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If your business relies on traditional keys to lock your facility (or anything within it, such as records or machinery), you might think that your security rests on the strength of your locks. However, the truth is that your business is only as secure as your keys are kept.
There’s a better way to protect your facility. Card access control or commercial key fob door entry systems have features that can enhance security and save time—and you might be wondering if a key fob system is right for your business. To help you decide, let’s look at the risks inherent in traditional keyed systems.
Traditional Keys are Easy to Lose & Misuse
Traditional keys are one of the most frequently lost items—and a growing list of daily distractions isn’t helping matters. But when your business keys go missing, it’s more than just an inconvenience. Suddenly, you’re overwhelmed by anxiety, knowing that your business is at risk—and likely, you’re now wishing you’d switched to a key fob entry system months ago.
Unfortunately, it gets worse. If that key falls into the wrong hands—those of an ill-intentioned employee, customer, or vendor—what do they have access to? If the key holder returns after-hours, are your assets, equipment, vehicles, data and customer files, or intellectual property vulnerable?
In these scenarios, traditional keys offer little to no protection. Whenever a key is lost, temporarily misplaced, or simply loaned to an employee, there’s a possibility that it may be compromised. The key can be copied quickly and easily at a nearby big box store and returned before you even notice that it went missing, with no signs that someone now has unfettered access to everything you keep locked up.
Depending on your facility and the number of staff you employ, your business may have hundreds or even thousands of keys, and in most cases, it’s not feasible to re-key a lock each time a key is lost. One missing key can easily go under the radar—but can have big repercussions for your business.
Traditional Key Management is Difficult
Even if your company has few employees and tightly restricted access, keys can still be difficult to keep track of, to keep organized, and to keep securely stored. Consider:
- Do you keep records of when keys were duplicated, when they were assigned to an employee, and when they were returned?
- Do you keep track of which employees have which keys?
- Do you regularly audit these records to ensure that each employee has only the access that is required for their duties?
- Are you always able to retrieve keys from employees who have quit or been fired?
- Are all master keys (as well as spares and copies) kept in an organized storage cabinet with restricted access?
If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” then it’s probably time to consider switching to a key fob system. Businesses of all sizes and across all industries use these electronic systems to streamline access control and improve their security, documentation, and compliance.
Advantages of Commercial Key Fob Door Entry Systems
Today, it’s widely known that key fob entry systems are a better option for businesses than traditional keys—but it still might surprise you to learn just how much a key fob system can do.
With an electronic access control system, you can create multiple levels of access to control who can access your facility, and which areas within it, no matter how many locked areas your business has. Then, you can grant, restrict, and revoke access for employees as needed. That means you’ll never need to worry about a lost or stolen key—simply disable access for it, and create a replacement key if needed.
You can even require two individuals to present their card or fob in order to gain access to the room, area or data. Access Control can also assist in the management of staff in restricted areas, requiring supervisor-level access be presented prior to allowing any lower-level access to the facility.
Key fob entry systems can also:
- Allow you to lock or unlock the facility anytime, even remotely
- Monitor employee attendance and activity
- Integrate with video surveillance and building management systems
- Send alerts if a key attempts to open a restricted-access door, or if access is attempted after-hours
Ready to save time and gain peace of mind? Reach out to ISG to discuss your commercial access control needs. We can offer an assessment of your current system, help you implement more secure technology, or custom-design an all-in-one installation.