Ahmed said that IT managers need to store backups on a hard drive and replicate them off-site, so that "we have an easier way of actually replicating the data, because the tape is unreliable and also inefficient," he explained.

Panelists also stressed the need for management flexibility to ensure that systems can be operated even if employees can't make it into work. But taking care of employees - making sure their needs are being met - should be the first responsibility, said one panelist.

Tony Fuller, CIO of Rent-A-Center Inc., had some 100 stores out of 2,800 affected by the hurricane. And although IT systems are important, "it's really that human element that keeps it all together and makes it happen or not happen," he said.

Meffert believes most IT plans don't consider major disasters, and the idea that key personnel will arrive for work at a command center following major calamity is probably wishful thinking. More important, he argued, is the ability to re-create teams made up of people who can take on new tasks. "We were able to process payroll even before we had running water," Meffert said.