting, contact: Hhooper@itaa.org.

14. ITAA Out Front…

3/31 - Harris Miller will address the Washington Software Association’s Washington State Information Technology School-to-Work Forum in Seattle

4/12 - Mark Uncapher will address the Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. conference in Dallas Texas.