Chris Falkenberg, a former Secret Service agent and the president of Insite Security, says the pandemic gives SMBs the perfect opportunity to make sure they have an emergency plan in place.

Falkenberg told BusinessWeek that even if the threat of the H1N1 virus turns out to be nothing more than media hype, the good news for entrepreneurs is that getting a plan in place can be beneficial for the future of the business.

"Start thinking about what you would do if people can't come to work because they're ill," he told the magazine. "What if they're unwilling to travel for business? Unwilling to sit in an office with others? There are work-flow changes when employees work from home. You need to make sure people can communicate if they decide to work at home."

The U.S. Small Business Administration seems to agree with Falkenberg. On its site the SBA suggests that SMBs prepare for disaster and gives business owners a guide in how to be ready for the worst case scenario.