Macro Systems Blog

Clutter accumulates everywhere: the household junk drawer, an employee’s car, and yes, even your business’ network. In your business network, this clutter is called “digital cruft” and can lead to some serious problems if you aren’t careful.

Technology doesn’t last forever, so what would you do if your keyboard or computer monitor died tomorrow? Some might just throw the technology in the trash and not think twice about it, but that’s the exact opposite of what you should do. Instead, Macro Systems urges you to go through the proper channels to properly dispose of your old electronics—if not for the environment’s sake, then for your business’.

Despite the immense productivity and convenience that come from using a smartphone, it’s imperative to remember that these devices are miniature computers in our pockets. This means that they are just as susceptible to threats as a computer or laptop. According to the National Security Agency, powering down your device is one of the most effective ways to protect your smartphone from various threats. Listed below is why.

One of the most popular criticisms of generative AI tools is that they often “hallucinate,” or make up information, making them a bit unreliable for certain high-stakes tasks. To help you combat hallucinations, we recommend you try out the following tips in your own use of generative AI. You might find that you get better, more reliable outputs as a result.

It would seem that the people responsible for the recent heist at the Louvre, which netted over $101 million in jewelry, may have utilized a more complicated plan than strictly necessary. According to a French publication, the famous museum has a long history of cybersecurity mistakes and faux pas… many of which, given the museum’s fame, are truly shocking.

Listed below is what we know about the Louvre’s protections over the years, and what they suggest about the current state of things. Hopefully you'll learn a thing or two by doing so.

An old fable says that a frog placed in a pot of boiling water will jump out immediately, but if the water is warmed to boiling with the frog already in it, the frog won’t notice until it is already too late. Many modern businesses act like that frog, overlooking minor tech problems that signal a growing issue until the damage is done.

Let’s see if we can identify some of these issues to help keep you out of hot water.

What was the scariest Halloween costume you saw last week? Chances are we know something scarier: the cyberthreats that want to take your business down. Listed below are some of the most common threats to your business’ future and what your business can do about them.

Happy Halloween! Tonight, ghosts and goblins will collect candy from door to door. This is to be expected; less expected are the cyberthreats and attacks that darken the doors of today's businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Listed below are things you need to do to keep your business safe, inside and out, every night of the year.

Business is already complicated enough without having to remember all of your passwords. Alas, logins and sign-ons are a necessary part of operations, and without them, work isn’t going to get anywhere. However, there is a solution to the problem of having too many accounts with too many unique credentials, and it all starts by asking a simple question.

Are you making the most out of every single mouse click you make? The navigation peripheral has a lot of hidden functionality that you may not realize exists. Listed below are some of the ways you can make each mouse click matter just a little bit more, as well as how you can utilize these tricks to save a little time and be a bit more productive.

How often do you find yourself thinking about how new technology will impact your business’ bottom line? Chances are, you have contemplated implementing a new piece of technology or two, but you might get stuck on whether or not it will actually be worth the investment. This is where you consider the return on investment (ROI) that technology will provide. Listed below: how you can make sure your technology provides results and what you can do if it doesn’t get the results you’re looking for.

Running a business can feel like a constant battle against inefficiency. There are innumerable reasons an organization doesn’t meet productivity standards. Fortunately, however, technology offers powerful tools to identify and eliminate these issues. Listed below: how you can utilize technology to find and fix inefficiencies in your business.

Disruptions, from natural disasters to cyberattacks, can hit any business. A strong business continuity plan (BCP) is essential to protect your organization, employees, and customers. It’s an investment that helps you handle the unexpected and get back on your feet quickly.

Listed below are the vital dos and don'ts for building your plan.

As we try to get as much fun from the final months of summer as possible, many of us will find it increasingly challenging to disconnect from the office, even from miles away. We could be lounging on a quiet beach in Bora Bora, but instead of enjoying the tranquility, we’d still be itching to check our emails. Instead of being able to truly relax, many team members and business owners still feel the pressures of the office even when away, essentially undoing any benefits of the vacation.

Let’s discuss how this can be addressed for the mutual benefit of everyone, allowing you and your team members to step away from time to time without causing disruptions.

Your business wants to utilize every opportunity it can to increase its bottom line and eliminate unnecessary costs, but how often does printing enter into the conversation? You waste more paper, ink, and toner than you think by not keeping a close watch on your printing practices. The right technology can not only reduce these wasteful practices but eliminate them entirely, giving you more capital to invest elsewhere in your business.

You're in the middle of a critical presentation, and suddenly, your screen freezes. Or maybe your customer relationship management (CRM) system goes down during peak sales hours. Your first instinct might be to panic, to hit every button, or to call everyone you know. Listed below: how overreacting to your technology troubles can be just as bad as the troubles themselves. 

There’s a reason why we tend to focus on security; it’s not a matter of if you experience a cyberattack, but when. It’s your responsibility to make sure that you’re ready to act in the right way when faced with these attacks. One of the best ways you can be prepared is by working with a managed service provider like us. Listed below are three ways we, as a managed service provider, can help you take the fight to cybersecurity threats.

Although most days you should lock your computer when ending the day, shutting down your PC and rebooting it on occasion can provide some huge benefits. Doing so helps you avoid some of the more common computer problems that can be incredibly disruptive.

Cyber scams can be very well-crafted and dangerous, and a significant portion of this danger stems from the scammer's ability to effectively utilize the psychological triggers that we all possess to some degree. Today's security training tends to focus on what signs we all need to keep an eye out for, but it does little to explore why modern scams are as effective as they are.

Let’s fix that by taking a moment to examine the tricks the scammers play so you can be that much more prepared to stop them by understanding how they work.

Ransomware has become one of the most dangerous modern threats to businesses, and when you consider what’s at stake with a ransomware infection, you’ll realize we’re not exaggerating. The worst variants of ransomware will attempt to extort you through any means necessary, and when you don’t give in so easily, they’ll pull out the big guns: double and triple extortion.