Quick Bytes: Remote problem

Should a disaster such as a flu pandemic hit the United States, many companies will deploy their work forces remotely so that business can continue without jeopardizing the health and welfare of workers. But only about one-third of businesses are prepared to deploy more than 10 percent of their work forces remotely, according to research from Forsythe Solutions Group, which interviewed more than 75 IT and business continuity professionals at Fortune 1,000 companies. While 69 percent of those surveyed expect such a crisis in the next two years, 60 percent have not increased their IT budgets to prepare for it.