In any community, campus or facility, keys are typically your greatest point of vulnerability. The better you protect and monitor your keys, the safer your property becomes — and the best way to do that is by establishing some form of key control. That said, choosing a secure key control solution that’s right for the needs of your building or community can be a daunting task. To ease the burden, here are four important questions to ask when evaluating an electronic key control system.

1. Does this system provide a central location for key
check-out and check-in?

The best way to track keys is to store them in one centralized location where employees check them out and return them. Without this feature, keys can get misplaced or stolen simply because no one really knows where they’re supposed to be when not in use. A secure key control solution will include a locked box where keys are stored and checked out. In larger facilities, you might use multiple locations, but those locations should be networked together so you always know which keys are being kept in which box.

2. Does this system offer multi-step secured access?

The more security steps you place into the checkout process, the harder it is for thieves to find a vulnerability and steal keys. If, for example, an employee can simply check out a key by swiping his badge, all it takes for a thief to gain access is by stealing or copying the badge. But if that employee must swipe the badge and type in a code — or better yet, use a fingerprint identification — the risk of theft goes down exponentially. Always look for a system that incorporates multiple steps into the check-out/check-in process.

3. What other hack-proof features does this system offer?

Once an employee gains access to the system, what safeguards are in place to make sure that employee takes only the key assigned to him/her? Barcode tags can mask the identification of keys; so can randomizing the location of the key within the box. Look for these and other hack-proof features in your key control solution to keep employees honest.

4. Does this system provide instant reporting and remote access?

For maximum security, your key control system should be able to generate reports at any time as to where keys are located, who has them, when they have them and why. You should also be able to pull these reports at any time via secure Wi-Fi access. This way, you can quickly identify anomalies and track unusual patterns of behavior before something bad happens.

When you’re ready to choose a secure key control solution for your building, community or campus, HandyTrac is here to help with a variety of options, one of which is perfect for your needs. To learn more, contact us today.