McGee did not tell attendees that a pandemic is in the offing. But pandemics are regular occurrences in human history, and while it is unknown whether avian influenza will explode into global pandemic, the number of deaths related to it are creeping up -- and more appear possible as the disease spreads. "The point is [that] the degree of transmission seems to be increasing from human to human," he said.

Brad Kowal, associate director of the data center at Shands HealthCare in Gainesville, Fla., said his medical center has had its hands full dealing with business continuity planning aimed at protecting against hurricanes. "And then you throw this in [and are told to] get it done by the second quarter. It's literally stun and shock for me," he said.

McGee said pandemic planning costs should total no more than 5 percent of an IT budget and stressed that the burden shouldn't be absorbed by the IT budget alone. It should be shared throughout a company, he added.

Among the things companies should do, McGee said, is decide whether they intend to keep their data centers operating during a pandemic, and then, if they plan to keep operations going, consider planning for up to a 12-week quarantine.

Gartner recommends that companies conduct educational sessions with employees so that they know how to prepare their family households. In the enterprise, one person should be designated for planning, and business continuity plans will have to be adapted for a pandemic. IT should oversee installation of broadband services to its most critical employees but also assume that there may be failures in public networks.