No Downtime: How Women’s Resource Center Stayed Storm-Ready

The calm before the storm

The Women’s Resource Center (WRC), a nonprofit serving Sarasota and Manatee counties, partnered with Four Winds IT to improve resilience during hurricane season and beyond. With three locations and a growing need for stable communications and remote access, WRC faced challenges from disjointed internet service and local data storage. Four Winds IT consolidated providers, implemented RingCentral for VoIP, and migrated WRC to the cloud—dramatically improving reliability and cutting costs. During a major hurricane, WRC maintained operations remotely until power and internet was restored to the offices.  Demonstrating how the right technology partner can turn preparedness into a year-round advantage.

Every year, hurricane season rolls in with familiar warnings—but for the Women’s Resource Center (WRC), it’s more than a seasonal worry. It’s a challenge to remain available, stable, and connected for the women and families who rely on them most.

With three offices and a retail store across Sarasota and Manatee counties, the mid-sized nonprofit plays a vital role in the community. Its services—career coaching, mental health support, and resource guidance—don’t just support individual women; they support entire families.

That work can’t stop, even in a crisis.

 

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Empowering women on the Suncoast since 1979
When you need support they are there to guide you every step of the way.

 

“Before Four Winds, there wasn’t a week that went by…”

Lillian Elliott, who has served as Executive Director for eight years, has seen the organization grow—but with that growth came growing pains, especially in their tech setup.

“Before I worked with these guys, there was not a week that went by that I did not get complaints from this building,” Lillian said from WRC’s Bradenton location. “Connectivity was a huge issue here.”

Each WRC office had its own internet provider. Their phones were not unified. Key documents lived in the cloud, but logins and the internet were routed through a local server. Working remotely felt clunky. 

And the looming threat of storm season only added pressure.

“We did have different internet providers,” Lillian said. “That was one of the projects that Kyle was able to help us with—We were able to get down to only two now for our four locations. ”

From Disjointed to Disaster-Ready

Enter Four Winds IT . When the partnership began, it wasn’t just about ticking boxes—it was about listening. Kyle Sebastian, a senior account executive with nonprofit challenges, and Erik Sloat, a service manager and lead engineer, worked closely with WRC to understand their setup and priorities.

The solutions were practical, scalable, and tailored to WRC’s needs:

• Consolidated internet providers to improve network stability

• Transitioned to RingCentral, unifying their phone system across locations

• Migrated data to the cloud, eliminating reliance on a vulnerable on-site server

“As a result of all the work that Kyle and Erik did for us, my internet connectivity has improved 75%,” Lillian said. “Since they installed that device, I haven’t had one complaint. Kudos to you—they were excellent.”

When the Storm Came, the Phones Still Rang

Last year’s hurricane brought the kind of real-world test no IT demo can simulate. Thanks to early planning, WRC didn’t just weather the storm—they stayed online, connected, and responsive.

“We worked ahead of time to make sure that our team knew how to properly shut down,” Lillian said. “And we knew that when we went home with our devices, we were set. As long as we had power and internet at our house, we had no other concern.”

That readiness paid off—because their community needed them.

“Just the ability to answer the phone remotely—you’d be surprised how many people said, ‘Finally, somebody answered,’” she said. “Calling other nonprofits and they’re not answering or not calling people back… we knew we were making an impact because of that.”

Even in the middle of a storm, WRC continued sharing updates, answering questions, and connecting women with critical services.

“Because we have connectivity from home, we’re kind of the gathering place for all the information that the community needs,” Lillian added.

Beyond Hurricane Season

What started as storm prep has led to long-term gains. Day-to-day operations are now more stable, more efficient, and easier to manage across locations.

“It’s been more functional, cost-effective, and has helped us work more smoothly overall,” Lillian said.

Volunteers aren’t bogged down by connectivity issues. Staff can work from anywhere. And WRC can focus on their mission—not their modem.

Phones stayed on. Services stayed active. And the Women’s Resource Center remained a steady voice when others had gone silent.

What Other Nonprofits Should Know

When asked what advice she’d offer fellow nonprofit leaders heading into hurricane season, Lillian didn’t hesitate:

“Certainly for us, the prep is making sure that our staff is safe and protected. Then having a plan before and after the storm—knowing who’s going to contact who, and what your team needs.”

And working with an IT partner that understands your needs?

“To be able to work with IT to say, ‘Hey, am I connected? Can I work from home? Do I need to come in?’ That kind of flexibility matters.”

 

Free IT Hurricane Checklist

For your convivence we made a checklist that you can keep in your back pocket.

 

A Partnership That Goes Beyond Tech

For WRC, working with Four Winds IT wasn’t just about systems—it was about trust.

“World-class,” Lillian said when asked to describe the partnership. “Anything I can do, you guys know that—because I appreciate you and all you do for us.”

As hurricane season approaches again, WRC isn’t bracing for impact—they’re ready. And more than that, they’re resilient.

📋 Ready to Prep Like a Pro?

• Download our Free Hurricane Season IT Checklist

• Or Schedule a 15-minute consult with a Four Winds IT expert

📞 Have a question? Call us at 941-315-2380