Macro Systems Blog

Running a small or medium-sized business means juggling countless priorities. You're focused on your customers, team, and bottom line… but what about the technology that powers it all? 

Usually overlooked, your IT infrastructure is far more than just the computers on desks. It's the complex web of network equipment, essential software subscriptions, cloud services, and even the personal smartphones and tablets your employees use for work. Keeping this entire ecosystem running smoothly and securely is a significant challenge for many SMBs.

Today's small businesses generate a lot of data. From customer details and sales records to inventory tracking and employee schedules, you need to be able to structure this data so that you can use it effectively. Keeping that data organized and accessible is critical but managing it effectively can often be a hassle. This is where smart database management comes in. When done right, it helps businesses run smoother and often save money.

It is great to have pride and confidence in your organization, especially in the team you’ve assembled… including your in-house technical support team. However, even the most capable IT team may not fully meet a business’ needs.

Listed below: an IT team's responsibilities and what can be done to correct any deficits they may encounter.  

Data storage can be hard for SMBs to manage, but the cloud can make it significantly easier and cheaper. There are real, tangible advantages of using the cloud for your data storage requirements. Listed below are three major reasons why your business should have cloud storage on its list of tech infrastructure priorities in the coming months.

Does your business have an internal IT department or dedicated IT resource? We know it can be hard sometimes to find the talent you’re looking for, but that doesn’t make it any less critical. Listed below are some of the issues you’ll want to keep in mind if you want to get an IT technician on your staff.

Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, is a common approach for businesses that want to take advantage of mobile technology to increase productivity. Instead of supplying each individual employee with company-owned devices, businesses allow employees to utilize their own devices for work-related purposes. While this is great on the budget, it’s only really effective, and safe, if the employee prioritizes security on their devices; otherwise, it’s a liability.

Today is World Backup Day, an annual reminder that losing your data is just one accidental delete, spilled drink, or cyberattack. The idea is simple: back up your files before disaster strikes. Nothing ruins your day faster than realizing all your work, memories, and important files have vanished.

You open your email and you have a message claiming your bank account has been hacked. You click the link, log in, and, whoops, you just handed your credentials to a cybercriminal. You’ve been a victim of phishing, where scammers bait you with fake messages and reel you in like an unsuspecting fish. You don’t have to be their next catch. Listed below: how to recognize and fight back against phishing attempts.

It's common for many people to make up an answer that they feel seems plausible if asked something they don’t have an answer to. It happens all the time.

It turns out that this is a tendency that artificial intelligence has inherited from us.

If your company has at least a couple of employees who spend part of their workday in a different location, are you doing all you can to help them be as productive as possible? While remote work is beneficial in so many circumstances, there are a lot of caveats to it that must be considered. Listed below is how you can mitigate risk and keep remote work from becoming a liability for your organization.

Every year, new malware, ransomware, and cyber threats emerge from the depths of the internet, evolving like a villain in a sci-fi movie. One moment, you’re minding your own business, and the next, your company’s data is held hostage and a hacker is demanding you pay them in Bitcoin.

When Microsoft rolled out Windows 10, it was a huge deal, especially since Windows 8.1 wasn’t exactly a fan favorite. Ten years later, Microsoft is officially pulling the plug on Windows 10 support as of October 14th. If you're still running it, it’s time to start thinking about your next move.

Whether you’re aware or not, you’re probably already using the cloud in at least some capacity. The trick is to find the best way to manage your organization's cloud so that it works for your business' specific needs. Listed below is a look at the different types of cloud management policies and why you need to weigh your options to get the most value for your business.

It’s no secret that Google Chrome is one of the most utilized web browsers in the world, if not the most utilized. Still, most people don’t use the browser to its full potential, and they leave so many wasted opportunities to save time and resources on the table. Listed below are some tips, but also a couple of features that perhaps you didn’t know existed for Google Chrome so you can continue to get more value out of it as a business and productivity tool.

In business, paper tends to pile up, gets lost, and sometimes mysteriously multiplies overnight like gremlins exposed to water. If your business is drowning in paper or struggling to find critical files, it might be time to consider digital document management. But when exactly does it make sense to invest in this technology? 

The Android operating system periodically receives updates and patches detailed in online publications called Android Security Bulletins. In the March 2025 edition, Google announced that 43 malicious bugs had been resolved, two of which were zero-day vulnerabilities.

Listed below: how to implement these fixes and why this is a practice that should reach every aspect of your organization's IT.

Does it feel like scammers are everywhere? That's because they are. Every day they’re scheming up new ways to trick people into giving up money, data, or access to their accounts. One of the biggest problems we run into is that we’re bombarded with so many scam warnings that we start tuning them out. That’s called threat fatigue, the phenomenon when you get so tired of hearing about security risks that you stop paying attention, which is exactly scammers want.

It's no surprise that cybersecurity is a big challenge for businesses and individuals alike. The problem: life pretty much revolves around being online these days, so there’s no avoiding it. Thus, it’s your responsibility to ensure that any data you collect from your customers, employees, and other key stakeholders in your business is well-protected, otherwise you will face severe consequences.

Smart speakers have been around for a while, but they haven’t exactly changed the world. To be fair, they are good for playing music, setting timers, and answering random trivia questions, but beyond that? Not much has evolved. So, how did we get here, and what’s next? More importantly, can they actually be useful for businesses, or are they just another gadget collecting dust?

Besides all of those people who are advocating for the scaling back or non-implementation of tools to save jobs, most people understand the benefit of automation when it makes sense. Not only do machines tend to do certain tasks more effectively, they never willingly take a day off. Alas, for every task that needs to be completed less than half can be automated, and that number drops even further when you take into account everything a human does at their job. These days there are very few jobs that can be fully automated, even as AI has begun to be utilized more for business. Listed below: why automation may not be the answer you are looking for and why training humans holds a lot of value.