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Macro Systems Blog

Macro Systems has been serving the Metro Washington, DC area since 1997, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Explaining IT Metrics

Explaining IT Metrics

Any business can benefit from data and use it to enhance its operations. This is especially the case where information technology is involved. By collecting the right metrics, you can better evaluate your business IT’s performance and identify areas for improvement.

Let’s review what some of these metrics should be.

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Explaining Database Management System and it's Critical Role in Your Operations

Explaining Database Management System and it's Critical Role in Your Operations

The importance of databases in the context of an average business may be understated: they serve as an indispensable tool for ensuring smooth operations. An efficient Database Management System (DBMS) is actually more imperative than you may realize. Listed below is a look at the DBMS and its pivotal role in elevating your business operations.

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A Look at Artificial Intelligence Bias

A Look at Artificial Intelligence Bias

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has become a bona fide buzzword amongst businesses of all sizes, with 97% of respondents to a Forbes survey seeing a potential benefit in some way, shape, or form. That being said, with it being integrated everywhere in our modern lives, it is critical that we remember that AI is still a human invention, and as such, it is vulnerable to our own implicit biases.

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A Zero Trust Policy can Help Protect Your Business from Ransomware

A Zero Trust Policy can Help Protect Your Business from Ransomware

With ransomware becoming one of the most damaging threats out there for small businesses, it’s more critical than ever to know how to protect your organization from its influence. Fortunately, there are measures you can take, including some very powerful ones like zero-trust policies that can thwart attempted ransomware attacks.

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Explaining RTO and RPO and Why They're Critical to Your Business

Explaining RTO and RPO and Why They're Critical to Your Business

Your business’ backup and disaster recovery preparations are an imperative part of your continued success as an organization, specifically, how they are measured by two key metrics: your recovery time objective (RTO) and your recovery point objective (RPO).

That being said, it’s critical that you are able to determine what your organization can support in terms of your recovery time and recovery point objectives… but how does one do that?

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Why Your Business Should Utilize a VPN

Why Your Business Should Utilize a VPN

With data security being a hot commodity with hackers, it’s no surprise that companies want to do everything they can to protect their assets. One method for doing so is implementing a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, that can effectively obfuscate data while it’s in transit. Listed below are some of the most valuable reasons why your business should be using a VPN.

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Three Problems that Cybercrime Causes for Businesses

Three Problems that Cybercrime Causes for Businesses

Cyberthreats aren't limited to large corporations and enterprises, which is unfortunate for small businesses. Even small businesses and local shops face the constant risk of cyberattacks. Listed below are some concerning statistics regarding one of the fastest-growing cyberthreats.

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How Data Affects Your Business Priorities

How Data Affects Your Business Priorities

Over the course of a year, a month, or even a single day, your business accumulates and utilizes a lot of data. You need systems in place to make good use of this data, otherwise your business is leaving efficiency on the table. Listed below are some proper uses for your data and how to make the most of this golden opportunity.

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Important Security Steps for Data Privacy

Important Security Steps for Data Privacy

Data privacy is absolutely imperative these days in both a business and individual context. In some locations, governments have introduced legislation to protect consumers, and in others, there is significant pushback in favor of fewer regulations on business. How does data privacy factor into your business’ operations?

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Ransomware Leads to Many More Problems

Ransomware Leads to Many More Problems

There are a lot of threats to modern businesses, but ransomware seems to be the worst… or at least, the most feared. It seems as though we can’t mention cyberthreats anymore without mentioning ransomware. Alas, we’re right to do so, and the reason for this is a simple one.

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Why Your Business Should Utilize Encryption

Why Your Business Should Utilize Encryption

You might see encryption as a major Advantage to your cybersecurity strategy, but it’s often utilized in a way that might have you guessing whether you really understand it. Listed below is a closer look into what encryption does to your data, as well as why it is essential for any business to ensure maximum privacy and security.

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Modern Sports Rely Heavily on Analytics

Modern Sports Rely Heavily on Analytics

Professional sports has witnessed a significant shift in the way teams and organizations approach their strategies. Gone are the days when gut instinct and intuition were the sole driving forces behind decisions. Modern sports are increasingly relying on analytics to gain a competitive edge. Listed below is a look at the growing influence of analytics in sports and the ways in which data-driven insights have revolutionized the game.

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What Your Business Needs to Know about the FTC Safeguards Rule

What Your Business Needs to Know about the FTC Safeguards Rule

The United States Federal Trade Commission’s mandate is to prevent fraud and promote consumer protection in today's interconnected world, where the digital landscape continues to evolve at a frenzied pace. The FTC recognizes the importance of safeguarding consumer information and has implemented their Safeguards Rule as a means to ensure that businesses protect sensitive data from unauthorized access and misuse. Listed below is a look at the Safeguards Rule and what you need to know about it in regard to your organization. 

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Takeaways from the VirusTotal Data Leak

Takeaways from the VirusTotal Data Leak

In 2004, a service called VirusTotal was launched and quickly became a popular antivirus and malware scanner to help detect threats in various files and URLs. It became popular enough that it was officially acquired by Google in 2012 and ultimately assimilated into Chronicle, a cloud-based security operations suite for enterprise businesses. However, despite this impressive pedigree, we find ourselves able to look to VirusTotal as a sobering reminder of how fickle cybersecurity can be, with the service being the source of some limited data exposure.

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Why Your Business Needs a BDR

Why Your Business Needs a BDR

Data backup may sound like a simple process, but if you truly want to rely on your backup, it needs to be absolutely infallible. That is the objective behind an IT appliance known as the BDR, which stands for Backup and Disaster Recovery.

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Best Practices for Data Management

Best Practices for Data Management

Back in 1995, the Association of Records Managers and Administrators were in the midst of campaigning for the renewal of the Paperwork Reduction Act. As a part of their efforts, they created National Records and Information Management Day. It has since expanded into a week, and then into an entire month, for businesses around the world to consider their record-keeping practices.

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What Should Be Included in Your Backup and Disaster Recovery Preparations

What Should Be Included in Your Backup and Disaster Recovery Preparations

Did you know that World Backup Day is in just a few short weeks? While it is an imperative occasion for businesses to recognize, data backup should really be something you think about all the time; your backup is an integral part of the backup and disaster recovery portion of your overall business continuity.

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How to Create Dropdown Menus in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets

How to Create Dropdown Menus in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets

Today's spreadsheet programs, like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, provide a plethora of functions under the surface that—if used correctly—can take their utility to another level. For example, the cells in your spreadsheets can be turned into dropdown menus. How to do so in both Excel and Sheets is listed below.

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Why the Price of Data Privacy is Worth It

Why the Price of Data Privacy is Worth It

We aren’t going to pretend that the investments required to preserve your business’ data security are small ones. Especially at first glance, you may very well start to question if such an investment is truly necessary.

The fact of the matter is that, compared to the costs that a breach of privacy will incur, the investment you put into your security measures will suddenly seem like a real bargain.

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The Legend of the Tell-Tale Hard Drive

The Legend of the Tell-Tale Hard Drive

If Edgar Allan Poe worked in an office, here’s what one of his works would sound like:

True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I have been and am, but why will you say that I am mad? The office had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was my sense of hearing. I heard all things in heaven and on earth and many things in…the other place. So, how then am I mad, especially when I can so healthily and calmly tell you this story?

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