Letter From the Editor Nick Jones - 9 October 2001 1 January 2002 marks the culmination of one of the world's most ambitious political and economic endeavors, as Europe's new currency — the euro — finally becomes tangible. Currencies such as the franc, deutschemark and lira will be retired and replaced by new euro notes and coins. From the viewpoint of European organizations and governments, the end of 2001 and the first few months of 2002 will mark the culmination of a huge business and IT conversion program that, for many, has been more expensive than preparing for Year 2000. Although most European organizations have completed the bulk of their euro-compliance programs, this is not a time for complacency. There is still much work remaining; for example, many organizations still have final data conversion and package conversions to complete. Europe's large corporations are relatively well-prepared, but some government agencies and smaller enterprises are not as advanced as they should be; so even those organizations that are confident of their own preparations may still be vulnerable to issues that might arise in their trading partners.  Read more

	Overview The Calm Before the Euro Storm Nick Jones and Andrea Di Maio - 31 October 2001 The European Union's EMU program will shortly culminate in the arrival of euro notes and coins. Organization plans up to June 2002 should reflect external events and the status of euro compliance across Europe.

Euro Contingency Planning: Q&A Simon Mingay, Andrea Di Maio and Nick Jones - 31 October 2001 Contingency planning is an important part of the euro program, not only because anything could go wrong, but because not everything is under the control of the enterprise itself.		Euro Migration: Managing the Boundaries Andrea Di Maio and Nick Jones - 29 October 2001 Boundary planning and integrity confirmation are key to performing an orderly conversion. Focus on early problem detection, not problem prevention, and anticipate reduced service levels across the boundary, not business as usual.
Helping Your Customers With the Transition to the Euro Colleen Amuso - 30 October 2001 Few organizations have considered the impact that the arrival of the euro will have on their customers. It will cause confusion and will certainly disrupt customer relationships — enterprises must be prepared.		Euro Data Pollution: The Hidden Menace Nick Jones - 29 October 2001 For many euro programs, data pollution is one of the biggest risks remaining. It is impossible to prove that it cannot happen, and the consequences could be severe.
Planning and Learning Outside the Euro Zone Nick Jones and Andrea Di Maio - 30 October 2001 European IS organizations outside the euro zone should develop euro scenarios and gain experience that may help with future conversions.		The Euro Program: An External Perspective Up to June 2002 Nick Jones and Andrea Di Maio - 30 October 2001 The last months of 2001 are the time to review and revise the euro program’s provisions for dealing with external organizations such as trading partners, the press, financial analysts, regulators and investors.
Countdown to the Euro: Compliance by Triage Andrea Di Maio - 29 October 2001 The euro is finally coming to physical life and enterprises need to come to terms with the remaining challenges. Whatever euro compliance and risk assessment methods they rely on, they need to apply triage techniques now.		The ERP Euro Storm: Plain Sailing or Man Overboard? Derek Prior - 30 October 2001 From 1 January 2002, all euro zone enterprises will also need to conduct full accounting in euros. Enterprises therefore need to convert their ERP local currency to euros. Not everyone is ready so we offer some actionable advice.