Macro Systems Blog

The people that support a business’ information systems are widely renowned as nerds sitting in a basement office waiting for someone that matters to call them upstairs. Naturally, we think this characterization is at the very least inaccurate, but since our jobs are so technical, it can be hard to relate with clients all the time. Luckily for us, the most helpful tool we have in our repertoire is excruciatingly simple. To fix your computer problem, have you tried rebooting it? Turning it off and then back on again?

Macro Systems is always trying to get our message out, sharing how our services can add value to just about any kind of business - including nonprofits and municipalities - seeing as just about every modern business relies on technology to some degree. We wanted to demonstrate below how that value can present itself through managed services.

Fact: Windows 7 is still one of the more popular operating systems. This is concerning since Microsoft is shutting off support for this operating system on January 14, 2020. 

The information technology solutions that are available for businesses to utilize are continually improving. While these enhancements are beneficial to your operational abilities, you do need to make sure you are staying up to date; a managed service provider can help with IT Procurement. 

It wasn't too long ago that we had to haul a computer into the shop to get it fixed if there were problems. However, with the pace that modern business is conducted, this approach just isn’t effective for businesses any longer. Today, with the support of a managed service provider, support is available much more efficiently and affordably than ever.

Your employees appreciate when you provide them with all the tools they require to accomplish their day-to-day tasks. If you take the time to give them everything they need to do their jobs, then they will, in turn, provide you with a higher rate of productivity and work quality. One way you can make this happen is by providing them access to the technical assistance they require to succeed.

How valuable is the data that you’ve gathered during your time in business? What would it mean if it were to leak somewhere beyond your control? Let's talk about methods to control your data leakage.

Small businesses with limited budgets and staffing have always had difficulty maintaining and managing their technology solutions. Working with narrow resources doesn’t have to be a challenge, but more often than not, technology creates issues for companies that don’t have a dedicated IT support system. What if Macro Systems told you that it didn’t have to be this way, and that accessible IT management is something that all organizations can achieve?

Your organization's technology solutions may be a major point of contention for your bottom line, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t create value with it. One of the best ways you can create value for your companies' IT is by implementing a better way of managing it. Macro Systems will walk you through what it means to shift from break-fix IT to managed IT services, as well as what questions you should ask to expedite the process.

The holiday season has arrived! Why not give the IT professional in your life a few things that they’ve been wishing for all year? Macro Systems has compiled a list of gifts you can give them, some of which will cost you and your business nothing.

Tech-support scammers are typically just people who dial random numbers, try to convince the person on the other end that their computer has problems and they can fix them if the user allows them to remote into the device. They utilize tactics that are as generic and vague as possible to avoid having to mention any specifics; because some people find that their system’s performance is sluggish, they will give these people access, which usually ends in disaster.

Managing business technology is no simple task, especially if your budget doesn’t isn't large enough for an internal IT department. You want professionals who know what they are doing to be the first ones handling your organization’s technology solutions, but sometimes this just isn’t possible. While the concept of outsourcing technology management and maintenance to a third party sounds odd at first, it is better just about any other alternative out there. 

Organizations of all sizes utilize varying degrees of technology to upgrade productivity, efficiency, and security. The more an organization depends on its data, the more imperative it is for them to manage and maintain the systems in which this data is dependent. For businesses that have a lack of financial resources to support these systems, it is often left to unqualified employees, putting your organization at risk. What do you do when you need expertise that you lack and can’t afford to hire in-house staff?

It’s imperative to think about how your business manages its technology, especially in our modern era where businesses rely heavily on critical software and hardware solutions. Granted, getting the technology assistance you need may be difficult with a limited budget and workforce. Managed services can be a reliable alternative to your business hiring and managing its own IT department, and they can even be used to augment your current IT administrators.

When was the last time that you ran into a problem that was easily solvable, simply by restarting your computer or unplugging a device from the wall, then plugging it back in? Often times, simple troubleshooting tactics can be enough to resolve a problem, but more often than not, there are issues that can’t be easily resolved. It’s these ones that hold businesses back, and we’re here to help.

The traditional break-fix IT model has given way to a more comprehensive and hands-off approach called managed IT. Managing technology solutions can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right combination of outsourced IT services, your business can take advantage of enterprise-level solutions without dealing with the expensive costs and extensive resources required to do so. Here are four of the many ideal ways that you can leverage managed IT services for your business.

The purpose of an internal IT department is, in theory, twofold: first, they are supposed to strategize a future for the company’s information technology, with the secondary responsibility of troubleshooting and tending to the technological issues a business faces. However, the reality is that many IT departments find themselves with no time to innovate, as they are swamped under service requests for technical issues.

We have been very fortunate to assist many organizations, and this experience has given us a certain perspective of how many businesses approach their technology maintenance. We often work with new businesses to audit the performance of their IT. We’ve found that small businesses tend to have more issues and are susceptible to bigger vulnerabilities. These aren’t networks that go ignored either--many of them currently pay for an “expert” to support them.

Tech support has one job: to help you with tech-related problems. Unless it's fraudulent tech support, that is. Many criminals will pretend to be a support tech to gain a target’s trust, with the intention to cause them serious problems. To keep your business safe, make sure that you are able to spot the warning signs of tech support fraud.

You may have just learned of outsourced IT services, but you may be surprised to hear that they have been around for far longer than you previously thought. Even before managed IT, however, business owners and individuals alike were using the outsourced services of others to simplify operations and day-to-day tasks related to their technology management.