Dayligiht Savings Time Changes: IT Systems Impact
Author:
February 2007
A new Daylight Savings Time (DST) rule will go into effect in March, 2007 in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. DST in these areas will be extended by four weeks, starting three weeks earlier on the second Sunday in March (March 11th), and ending one week later on the first Sunday in November (November 4th).
This change affects nearly all information technology systems and is of interest to businesses of all sizes as well as individual consumers. Since DST rules have not changed in many years, people have been able to rely on automated adjustments with their networks and systems environments. Without the application of patches or upgrades to address this change, systems could operate on the incorrect time during the affected weeks.
This is in many cases more than a matter of displaying the wrong time, as when your watch gets out of sync and needs to be changed manually. Many systems include a scheduling, transaction logging, or tariff billing component, and the consequences of not making sure that all system components have been correctly adjusted can, depending on the system involved, include not only mis-scheduled meetings and erroneous audit logs, but botched batch processes, problems with normal system monitoring and troubleshooting, interface errors, reporting errors, and more. There is no guarantee that simply manually changing your system clocks on March 11th will prevent these difficulties.
To ensure the reliability of your networks, all computer-based systems should be checked as soon as possible to determine which will require attention to mitigate these risks. When a system is employing a recent version of software/firmware/etc., adjusting to this change will typically require only minor upgrades, but less recently upgraded systems and software may require major modifications. Working with an IT services partner to assess your current environment and assist with upgrades can help many businesses to ensure that necessary changes are enacted.
This change was a provision of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, included to moderately reduce evening electricity use. Despite this act’s being signed into law in August, 2005, not all IT manufacturers have been quick to analyze their products, develop appropriate patches, and inform their customers of the need to upgrade. Consequently, March 11th may look like a miniature version of Y2K, with IT departments scrambling to enact all necessary changes before the change goes into effect.
Much information is available directly from IT system manufacturers addressing this issue. Check their web sites to see what guidance they are offering, and make good use of available technical support resources to ensure that your systems will be ready for the change.
Berbee, drawing on strategic partnerships with Cisco, IBM and Microsoft and the far-reaching experience of its hundreds of engineers, has assisted clients with a full range of technology solutions. For more information, please visit www.berbee.com or call John Uchaker at (513) 677-4119.
