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.

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.

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.

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 spam filtering can be a great tool for your business’ own defenses, the spam filtering that your contacts have in place could prevent your messages from reaching them. Listed below are a few ways that you can help prevent your emails from being caught up in these filters before your contacts or prospects can read them.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA, is a serious concern for all healthcare providers that operate within the United States. Since August 1996, HIPAA has mandated that these healthcare providers comply with various best practices. While HIPAA is relatively familiar to many people for assorted reasons, fewer know about HITRUST (the Health Information Trust Alliance) and how these acronyms ultimately cooperate with one another.

Few things are more horrifying for a modern business to consider than the idea that they will be hacked, regardless of that their size or industry. After all, hacking can, will, and does cause significant damage across basically all aspects of your organization. This is precisely why it is so imperative that, should a business be hacked, the proper steps are taken in response.

Some people may say that operational efficiency and productivity are only measures of how well managers are able to manage. Make no mistake about it, productivity is critical to workers, too. When COVID-19 spurred lawmakers to create stay-at-home orders in March of 2020, the fear was that productivity would decrease so much that it would destroy society. This clearly didn’t happen, but there has been some ebb and flow of the productivity metrics since the beginning of the pandemic. Below is a look at productivity during COVID-19.

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.

Sometime recently, novelty holidays have popped up for almost anything, many of which just aim to celebrate the things about our lives that make life worth living. Take any random day, like May 12. There are a half-dozen “holidays” that day: National Limerick Day, National Odometer Day, National Nutty Fudge Day, National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, National Receptionists’ Day, and National Third Shift Workers Day. So, May 12 runs the gamut of human existence. 

With all the threats covered in mass media these days it can be too simple to get the mistaken impression that the biggest threats to your business are all external. We’re telling you right now that plenty of vulnerabilities first come from inside your business, both creating significant threats independently and simplifying the job for external dangers as well. Listed below are a few of the dangers that could originate from inside your business itself.

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. 

While it initially sounds promising to hear that the number of data breaches seen last year went down significantly, it is critical to understand that the number of data records leaked as a result more than doubled. One clear cause was the resurgence in the use of the underhanded malware variety known as ransomware. With this suggesting an increased threat of ransomware incoming, can you confidently say that your business’ team is ready to deal with it?

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. 

Most modern businesses rely heavily on information technology to operate, so we thought it would be valuable to share some very simple IT best practices to help assist your operations by keeping your resources productive and secured.

2021 is nearly here, and if your business isn’t utilizing technology to its fullest capability, you’re missing out on some significant opportunities. Listed below are a few winning strategies that you should adopt in the coming year.

Over a quarter of all data breaches happen to small businesses. The cost of a data breach is really prohibitive to your business’ operational and financial health. To keep your business’ data and infrastructure free of threats and relatively secure, small businesses will need a combination of useful technology tools and well-designed strategies. Listed below are several steps your small business can take to secure itself from digital theft.

If fortune smiles on your organization, you won’t ever have to deal with what we are about to discuss: ransomware. For the past several years ransomware has been a serious problem for businesses, governments, and individuals. Listed below is a discussion about the different types of ransomware and how some people want to put a ban on ransomware payments. 

Of all the controversial topics in the workplace, employee monitoring is among the most divisive. As an authority figure in your business, it is only natural that you would want to ensure that your team is working diligently, especially as they are working remotely. However, there are some lines that cannot be crossed you should be aware of. The concept of monitoring your employees and what cannot be done is discussed below.