And if you actually look at what people are saying, it gets worse.

**Warning: Disturbing images ahead for the security conscious.**

So what’s an IT department to do? Well, for one thing, prepare early and often!

• Negotiate license agreements so you can have occasional “spikes” in remote software, like VPNs or web clients.
• Send out e-mail reminders to staff that, on days where you’re likely to have a large jump in remote workers, resources will be strained and outline strategies that workers can use to minimize their impact.
• Have a recovery strategy in place, with a timeline of how long it will take to bring critical and non-critical systems back online after a local or regional power outage.

Any other dangers – or preventative measures – you’d recommend to your peers? Sound off in the forum! The best answers will even get 50 bonus points towards our current iPad contest.

Michael Morisy is the editorial director for ITKnowledgeExchange. He can be followed on Twitter or you can reach him at Michael@ITKnowledgeExchange.com.