Here's an alarming statistic: A burglary takes place every 18 seconds in the United States. Which means that your organization needs to make security a priority to ensure the safety of your employees, facilities, and products.
Obviously, a perfect world without theft is impossible. But what's the key to reducing the amount of break-ins? It's better locks and keys.
Whether you're handling loss prevention at a retail store, managing physical assets at public buildings or trying to cut operational costs at a factory, you need the most secure key systems on the market. It's how you can protect your assets, reduce shrink and theft, and lower security costs.
If you've already done some research, you may be deciding between rekeying locks and rekeyable locks. Discussed here is all you need to know to decide which one is a better fit for your business.
The Truth About Rekeying Locks
There are many reasons to upgrade your lock system. A recent break-in certainly necessitates improving security (and improving lock systems). Losing a set of the master keys does, too. If you've just opened up a new storefront or want greater security at a production plant, then you should be thinking about changing the locks. Whatever the reason is, you always should be making sure your facilities are as secure as possible.
One option you may consider is rekeying locks. To rekey locks, you or a handyman professional have to remove the key cores from the locking hardware and replace them with lock patterns that match new keys.
This sounds simple but actually is time-consuming and can get costly, as you have to pay for labor and buy new equipment. If you are managing an organization with a number of facilities and many doors to secure, this can be even more costly.
There is no greater cautionary example than what happened at the College of William and Mary. When a set of master keys was lost, the college had to rekey locks in all 80 campus residential buildings. The cost of this was almost $400,000 (yes, you read that number right). Overall, the school had to remove and replace 3,000 lock cores — and that's incredibly expensive. So what is the alternative to rekeying locks and replacing key cores?
Rekeyable Locks
While rekeying locks certainly makes a facility secure, it takes a long time and is expensive. Many businesses, organizations and municipalities simply can't afford it. Thankfully, there is a cheaper and more efficient way to change a lock system: user-rekeyable locks.
The way rekeyable locks work is ingenious. These locks are designed to be changed without needing to be removed from the locking hardware and with just one turn of a key. Through what is called a "step change" method, locks can be changed without professional help or replacing any hardware.
Here's a step-by-step guide of how rekeyable locks work. A professional isn't even needed, which saves you even more money:
- Insert a notched step key into the cylinder. Turn it 180 degrees, which displaces the wafer and renders previous keys useless.
- Turn the key to disengage and capture wafers. This is how the rekeying process is implemented.
- Return the key to its original position to create a modified pin. By removing wafers from different stacks in different chambers, you can change the lock at any level. This essentially gives you the ability to have a seemingly endless amount of ways to construct a key, which makes copying impossible.
- Set the key and let the cylinder reload a new and totally different lock combination.
- Extract the key. You are finished.
After the rekey, the original key holder will not be able to enter the building without their replacement key associated with the rekeyable step change. Which means that old key is useless to a thief or whoever finds it. It's as simple and effective as it sounds.
The benefits of such innovative technology are amazing, as no new hardware is required and you don't have to hire a handyman, which can be pricey. You can improve and update your lock systems very quickly and at a fraction of the cost (in comparison to rekeying locks). Whether you're trying to reduce loss at a clothing store or stop robberies at a school, rekeyable locks can streamline your key control.
On top of all that, with many rekeyable locks, you can be sent new keys very quickly. For example, when you get your locks and keys from InstaKey, you can notify us when your keys are lost or stolen. InstaKey will expedite shipping of new keys to you so that security at your facility doesn't miss a beat.
If you're choosing between rekeying locks and rekeyable locks, the answer should be clear. In the long run, it is much more beneficial to have rekeyable locks protecting your facilities. It gives you the flexibility and cost efficiency you need to maintain secure key control.
When it comes down to it, you don't have to be a victim of theft. The services and new technology exist to help you secure your organization from top to bottom. Our innovative rekeyable lock technology gives you peace of mind and ensures your business or organization is secure 24/7. Llearn more about utilizing rekeyable locks today.
