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.

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.

Technology is such a great tool for productivity, but one thing that you need to comprehend is that it can't work miracles. At the end of the day, we are all still human; distractions creep in that technology cannot prevent. Some users struggle with staying focused, which leads to unproductive behaviors, all of which compounds to create wasted time and money. Listed below are some ways that your employees can overcome distractions in the workplace.

Workplace stress has increasingly been viewed as a prescient issue for businesses, with an enhanced focus on identifying the causes and mitigating the impacts. A recently published patent from Microsoft helps to demonstrate how seriously this is now taken… although it also raises the question: do we really need technology’s help to identify when we feel stressed?

Seeing as technology is a critical component of most modern business processes, it is basically guaranteed that it will benefit your operations to abide by a few particular best practices. These practices are reviewed below so you can move forward and utilize your technology to its highest capabilities.

“It was getting to the point where I wouldn’t answer my cell phone anymore.”

Does this scenario ring a bell? If you get a lot of scam calls, you are probably ready to throw your phone into the ocean. Not only are these calls irritating, they can be outright dangerous. Stopping them altogether isn’t easy, but there are ways to prevent them to a degree.

With remote work becoming the standard for many businesses in their efforts to maintain operations in recent months, this potentially company-saving adoption has not been without its disadvantages. Most notably, the mental health of many employees has been impacted as teams have been working together while keeping apart, in large part because the quick conversations that happen throughout the workday have mostly been eliminated.

If there is one thing that you could take away from our blog it is that data backup is a critical part of any business continuity strategy. Alas, there are so many different parts to it that it’s not surprising some data could slip through the cracks if not maintained properly. If you’re not actively taking measures to keep disasters from derailing your business’ progress, you stand to lose more than some data. Below is a look at some of the imperative parts of a data backup and disaster recovery process and why it is essential to give them a test regularly. 

As much as you hope it will not happen to your company, a disaster could strike at any time; statistics have shown as much to be true. To remove some of the risks associated with disasters and the data loss they lead to, Macro Systems recommends that you implement BDR into your business continuity strategies.

People working remotely has been on the rise even before the COVID-19 pandemic made it the safest way for a business to operate. Of course, this makes organization a particularly important thing to consider, especially as public areas reopen as workspace options.

If you are a continual reader of our blog, you will notice that “best practices” is a term that is used generously. That is because there are certain ways to go about things when you are working with technology.  Let's go over what the term actually means and why they are critical when managing your business. 

It is very likely that you have already heard us talk about the importance of a comprehensive data backup strategy. Recent events have made such preparations no less imperative for you to have in place. Listed below are some of the key steps that you need to undergo.

Today's society is greatly focused on the virtue of hard work, of productivity. This has resulted in a type of unspoken prejudice against breaks in the workplace, that any break that is not earned is a sign of an unproductive employee. As it turns out, the opposite is true. So, how can turn your breaks into a way to accomplish more in the workplace? Read on.

How many times have you traveled to the store and purchased items that you already had? Alas, this happens all the time, but fortunately it’s usually a carton milk or a loaf of bread. When it happens in your business, it can be much more costly. Listed below is a recommendation for an inventory strategy that will stop you from spending tons of cash on redundant investments. 

As businesses of all types either reopen or find themselves quickly approaching that point, the ongoing status of COVID-19 guarantees that these companies must carefully evaluate how to proceed. With infection numbers rising at the time of this writing, it is imperative that you establish the means to protect your employees from infection and illness.

If you haven’t kept your most current policies and procedures recorded somewhere, you absolutely must rectify this as soon as possible. A written guide to your business’ policies and procedures is imperative because it gives your team a resource to turn to for an answer to any questions concerning their employment. Listed below are some things you must include in your written employee handbook.

Many states’ stay-at-home orders that were implemented to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus are now lapsing all over the U.S. As a result, business owners are re-opening their doors to a great deal of uncertainty. Listed below is a guide to help the business owner understand that, even though you’ve finally been given the go-ahead, you have a responsibility to keep your staff and customers safe.

Disasters, at least in the business sense, always seem to be underestimated. While you usually hear about disasters that are often seen, there are some that can go under the radar until they strike. However, regardless of the nature of the disaster, you need to be prepared to maintain both your operations and your communications to some degree.

Microsoft Outlook has some cool, overlooked features to help reduce the time you spend managing your email. Listed below are two tips on this subject.

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, more business than ever are now conducted via video chat. You may be using it yourself as a tool to work remotely. Nevertheless, while these conversations may help keep your team connected to one another, the experience certainly isn’t the same as what would be found in the office conference room. There is one specific trait that can help video conferencing be as smooth as possible for everyone, though.