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Macro Systems Blog

Macro Systems has been serving the Metro Washington, DC area since 1997, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Tip of the Week: Make Sure Your Mobile Device Policy Covers These 3 Areas

Tip of the Week: Make Sure Your Mobile Device Policy Covers These 3 Areas

If we asked you to count the number of mobile devices in your workplace, would you be able to do so? This includes smartphones, laptops, tablets, and others--anything that’s not a workstation or hardware tied down to your location. While mobile devices can be beneficial for any business, it’s still important to keep security at the top of your mind. Here are three topics that you need to be sure you’ve considered before allowing mobile devices in the workplace.

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How Businesses Doing IT the Old Fashioned Way are Losing Money

How Businesses Doing IT the Old Fashioned Way are Losing Money

Technology has been ingrained into today’s society to the point where businesses can’t function without it. Your organization relies on servers, networks, and workstations to keep productive and access important information, but all of this technology saddles your business with the responsibility of maintaining the components, as well as budget challenges.

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Passwords Are on the Way Out. What’s Next?

Passwords Are on the Way Out. What’s Next?

Passwords are a critical security component of any online account. In many cases, they’re the fine line of defense against the horde of threats that exist on the Internet. The problem that many users have with passwords, however, is that good passwords are difficult to remember, and on their own, aren’t necessarily the most secure option. So, how can you make passwords both easier to use and more secure?

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For Emergency Purposes Only: Users Can Now Activate Facebook’s Safety Check

For Emergency Purposes Only: Users Can Now Activate Facebook’s Safety Check

Since 2014, Facebook has quietly featured Safety Check, a crisis response tool that lets users in areas struck by natural disasters or other emergencies to confirm their safety on the social network. Originally, Facebook itself would have to activate a Safety Check, but that has changed--the power to activate a safety check is now in the hands of the stricken community.

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Tip of the Week: 3 Simple Tricks to Resolve a Troublesome Wi-Fi Connection

Tip of the Week: 3 Simple Tricks to Resolve a Troublesome Wi-Fi Connection

The dreaded Wi-Fi dead zone: it’s a place where all wireless signal drops or becomes unstable, even though you could move three inches in either direction and you’ll have no problem. In this case, there’s usually something interfering with the signal, be it a wall or another device. We’ll walk you through some of the basic troubleshooting tips that you can use to resolve your connection troubles.

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Honor Among Hackers? Not for Those Who Hack Hospitals

Honor Among Hackers? Not for Those Who Hack Hospitals

It’s safe to say that hacking is a frowned-upon practice, but that hasn’t stopped cyber criminals from attempting to turn a profit off of it. This practice has led them to target nonconventional organizations, including hospitals and other healthcare facilities. However, just because a hacker can target a hospital, does this mean that they should? This is a topic of some debate amongst hackers, whom, believe it or not, actually do have some sort of ethical standards.

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What Kind of a Story Do Readers Want? Big Data Knows

What Kind of a Story Do Readers Want? Big Data Knows

Sometimes it can be tricky to identify what will be popular in the years to come, but that doesn’t stop big data from trying. Cultural anomalies are particularly difficult to predict, but an algorithm is attempting to predict which modern novel will become the next big bestseller. Jodie Archer, author of an upcoming book titled The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel, takes a critical look at what makes something popular amongst consumers--particularly in regard to literature.

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Tip of the Week: These Windows 10 Shortcuts are Worth Committing to Memory

Tip of the Week: These Windows 10 Shortcuts are Worth Committing to Memory

A mouse is practically necessary when using a computer, be it for working with documents or for browsing the Internet. However, that shouldn’t stop you from using key command shortcuts to cut down on the number of clicks you need to make. With Windows 10, there are plenty of shortcuts that can be used to accomplish more throughout the workday.

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You Won’t Believe What Happens to a PC After Plugging in this USB Device!

You Won’t Believe What Happens to a PC After Plugging in this USB Device!

USB is a popular technology in all modes of today’s society. You’d be hard-pressed to find a modern piece of technology that’s not compatible in some way, shape or form with USB. Thumb drives, chargers, and even portable drives all use this common technology. However, this also means that hackers can take advantage of its popularity to spread malware and other problems.

