Macro Systems Blog

It is a well-known and unfortunate fact that technology does not last forever, and in today’s era of upgrades, no time has this been more true than in the modern day. Thus, it makes sense for businesses to have a plan in place for when it does come time to replace older devices. This, naturally, involves the proper disposal of connected devices, a practice that could very easily be done in a way that is both destructive to the environment and devastating for data privacy if done improperly. We’re here to make sure this doesn’t happen.

After the past few years, the hybrid workplace has risen in its perceived value, the advantages of allowing employees flexibility in where they work from becoming very clear. However, while the hybrid workplace is much closer to a reality than ever before, there are a few hurdles that must be cleared first.

Google Chrome is a very popular browser. For example, in June of this year, about 65 percent of the overall browser market share was attributed to Chrome. Because so many people use Chrome, we put together a few tips that can help make Chrome even more productive for the user.

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is the new wave in terms of telecommunication, and while some small businesses have hopped on board and implemented this new technology, others are still reluctant to do so. Well, we are here to tell you that the cost savings are, in fact, real. You have no reason not to replace your existing communication infrastructure with a hosted VoIP solution.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if we reduced the number of hours in the work week or shaved off an hour here or there during the workday? The discussion of a limited or reduced work week is a common topic in productivity circles, but a new study performed by Iceland has created even more buzz with its astounding results.

When you’re looking for some new technology, you have to sort through the options available to you to find what’s best for your use case. One of these decisions is what type of hard drives are installed in new workstations, laptops, and servers. Listed below are the two main types of hard drives and what they are good for. 

Cybersecurity is one of those components to an IT strategy that is absolutely imperative; you cannot ignore it in the modern age of ransomware and other high-profile hacks. In order to make sure that you are prepared to handle anything that comes your way, you must periodically test your security practices and assess how well your team can prepare for attacks. The question remains as to how often you should do this.

“Hackers are a serious threat to modern businesses” isn’t exactly a novel statement, is it? On the other hand, if a hacker was lurking on your network, would you know the signs to help you catch them? Just in case, we wanted to share a few strategies that can help highlight these warnings so you can more effectively catch any threats present on your network, especially when your workforce is accessing it remotely.

Nothing is more irritating than going to log into your device and finding out that you can't access it or that files you thought were there have been wiped. Alas, this is the situation that many users of a specific device have recently gone through. Thanks to an unpatched vulnerability, users of Western Digital’s My Book network-attached storage device are suffering from lost files and lost account access stemming from remote access.

For many businesses, despite the incredible benefits that technology can offer, it is often a source of significant stress. This is especially true for the small business owner, who often has much more restrictive parameters to work with, such as a limited budget, workforce, and even the workspace or office. How can businesses like yours stay competitive against companies that have so many more resources available to them? One answer, in terms of technology management, is managed services.

The office environment has evolved a lot over the years with technology being the impetus for such change. In your years doing business, how much has changed? How much of that change was driven by technology? Many of the traditional conventions of conducting business have been changed for the better as a result of these technological developments; listed below are just a few of them.

While it isn’t officially a business solution, the collaboration platform Discord has seen some popularity as a means of facilitating a business’ internal communications. Listed below are some tips to enhance your use of the platform, in case you are part of a company that does so. 

A new ransomware attack has surfaced, this time mostly targeting IT companies and their clients. The attack is specifically targeting the Kaseya platform. Kaseya is management software that many IT companies utilize to remotely manage and support technology. The attack in question targeted Kaseya’s supply chain via a vulnerability in its VSA software; this attack is notable because of how it targeted the supply chain, not only striking at the vendor’s clients—notably IT companies—but also their customers. Essentially, this attack had a trickle-down effect that is causing widespread chaos for a massive number of businesses.

When it comes to implementing new technology solutions, it’s easy to get distracted by all of the great possibilities and miss all of the challenges that it represents. The cloud especially represents countless chances to enhance operations and improve efficiency, but the side of this is that there are many issues that could arise during the cloud migration process. Consider some of these challenges and how Macro Systems can help you get around them.

While we cannot express how critical it is to update your software and hardware in a timely fashion, it is imperative to keep in mind that some of these updates aren’t going to be perfect. An upcoming update to Google Workspace serves as the perfect example, as the company has recently released an alert to inform users about an issue affecting Google Drive.

If you are one of the many small businesses out there that does not have reliable technical support for the numerous devices on your network, it might be hard to imagine a world where your technology gets the maintenance it needs to thrive. Fortunately, you’re not alone. Here are some basic technology maintenance tips that anyone can implement, plus one at the end that we think small businesses, in particular, will benefit from!

All businesses require software of some kind, but utilizing software comes with its own fair share of irritations. How do you manage all of the licenses? How do you afford the often high capital expense that comes with providing all of your users with the programs they need? Fortunately, the cloud comes to the rescue once again with Software as a Service.

It doesn’t matter if you are a small locally-owned business or a massive enterprise: network security is equally imperative, as all businesses by default collect valuable information for hackers. It makes sense to protect your valuable assets, and your data is one of them. A recent threat called Agent Tesla is just another example of phishing malware designed to steal data from businesses just like yours, regardless of how big it is.

Microsoft Word is one of the most popular platforms in business today because it provides the results that businesses need. Sadly for some of these organizations, their employees may not be as proficient with Word as they need to be. Listed below are a few quick tips about utilizing Microsoft Word that you can share. 

One of the most confusing technologies that has emerged over the past couple of years is artificial intelligence. AI, as it is being implemented by businesses, isn’t scary, it is intriguing. Listed below are three ways where AI is being utilized in the small business space.