"I think it's definitely the most vulnerable part of the equation," said Bernard O'Neill, vice president and chief network officer at Prudential Financial Inc., referring to the communications problems that teleworkers may face.

For their most critical workers, employers can sign contracts with telecommunications services providers for business-class services, such as dedicated lines. Companies may balk at paying for such services to prepare for a problem that may never occur, but waiting could be a risky strategy. For instance, if the World Health Organization raises its pandemic threat alert from the current level of stage 3 on the WHO's six-stage scale, demand for backup communications services could outstrip the ability of vendors to provide them, said participants in Friday's daylong pandemic forum.

Many of the people who attended the event have been hardened by experience and know how bad things can get in a disaster. The skyline of New York is visible from the back steps of the SunGard data center where the forum took place. In their comments and questions, the participants cited the disruptions wrought by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as by Hurricane Katrina and various hurricanes in Florida -- even the impact of the recent killer tornado in that state.

For pandemic planners, nothing can be taken for granted. Elizabeth Byrnes, a continuity planner at AT&T Inc., was asked how the telecommunications services provider would handle a hurricane or another secondary problem that occurs during a pandemic. Byrnes said the issue has received consideration within AT&T.

But in general, the focus of her presentation was on reviewing the company's plans to ensure continued operations during a pandemic. Byrnes insisted that AT&T would be able to meet its customer service-level agreements but also acknowledged that there are unknowns. For instance, AT&T has identified critical employees who would be asked to come into the office during a pandemic, she said. But there's no way of knowing in advance how people will react. "Will they come in? I don't know," Byrnes said.