Not so very long ago, smart key management referred to hanging your keys with labels from nails on the wall, as opposed to just throwing them randomly into a drawer. However, what we consider to be “smart” is always relative to what came before, and nowadays, smart key management solutions have surpassed hooks on the wall.
With the increasing viability of compact, digital tracking solutions and reliable access control technologies, the latest generation of smart key management is definitely something to keep an eye on. Let’s take a closer look.
Digital Key Cabinets
The most obvious development in smart key management has been the introduction of digital key cabinets from suppliers like Traka. These are essentially lockable cabinets where each individual key can also be locked to its peg, and where each key needs to be taken out individually.
Each employee can have their own access code or card, which means that it’s easy to trace exactly who takes a key out and when. All of this data can be automatically uploaded to a centralised cloud storage location, making it accessible for all those who may need it.
Benefits Of These Kinds Of Solutions
If you just see the price tag and nothing else, it may be difficult to decide whether these kinds of approaches are actually worth it. Seeing the benefits makes the investment seem a lot more reasonable.
Efficiency
Smart key management systems are incredibly efficient, especially compared to their predecessors. No one has to open a book every time a key is taken out and manually log who has it, and in the case that an incident were to occur, it’s easy to trace who is responsible.
This can result in a substantial reduction in a lot of people’s workloads, making life easier all around.
Compliance
In some industries, showing that you have proper control over who accesses certain areas and items can be a core requirement of regulatory compliance. These solutions essentially automate this process, making it much easier to show external assessors that you’re doing things by the book.
Retaining Responsibility
It’s easy when you implement these kinds of seemingly magic solutions to just think that the tool will do all the work for you. Unfortunately, even the most advanced key management solution still needs to be used and set up properly, which means that there still has to be a level of responsibility that’s retained by the people working in your organisation.
Make sure that everyone is clear on who keeps the system running smoothly, and that people know who to go to for assistance. Human operators will likely remain the weak link, and it’s important to do what you can to safeguard against these kinds of situations of complacency.
Smart key management can be an important investment for all kinds of businesses, and we now have more solutions available to us than ever before. By looking at your operational requirements and then finding a solution that meets those needs as closely as possible, you should be able to save time while also increasing the security of your business.