PinPoint offers Y2K testing suite

PinPoint will roll out a desktop Year 2000 assessment package next week, targeting the growing market for PC-based Y2K readiness tools.

ClickNet Y2K 5.0 allows project managers to do automated network inventories, hardware and software compliance assessment, conversion progress monitoring, and compliance reporting. The company also will announce an agreement with IBM Global Services, which will sell both the compliance tool, called ClickNet Y2K, and ClickNet Professional, an inventory and asset management tool, to its customers.

ClickNet Y2K also provides an Internet connection to PinPoint's Y2K compliance knowledge base, which tracks compliance on 9,000 applications.

ClickNet Y2K 5.0 audits PCs running DOS 3.0 or later; Windows 3.1x, 95, 98, or NT; Macintosh 7.1 or later; or OS/2.20 or later. Supported network operating systems include Novell NetWare, Microsoft Windows NT, LAN Manager, and Windows for Workgroups and LAN Server.

PinPoint executives said the success of their product relies on the complexity of desktop compliance.

"Assessing the PC problem demands a lot of manpower," said John Kiger, PinPoint's senior director of marketing. "Most organizations don't have enough resources."

ClickNet Y2K 5.0 provides a distributed, team-based approach for managing the enterprise desktop Y2K implementation. Network audits are automated and provide details on hardware and software configurations of each PC on the network. Compliance reports gather information from multiple projects, showing the status of compliance in a summary report that compares the progress of different projects.

During the audit, a network-based BIOS and real-time clock test determine Year 2000 hardware compliance. For more extensive hardware testing, ClickNet provides a floppy-based hard test utility. In addition, ClickNet also supports auditing of machines that aren't networked.

The product is priced at $24 per node for a network of 1,000 PCs. It begins shipping on Monday. The license includes unlimited access to the company's Y2K knowledge base, which will be updated through June 30, 2000, the company said.