When a facility key falls into the wrong hands, it puts the business, and everyone employed there at risk. The days of assigning keys to staff and hoping they don't make unauthorized duplicates are a thing of the past - at least they should be. If you are still chasing keys around your business, you need to read this article.
Our topics will cover:
● The Risks of Unauthorized Key Acquisition
● What is a Key Control Program
● Individually Serialized, Restricted Keys Eliminate Key Duplication
● Key Management Software Provides Valuable Insights
The Risks of Unauthorized Key Acquisition
When you lose a key (any key), where does it go? Would you feel safe if your purse, briefcase, or backpack holding your driver's license and your house keys were stolen? If the answers to these two questions make you uncomfortable, so should the thought of unauthorized duplication of keys to your business. These are a few ways your entire business could be at risk if a key is duplicated:
● Employee Theft
● Trade secrets aren't protected
● Potentially put employee's safety at risk
● Unexpected locksmith fees
● Costly key and lock replacement
It's essential to incorporate some safeguards and practices to reduce duplication of keys in managing your key inventory.
What is a Key Control System
Key control systems are designed to do exactly what they say; give you control over the inventory of the keys for your business. They allow you to maximize security and minimize costs while providing complete oversight of who has access to specific areas, what they have access to, and how many keys have been issued for each lock. The ability to pull activity reports of active key users in the event of a security breach can help rule out keyholders. An organized key control program gives you the oversight necessary to restrict unauthorized use of keys for your business. However, a key control program with duplicatable keys is not 100% effective.
Individually Serialized, Restricted Keys Eliminate Key Duplication
Having non-duplicatable keys is critical to the success of your key control initiatives. Some restricted keys have a unique serial number fingerprint. This allows you to easily control its life cycle, the key holder, and their authorized areas of access. Restricted keys are not available from your local locksmith or hardware store. They are only available through a licensed dealer, and only authorized key managers within your business can order key duplicates. It's important to know that keys stamped with "do not duplicate" are NOT restricted keys. To help you further thwart unauthorized key duplication, you should invest in key management software.
Key Management Software Provides Valuable Insight
Key Tracking software is also vital in key control. It simplifies day-to-day key control practices and allows for consistent key control policy enforcement. You will have insight into important data-centric activities, including:
● Tracking costs
● Activity reports of active keys, users, and locations
● Current key assignments
● Logging key acceptance
● Auditing your key system
To learn more about InstaKey’s Key Control program, click the button below. There you will find a variety of resources, including videos, infographics, white papers, and more, to enhance your ability to securely and efficiently manage key control within your organization.