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A Pocket Guide to Cloud Computing

A Pocket Guide to Cloud Computing

There is no question that, by now, you have heard of the cloud. The computing method has grown to be an essential component for any business to consider. But what does “the cloud” actually refer to, and what must a business owner consider as they select a solution for their needs?

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Tip of the Week: Maximize Productivity By Listening to the Right Music

Tip of the Week: Maximize Productivity By Listening to the Right Music

Nowadays, with streaming services like Spotify, Google Play, and Pandora available on a plethora of mobile devices, music lovers have an easy time enjoying tunes everywhere they go, including at the office. While this is all well and good, have you ever stopped to wonder if music is helping your employees, or holding them back?

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Why You Should Read the Fine Print Before Downloading Adware

Why You Should Read the Fine Print Before Downloading Adware

Has this ever happened to you? You come across a free app online that seems interesting, entertaining, or helpful so you decide to download it? However, as soon as you click the download button you regret it as it begins to install browser toolbars, adware, and other annoying (and potentially dangerous) software onto your device? How can you keep this “crapware” from getting too out of hand, and why is it so popular in the first place?

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3 Advantages to Hosting Your Own Phone System In-House

3 Advantages to Hosting Your Own Phone System In-House

A lot has been said about communications solutions, particularly in regard to the advantages and disadvantages of hosted and in-house telephony infrastructures. While businesses find that a cloud-hosted VoIP phone system is very convenient, there are others who believe that an on-site telephony infrastructure presents a certain value.

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Tip of the Week: 5 Best Security Practices Hackers Hate

Tip of the Week: 5 Best Security Practices Hackers Hate

Hackers are always trying to come up with new ways to steal or corrupt sensitive data. If you don’t take the opportunity to protect your systems, you could be staring down a major data loss incident or security discrepancy. Here are five ways that you can protect your business’s infrastructure from hackers waiting to steal your data.

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What is the 10,000 Hour Rule, and Does it Work?

What is the 10,000 Hour Rule, and Does it Work?

A business owner is always looking to improve their skills and learn about new ones. It’s natural to want to learn new things, even if you’re already an expert in your own field. The 10,000 hour rule offers a few guidelines to help you learn a new craft, but it’s not as easy as consistent practice. You might be in for a long journey toward “expert status.”

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eBay Revamps Security Protocols. Should Your Business Follow Suit?

eBay Revamps Security Protocols. Should Your Business Follow Suit?

As technology advances and allows for common pain points to be corrected, many of today’s most well-known entities will adopt new solutions to ease the experience of their customers and clients. Take, for example, eBay. The famous reselling site has been taking steps to install an assortment of new features to improve its customers’ experience.

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Tip of the Week: Make Your Workplace More Flexible With These 4 Technologies

Tip of the Week: Make Your Workplace More Flexible With These 4 Technologies

There’s no denying that flexibility is important. While technology makes it easier than ever before to communicate and work anytime, anywhere, employees should be encouraged to use this flexibility to their advantage. Yet, it’s often quite easy to fall victim to the many pitfalls of flexibility, which is why it’s so important to invest in solutions designed to maximize productivity.

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Why Hackers Want You to Vote in the Upcoming Election

Why Hackers Want You to Vote in the Upcoming Election

Tomorrow is the big day--the day when the American people cast their votes for the next President of the United States. While there may still be a few undecided voters out there, something that they may not be considering includes the machines that they will be using to cast their ballots. It turns out that there may be a major problem with some voting systems in the form of weak cyber security.

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Don’t Let Hollywood Fool You Into Thinking Hackers are the Good Guys

Don’t Let Hollywood Fool You Into Thinking Hackers are the Good Guys

There’s no question about it; hackers make things difficult for businesses of all industries and sizes. They go out of their way to steal data and turn a profit off of it, as well as misrepresent organizations and individuals. The business environment is chaotic enough without hackers mucking everything up. However, the recent hacking attacks behind the group Anonymous have evolved the persona of the typical hacker into something very different.

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Tip of the Week: 2 Free Tools that Will Read Documents and Web Pages to You

Tip of the Week: 2 Free Tools that Will Read Documents and Web Pages to You

These days, who has time to read? For busy business owners, reading is a luxury. This is what makes audiobooks such a valuable tool. They allow busy people to consume information while accomplishing a mindless task like cleaning the house. While this arrangement works wonders for titles found on Audible.com, what about the documents you must read that haven’t been made into an audiobook?

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