IT security in a seasonal business: the harvest is the test
Last updated: November 02, 2026 · Author: Wein & IT editorial team
In short
Three places create the risk: many temporary accounts, weekends without anyone in charge, and a till that has to keep running. What helps: named accounts, a second factor, and an emergency number that is answered on a Sunday.
Why the season makes the difference
In an office the circle of accounts rarely changes. In a seasonal business temporary staff arrive within weeks, work at the weekend and are gone again. Every one of those accounts stays unless somebody removes it.
The three places
Accounts for temporary staff
Shared passwords are the quick way – and the one that stays. Better: one account per person with an expiry date set when it is created.
Weekends without anyone in charge
If the till stops on a Saturday, the question is not the technology but who picks up the phone. Clarify that number before the season and stick it next to the till.
The till itself
It needs a way to work without internet, and a paper pad as the last fallback. Both sound old-fashioned and save the takings of a selling day.
What can be done in an hour before the season
- Review the account list: who is still with the business?
- Set up a second factor for the most important accounts.
- Print the emergency numbers and put them on the wall.
- Check that the backup of the last two weeks actually ran.
These four points are not a security concept. They are what helps most in a seasonal business.
What you can do now
Go through your account list before the next season and remove what nobody needs any more. It is the most effective hour you can spend on security.