Macro Systems Blog

An organization’s IT strategy can define how it handles its entire operational strategy, which is why it is so critical to carefully consider your organizational approach to IT. Not only does it allow you to align your IT, and its support, to your business’ goals, but it also allows you to consider the circumstances that you operate under and find viable solutions to business problems. That’s not all. Listed below are some of the reasons that businesses should consider customizing their IT strategy to their business initiatives.

Television has come a long way since its inception, and modern entertainment is more accessible than it has ever been before. Technology has played a large part in the dissemination of this entertainment, so we thought we’d take a look at how the cloud has contributed to making television the cornerstone of leisure that it is today.

Businesses need vendors for several things, whether for services rendered or the acquisition of technology. Alas, the act of managing so many vendors can be draining and time-consuming for companies. What is the forward-thinking organization to do, and how can it overcome the challenges of vendor management?

Some industries require more compliance than others, as they handle sensitive data on a regular basis. In efforts to protect this data, governments and agencies have implemented laws, regulations, and other requirements to ensure businesses remain compliant with this expectation.

With every business having at least some revenue generation as a priority, it is critical that businesses comprehend how technology can help eliminate inefficiency via improved collaboration and productivity. Consider a few modern tools and solutions that can help a business as it strives towards its goals.

Many business owners comprehend the benefits that technology can have for a business, but just can’t bring themselves to commit to implementing that technology due to the cost, either in capital expenditures or the shift in operations. The fear of not being able to successfully integrate certain technology will inevitably hold your business back. Below we describe why it’s imperative to have a technology strategy, and how to stick to it. 

A business without properly-trained employees is one that is always on the edge of disaster. With the threat landscape the way it is, you need your staff to know how to correctly maneuver around company IT and know how to protect themselves and the organization in a digital environment. Listed below are some strategies to promote end-to-end security at your company.

Technology has altered the culture of some office environments, for better or worse. While we tend to err on the side of implementing IT as being worth the risk, it’s always best to go into implementing a new technology solution with the thought of not just how it will affect operations, but how it might influence your company's culture. Below we go into detail about ways that implementing a new IT solution might affect the way your staff interact with each other, as well as what you should look out for when implementing such solutions.

Artificial Intelligence is one technology that results in both excitement and fear. People’s imaginations tend to run away with them when they have conversations about AI. Organizations of all kinds are beginning to figure how they can utilize advanced AI platforms and machine learning to facilitate better business, but is it working? Below we'll take a look at how AI innovation is changing business and see how ready AI is for primetime.

The #1 reason to utilize managed IT services is the value it provides for your organization compared to the alternatives. Once upon a time businesses may have depended on unreliable and expensive services to successfully maintain their IT, but in this current era, it’s more efficient and, in most cases, more affordable than ever before. Let's go through how managed service providers can create value opportunities for your organization.

How much of managing your IT resources are your employees responsible for? SMBs will often have their employees service their own workstations to some degree, primarily because they don’t have the resources to devote entirely to IT management and maintenance. This lack of IT talent can largely be made up for by training your employees on basic computer tasks.

How does your business maintain its critical technology assets? Organizations with limited budgets and workforces often resort to forsaking technology support entirely, only getting the help they need when something goes wrong. This is called break-fix IT, and it can become a major detriment to your organization in the long run if left unchecked. Thankfully, there’s a simple solution, and it doesn’t involve hiring in-house technicians or breaking your budget.

We all experience temporary mental lapses (also known as "brain farts"). The worst kind of brain flatulence is when the consequences stink up the workplace, causing downtime and loss of revenue. One of the worst places to let a brain fart rip is in the IT department.

Cloud computing is making everything easier. Companies that operated IT infrastructures of their own before the cloud know firsthand how much easier it is thanks to the cloud. A brief comparison of doing business before and after the cloud will show just how much cloud computing is changing things.

As the global economy experiences recovery and growth, businesses have extra capital freed up to spend on information technology. IT spending is surging, but where exactly is all of this money going? In a recent study, Gartner shines some light on IT's hottest trends.

We live in a time where information technology has touched every facet of life. It would be a fair bet to assume that, at this point, it is more commonplace than a trend. We are inundated with Internet-connected computer systems in every aspect of life. We use automated tellers to do our banking, most major retailers have automated checkouts to supplement the work staff they have in place, and even your Grandma uses Gmail. With this technology saturated into the culture, there are many pragmatic uses that are just now being discovered and implemented. Nowhere is this more true than in the health care industry.

As the world of business becomes increasingly dependent upon technology, the role of IT is changing. Historically, the IT department has been viewed as a separate entity in the office that fixes and maintains the IT infrastructure. Today, more companies are involving IT when making important business decisions. Have you consulted your IT professional lately?

It has finally happened, the bots have taken over. While robots have yet to enslave humanity, bots have taken over the Internet, accounting for 62% of all web traffic. Is the bot takeover something you should be concerned about?

The Internet certainly has changed the way we live, work, shop, and communicate. We may think we're superior to previous generations because of all our Internet-based technology, but we have video proof that the Internet was actually conceptualized in 1969. In many ways, our parents and grandparents were spot on with their predictions. In other ways, not so much.

Did you know that your computer may have the capability to be turned on and off without ever physically pushing its power button? Besides helping you feel like a wizard, your computer's Wake-on-LAN feature has many convenient applications for your business, including saving time and energy, and aiding your campaign to create a greener workplace.