Our second article on cybersecurity during the summer will focus on how to make a successful digital return to work. The holidays are coming to an end, calendars are filling up, notifications are resuming, and 216 unread emails are flashing on your screen on Monday morning. This time of the year can quickly turn into a disaster, both in terms of mental health and cybersecurity. As we hoard files and apps without even thinking about them, and alerts are piling up in our inboxes, this is a critical time.
We often put it off, but now is the perfect time. Cleaning up your tools and straightening your practices at the start of the school year is not a waste of time: it helps you regain efficiency, security, and mental clarity.
Delete unused tools
According to numerous studies, companies use an average of 88 different applications. But only half of them are actually used. However, every tool that is left unused can become a gateway for an attack, a vector for data leaks, or a distraction that takes you away from your truly productive tasks.
Make an inventory:
Now is the right time to close accounts properly, uninstall unnecessary tools, and streamline your software portfolio.
Sort files and emails: not just for order, but also for compliance
Sometimes, for example, HR files may contain personal and sensitive data for several years after employees have left the company. However, in almost all countries, companies have a strong legal responsibility when it comes to data retention. In the event of an audit or leak, simply retaining data without justification is enough to make the company liable.
Emails, shared folders, obsolete documents: delete what is no longer needed, file what needs to be kept, and apply the retention periods set out in your internal policy.
The start of each new school year is a good time to refresh your knowledge of policies that you think you know well, but haven’t actually reread in months or even years. Sometimes, we just sign them without thinking too much about them. Revisiting the IT security policy, as well as the password and access rights management policy, is a good habit to get into at the start of each new school year. And as you do it, ask yourself the right questions.
It’s dangerous to let legal developments catch up to you after they’ve already happened. It is better to plan for major deadlines, especially in a digital environment that is changing quickly.
New national and regional regulations have several things in common. They generally require:
Regulators are also paying closer attention to:
There are also more and more rules about using AI. In the European Union, for example, the AI Act is being implemented in 2025 and 2026. Similar rules are created in other countries. It is therefore essential to identify the ways in which AI is used.
These include:
The return to work also means the reappearance of thousands of emails, incessant notifications, overflowing calendars, and fragmented attention. However, digital overload is as detrimental to concentration as it is to mental health.
A few simple steps:
Encouraging asynchronous communication within teams reduces the pressure to respond immediately, promotes concentration, and prevents cognitive overload.
For example, several organizations have introduced “no email” time slots: between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., no one checks their email. The results are surprising: improved productivity, less stress, and better mental health.
Disconnecting does not mean being absent. It means setting clear boundaries. In Japan, one of the most productive nations in the world, it is even an absolute rule of life: focus only on the task at hand.
A manager who stops responding to emails after 7 p.m. sends a strong signal to their teams: it is not a luxury, it is a lever for collective performance. And that is also how we can be happy at work.
The return to work should not be seen as a burden. It is an opportunity and an excellent time to realign practices, modernize tools, and take care of the people behind the screens.
We will be back in mid-September with our article on cyber fatigue, after a short summer break. In the meantime, if you have a movie, TV series, software, or e-book that you want to protect, don’t hesitate to call on our services by contacting one of our account managers. PDN has been a pioneer in cybersecurity and anti-piracy for over ten years, and we’re sure to have a solution to help you. Happy reading, and see you soon!
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