A survey of UK business leaders suggest that they regard readying their organisation for the impact of Brexit as a far more complex challenge than that of Y2K and the threatened ‘Millennium Bug’ in the late 1990s.

Software testing and monitoring company Eggplant surveyed 250 executives and found that when it comes to an organisation’s systems, 57% of respondents believe that the impact of the UK’s departure from the European Union (EU) is proving to be far more complex to prepare for than Y2K.

More than four in five (81%) businesses are likely to review or update existing business processes and software as a result of Brexit, and 65% of organisations believe it is certain or very likely that Brexit will impact software systems and processes.

C-level concerns

The survey sample, which included UK business leaders from C-level (36%), operations, IT and software management roles, also revealed that the significant upheaval and change will mostly affect technology and IT processes (30%) followed by supply chain (17%).

The issues revealed are felt more keenly at board level. Taking just the C-suite responses, 68% believe that planning for Brexit is far morechallenging than Y2K, and 79% believe that Brexit is certain or very likely to impact on software systems and processes.

With 81% expecting that percent believing that existing processes or software will need reviewing or updating as a result of Brexit, it’s no surprise that 69% of respondents are considering hiring new staff. The impact of Brexit will also drive organisations to implement automation, with 73% certain, very likely, or likely to adopt automation for new administrative tasks.

“We are witnessing one of the greatest periods of uncertainty in our lifetime and this is amplified at an organisational level when it comes to software and processes and the interconnected supply chain,” comments Dr. John Bates, tech entrepreneur and CEO of Eggplant.

“Intelligent automation will be fundamental to enabling operations, tech and software teams to test post-Brexit business models and coping with the potential challenges ahead.

“From mission-critical operations to ensuring quality consumer experiences, Britain will be tested rigorously for continuity beyond Brexit.”