There are cases of H1N1 in nearly every state but the pandemic really hasn't taken off--not yet, anyway. Despite the warnings that the worst is yet to come, it appears that few businesses are doing much about developing a business continuity plan if the pandemic strikes and employees are too sick to come to work or fear coming into the office and being exposed to H1N1.

A survey conducted recently by Forrester Research Inc. and the Disaster Recovery Journal found that one-third of the companies polled had business continuity plans that did not include a workforce recovery component.

We talked with Eric Bozich, Vice President of National Services, Qwest Communications, who offers a number of suggestions for how to stay connected and stay sane in the event of a catastrophe. He underscores the importance of employee training to make sure they know what to do in the event of a major flu outbreak or natural disaster. He recommends solid disaster recovery and business continuity planning to survive a crisis successfully.

And then there are other problems that cannot be controlled. There are predictions that the Internet would not be able to handle the surge of telecommuters working from home instead of the office. That means considering an alternative plan to get workers on the Net in off hours. It may also mean teleconferencing to replace online communications.

This may sound like doomsday right now, but a pandemic could quickly disable a workforce and normal business operations. Getting ready for the worst case scenario is the best way to be protected from such a disaster. - Judi