Keys and locks are one of the oldest security technologies in existence. While they’ve potentially been around 6000 years, the once basic technologies have since come leaps and bounds, and are continuing to evolve at a rapid rate.
This evolution is now so rapid that systems that were acceptable even 5 years ago may now no longer be effective ways of managing your business. If you’re not sure if your current approach is still working, then these are some simple ways to tell if your current key control system is outdated.
Simple access control
If your business requires even a small number of keys that regularly need to change hands, then you need both a storage solution and some kind of regulated access control in place.
Simply having a wooden peg that people take keys off when they want to isn’t an effective solution. You need some kind of way to control who can take keys out and when, ideally facilitated by a solution from a provider like Traka.
Easy, non-traceable key duplication
Another way to tell if your keys can be easily duplicated. If someone can take a key for a critical, high value asset out, go to the local locksmith and just get a new one cut, you may very well swiftly lose control of the asset itself.
Make sure that the keys you’re using can only be duplicated by certain, authorised individuals, and track and record every duplicate as you would that first key.
No automated tracking
For larger organisations in particular, you need to have a system that automatically logs who takes a key out, and when. If you’re currently relying on a paper logbook, then your system is outdated – find a solution that fills in a digital log for you as soon as the key is taken out of the locker, and you’ll find that far fewer keys go missing as a result.
Frequent losses
On the other side of things, you can also look for symptoms of poor key management. If you’re finding that keys are regularly going missing, or assets are being accessed at random, then you may have a key control issue.
Look at whether it’s a user or technology problem first, and then implement some remedial measures that respond to the issues in question.
Zero digital integration
Lastly, if everything is disconnected and you’re having to manually upload key and access related data, you need a new system. Your key management solution should be seamlessly integrated into your digital infrastructure, so that you can access all of this kind of information in one place.
Un-updated key control systems can be disasters waiting to happen, and it’s imperative that you’re able to upgrade them ahead of time. By going through the main issues outlined above, you can start to determine whether your current approach is sufficient, or you need to mix things up a little. There are plenty of technologies available nowadays that make key control a lot easier, and it’s important to find the ones that work for you.
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