Macro Systems Blog

Technology is meant to be the wind in your company's sails, propelling you forward, simplifying tasks, and making operations smoother, right? Sometimes, it is! Other times, it feels more like a mischievous gremlin has been let loose in the engine room, and certain seemingly small habits can escalate into full-blown operational nightmares.

Here at Macro Systems, we've seen a pattern or two. Listed below is a look at three common technology mistakes that might be silently sabotaging your productivity or even worse, leaving your digital doors wide open.

Do you know what goes into a successful data backup strategy? If not, understand that your business relies on these contingencies to confidently face the challenges of the modern business world. Listed below is a break down of the essentials of a sound backup strategy, which is more complicated than you think.

Deals are great; offering some money and getting more than you’d expect in return… It’s the next best thing to free. It’s also really nice to get something fast.

Not so fast, though. As nice as they can make things seem, “cheap” and “quick” aren’t often synonymous with “effective” or “valuable.” In fact, selecting the presumably easy route regarding your business technology can ultimately lead to bigger problems in the form of something called tech debt.

There are many ways that a modern small or medium-sized business can experience an issue that puts their IT out of commission in one way or another. Each one can hit one of these businesses especially hard in the wallet.

Let’s review some today and discuss how they can be resolved.

Robust IT tools and services are not a luxury, but the very lifeblood for businesses of every size. They offer the essential direction, unwavering stability, and seamless connectivity required not just to survive, but truly thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Yet the questions remain: what exactly constitutes these pivotal "IT tools and services," and more critically, why should they take a top spot on your business priorities?

Over time, you may add new technology solutions to your infrastructure to solve specific issues. Before you know it, you might have an overwhelming amount of technology that keeps your business operational. This problem, called tech sprawl, can hold your business back from efficient operations. What can you do about Tech Sprawl?

If your business technology setup is driving you crazy, you’re not alone. Many business owners and managers have endless gripes about the technology they utilize for their business. It could be that your Wi-Fi is crawling along and not allowing for productive Internet speeds, your software feels like it was developed for Windows Vista, or you’re constantly worrying how you are going to keep your data safe. Whatever the case, it can be fixed. Listed below: how to rebuild your IT plan from scratch.

Remember purchased software on disks and installing it, computer by computer? Fortunately, those days are long behind us. Today, Software as a Service (SaaS) provides powerful advantages, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.

Listed below is how you can benefit from these subscription-based tools. 

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.

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.  

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.

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?

If I were to ask you what technology your business possessed and where it all was right now, could you give me an answer? If not, you’ve demonstrated the importance of keeping an accurate inventory of your business’ IT.

Listed below are some best practices to make managing your business’ IT inventory more effective.

No one really can tell the future, but it is both possible and vital to make predictions based on present trends and current events. Let’s look forward to the rest of this year to see what predictions we can make for business IT and the notes we should all take over the next few months.

Net neutrality has long been an embattled topic, with rules changing every few years depending on the opinions of those with influence. Recently, the Federal Communications Commission had its most recent net neutrality policy struck down by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals… in such a way that sets the concept back to square one.

Listed below: why this is a particularly dangerous decision, and very well could put small and medium-sized businesses at a distinct disadvantage moving forward.

For years, the telephone has been one of the most reliable business communications solutions, and that trend will continue into 2025. If you’re still using the phone solutions of the past, however, you’ve got some upgrading to do. Listed below is what you need to know about the best communications investment you can make: Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.

Do you ever feel at home in your business’ server room? Assuming you have a server room, and it’s more than just a stuffy closet in an isolated part of your office, that is. If you’re not confident that you can provide your servers with the management, maintenance, and monitoring they require, we recommend you work with a managed IT company to ensure you get the most value you can from your server units.

Happy New Year! This time is usually dedicated to making plans and commitments to improve oneself over the coming months in the interest of the future. In the spirit of the holiday, listed below are some resolutions that can help your career or your business’ use of technology.

The Internet is, along with electricity, a completely essential part of doing business. Listed below is a look at the central metric of Internet usage: Bandwidth.

Computer problems can be very irritating, especially when they slow you down while working. Many times, it is something that can be fixed quickly, but then there are issues that an experienced IT professional has to address. Listed below are some of the most common computer problems professionals run into.