"The notion of a pandemic has put a little more urgency behind the notion of telecommuting, but I think it's just one more type of disaster in the bag of disasters to consider," Bjorklund said.

The USDA's IT disaster preparedness was tested during Hurricane Katrina. The USDA's finance center in New Orleans, which processes payroll, was shut down by the storm, and operations were shifted to a SunGard Data Systems Inc. facility. The agency didn't miss a payroll, Combs said.

But a pandemic is unlike a hurricane. Instead of bringing people together, you want them to work at remote locations, Combs said. Because many of the USDA's employees already work in rural areas, his department already has experience in providing these IT services.

The data center operations will rely on remote management, and if there's a need to keep staff on-site, there will be basic supplies for employees. Provisions will also be made to connect employees with their families, Combs said, noting the importance of taking care of an employee's family was a lesson the department learned during Katrina.