Business owners have to wear many hats. You're the CEO, the head of sales, the marketing guru, and often, the de facto IT department. It's understandable that with so much to do, dealing with a sluggish computer or a temperamental software program gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. A laissez-faire attitude towards your technology can have serious consequences, however. Listed below: why being lazy with your IT causes more harm than good.
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.
For all the effort and investment a modern business needs to put into its cybersecurity, it is equally critical to acknowledge each team member's role in an organization’s security protections. Many of your employees, through no inherent fault of their own, are themselves a vulnerability as they allow many cyberthreats into your infrastructure via scams and simple mistakes. That being said, this doesn’t have to be the case.
Listed below: why it is imperative that you train your team to be a cybersecurity asset and how to do so.
How often do you find yourself feeling the weight of your agenda stressing you out, and, counterproductively, distracting you from the task you’re currently working on? One of the best ways to power through and stay on track is to step away and take a minute to get your stress back under control.
While it’s the longest-running joke in the world of IT, the question “Have you tried turning it on and off again?” is still an imperative one to consider when things are going awry. There’s a good reason why it’s such well-known advice, too: turning your device off can help solve a significant amount of technical issues. Why is this the case, and what can you learn from it?
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?
We’ve all heard it, probably even rolled our eyes at it: “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” This seemingly simplistic question has become a running gag in the world of IT support. But under the humor lies a fundamental truth: rebooting a device is often the most effective first step in resolving a surprising number of technical glitches.
Although it might sound elementary, this advice is based on solid technical principles.
The world of cybersecurity is in constant flux, demanding that businesses continually reassess their defensive strategies. A traditional focus solely on preventing breaches, while crucial, is proving insufficient in the face of sophisticated and persistent threats. As highlighted in a recent Illumio podcast episode, "Trust & Resilience: The New Frontlines of Cybersecurity," the very foundation of digital interaction—trust—has ironically become a primary vulnerability exploited by attackers. This necessitates a fundamental shift in perspective.
If you're like many small and medium-sized business owners, you're juggling countless online passwords for email, banking, software, supplier portals, and more. It can be overwhelming. This usually leads to using simple or repeated passwords, which opens the door to cyber threats like data breaches, a serious risk for any business. Fortunately, there's a straightforward solution: a password manager.
If your business owns more than one computer, you’ve got tech to track. Laptops, monitors, printers, routers, projectors, phones; it all adds up fast. If you’re not keeping an eye on it, your business could end up with missing equipment, surprise inefficiency, or worse, security problems. That’s why tracking your hardware is imperative.
Starting a small business is exciting but keeping it running is the real challenge. Many businesses start with a great idea, a solid customer base, and high hopes, only to crash and burn because of avoidable mistakes. If you’re a small business owner or planning to become one, look out for these three major pitfalls that can sink your business faster than you can say bankruptcy.
Today's small businesses generate a lot of data. From customer details and sales records to inventory tracking and employee schedules, you need to be able to structure this data so that you can use it effectively. Keeping that data organized and accessible is critical but managing it effectively can often be a hassle. This is where smart database management comes in. When done right, it helps businesses run smoother and often save money.
Does your business have an internal IT department or dedicated IT resource? We know it can be hard sometimes to find the talent you’re looking for, but that doesn’t make it any less critical. Listed below are some of the issues you’ll want to keep in mind if you want to get an IT technician on your staff.
Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, is a common approach for businesses that want to take advantage of mobile technology to increase productivity. Instead of supplying each individual employee with company-owned devices, businesses allow employees to utilize their own devices for work-related purposes. While this is great on the budget, it’s only really effective, and safe, if the employee prioritizes security on their devices; otherwise, it’s a liability.
You open your email and you have a message claiming your bank account has been hacked. You click the link, log in, and, whoops, you just handed your credentials to a cybercriminal. You’ve been a victim of phishing, where scammers bait you with fake messages and reel you in like an unsuspecting fish. You don’t have to be their next catch. Listed below: how to recognize and fight back against phishing attempts.
The Android operating system periodically receives updates and patches detailed in online publications called Android Security Bulletins. In the March 2025 edition, Google announced that 43 malicious bugs had been resolved, two of which were zero-day vulnerabilities.
Listed below: how to implement these fixes and why this is a practice that should reach every aspect of your organization's IT.
Does it feel like scammers are everywhere? That's because they are. Every day they’re scheming up new ways to trick people into giving up money, data, or access to their accounts. One of the biggest problems we run into is that we’re bombarded with so many scam warnings that we start tuning them out. That’s called threat fatigue, the phenomenon when you get so tired of hearing about security risks that you stop paying attention, which is exactly scammers want.
It's no surprise that cybersecurity is a big challenge for businesses and individuals alike. The problem: life pretty much revolves around being online these days, so there’s no avoiding it. Thus, it’s your responsibility to ensure that any data you collect from your customers, employees, and other key stakeholders in your business is well-protected, otherwise you will face severe consequences.
In the United States, tax season is prime time for hackers to take advantage of law-abiding, tax-paying citizens. They do this via all types of nefarious activities, such as phishing attacks conducted through text messages and emails claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. If you want to avoid getting scammed this tax season, be sure to keep the following tips in mind to stay safe while you conduct your typical tax routines.
Hardware is far from the most fun topic for a business owner to learn more about, but that doesn’t reduce its importance. If you want to ensure your business stays ahead of the game, then you need to be strategic about your hardware implementation. If not, you risk falling behind, put your business in danger, and—even worse—imperil your budget.
