With forecasters predicting an active hurricane season and digital systems powering everything from payroll to patient records, a new no-cost service is offering small businesses a crucial way to prepare before the next weather emergency hits.
James Moore, a regional consulting firm that serves clients across the Southeast, has launched a program to help businesses evaluate how well their technology infrastructure would hold up in the face of a natural disaster. The firm is offering free Resilience Assessments to small businesses in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The service is available to the first 200 companies that sign up.
The assessments are conducted virtually, using a mobile phone-based consultation, and are designed to help companies identify vulnerabilities in their current systems. Participating businesses receive a full evaluation of server and hardware configurations, backup processes, data storage, documentation practices, security protocols, and staff readiness. For businesses operating in regulated industries like healthcare and finance, the assessment also includes optional checks for HIPAA and FINRA compliance.
Tomas Sjostrom, president of James Moore Technology Services, said many business owners in high-risk areas understand the general importance of preparedness, but often lack clear direction on how to improve their resilience.
“Each year, American businesses face the inevitable challenge of minimizing any disruption caused by weather events,” Sjostrom said. “But they may not be aware of the steps they should take to ensure that they are properly prepared to manage these situations.”
Cybersecurity, cloud access, and remote work capabilities have become increasingly central to business continuity plans. Even short-term outages or hardware failures can lead to extended closures if systems aren’t properly backed up or documented. For smaller companies with limited IT support, technical recovery efforts can be costly and time-consuming, if not completely out of reach.
The Resilience Assessment is designed to remove those barriers, giving business owners a clearer picture of where they stand. The process also outlines next steps businesses can take to reduce downtime and improve their ability to recover from an interruption.
James Moore’s technology team says the program reflects a broader need for proactive planning, especially in regions that routinely face hurricanes, flooding, and power grid issues. The firm, founded in 1964, has worked with companies across sectors including construction, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and local government. While best known for its tax and accounting services, the firm also provides strategic guidance in areas like digital transformation, human resources, and compliance.
This latest effort is part of a larger push to support small businesses that often operate with thinner margins and fewer technical resources. By providing no-cost access to basic assessments, James Moore is aiming to help more companies take early, informed steps to protect their operations.
“Our assessment gives business owners a solid foundation to understand how their respective organizations will fare from a technology infrastructure perspective,” Sjostrom said, “and provides specific suggestions on how to fortify their systems to minimize any impact.”
Businesses interested in the program can sign up through the firm’s website. While the service is open to companies across the eight listed states, availability is limited to 200 participants.
With severe storms already forming off the coast, the clock is ticking. For many small business owners, this free consultation could be one of the most important conversations they have this season.
