The Ultimate Guide to Key Control in the Workplace

Who Needs Key Control?

Make no mistake, key management systems aren’t just for your security department. 

Using a key management system to track key use turns keys into business intelligence assets. Here are some industries this comes especially in handy for:

• Fleet-focused industries 
• Transportation companies
• Airports
• Police departments and jails
• Healthcare 
• Casinos 
• University campuses 
• Data centers
  

Although specific industries benefit more than others from key management systems, key control is crucial for any organization that needs to secure people, assets, or space. 

The bottom line? Key management systems aren’t just for security managers. They impact the security and productivity of the entire business.

What Are the Costs of Poor Key Control?

Direct Costs

The most obvious cost of ineffective key control is the financial hit you take when you lose a master key. In one recent case, lost master keys at a nursing home cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace. In other instances, re-keying facilities cost as much as $500,000. Regardless of the exact figure, sloppy key control can be expensive.

Indirect Costs

Direct costs may grab headlines, but there are many less obvious costs of weak key control. Here are a few:

• Drops in productivity: Has an employee accidentally taken an important key home? Workers who need it can spend hours trying to track it down. Amidst the confusion is a crater of lost productivity.

• Increased risk: The moment a key is lost or stolen, an organization’s risk levels skyrocket. Any equipment, weapon, vehicle, or person that key provides access to is suddenly endangered.
  
  
• Reputational damage: News of lost keys or security breaches can wreck an organization’s name. It could send the message that a campus isn’t safe, a police force is reckless, or a prison is penetrable. The result can easily end up being lost contracts or customers.
  
  

The Hidden ROI of Effective Key Control

Beyond eliminating extra costs, advanced key control systems often deliver some less-known returns on investment (ROI). Here are some hidden returns that come with better key control:

Reduction of Inefficient Uses of Staff Time

If you’re using a manual key management system, you may be missing out on what it’s costing your people in time and effort. Managers need to log usage, check out keys, monitor assets, and identify suspicious trends. Every little manual task adds up to droves of work hours—not to mention the potential human errors—in the long term.

Access to Data Reporting

What’s the value of analysis to your organization? Managers may spend hours poring over key security reports and daily logs, but no matter how detailed those reports are, there’s still a need to quickly pull data together and dissect it. Key management systems have the ability to automate the reporting process and simplify analysis.

Decrease in the Negative Impact of Human Error

It doesn’t matter if keys are accidentally carried home, lost, or stolen, human error can severely damage an organization’s security. Those simple mistakes can lead to stolen assets, vandalism, and halted production.

Key Management in Action for Your Organization 

Wondering what key control looks like in action? Here are some practical cases where key management can give your business an edge:

Keep Track of Contractors 

Temporary and outsourced workers often need temporary access to spaces. Unfortunately, if you’re using a simple key from a hook, it’s hard to hold those rotating workers (like cleaning or maintenance staff) accountable. Key control systems let you log one-time key access, allowing you to track who has access to what. 

Set Curfews to Protect Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals are typically valuable assets, and access to them may be subject to regulation and auditing for compliance. Automating access to these substances makes it simpler to safeguard assets, meet compliance requirements and streamline quality control activities.
 

Collect and Organize Vehicle Fleet Data 

With the right key management systems, you can drastically reduce the cost of fleets. Additionally, you can organize fleet workflows and simplify tasks like scheduling or dispatching. 

Systems let you track fleets and see exactly who has which vehicle. This gives leaders the requisite tools to manage their resources efficiently and effectively. It means you can see if a vehicle is available for a job at a specific time. You can also place time restrictions or even configure vehicle reservations. Additionally, advanced systems empower managers to build custom reports and remotely monitor assets via software—making them a powerful resource for transportation businesses, utility companies, military groups, government organizations, and airports.

Eliminate Manual Processes  

Checking out keys, tracking use, writing reports, and searching for keys takes hours of scratching on a pad or typing in spreadsheets—and these processes are riddled with human error time bombs waiting to go off. Key control systems solve both problems by tracking access and recording audit trails automatically. 

Keep Keys from Leaving a Location 

We all know the disasters that accidentally wandering off location with a key can cause. Key exit systems prevent this by letting administrators actively follow a key’s path and by sending real-time alerts when a key moves off the property.

Secure Campuses 

Campuses call for secure learning environments. Key management systems restrict access to dangerous assets such as on-campus weapons, they reduce the loss of valuable items, and they lock down the safety of students, faculty, and staff.

Monitor Jails and Casinos

In addition to securing valuable assets like weapons and slot machines, key management systems can give casinos and jails a clear audit trail by tracking every access point and every physical key. Casino staff and police personnel have automated access to security reports.

Tips for Setting Up Key Control Procedures

1. Determine Gaps 

Start by determining where your organization is vulnerable. A good approach to begin is asking these questions:

• How many keys does my organization have? Your organization should be able to account for all keys at all times.
• Who has access to company keys? Remember, anyone with access to keys has access to valuable assets. If you don’t have a handle on where keys are at all times, you may need to tighten up key control. 
• Can key holders make copies? If someone can visit a local hardware store and replicate keys, you have serious holes in security. 
  
  

2. Set Up Facility Keys 

Once you’ve identified security weak spots, you’ll want to set up facility keys that address those needs. Before distributing keys, make sure you’ve built out a new keying chart that lays out who should have access to what.

3. Create Key Holder Agreements 

Once you have key control systems in place, it’s important to set up key holder agreements. These documents set rules, lay out expectations, and provide instructions for key holders. 

4. Conduct Training 

When agreements are clearly laid out, it’s time for training. Make sure to answer these questions in your training sessions:

• How do I use the new system?
• Are there security best practices to follow?
• What are the company’s highest safety priorities?
• What should I do if I lose a key?
• Who should I contact if I need access to a restricted area?
  
  

5. Continue to Monitor, Measure, and Improve 

Security requires vigilance, and key control systems make it easy to audit key usage and analyze reports. That information has a cascading effect. The more information you gather, the more you can analyze that safety data, adjust based on what you learn, and improve security.

Final Questions to Ask Your Vendor

After documenting your own needs, don’t forget to ask these key questions about the vendor’s credentials and post-sale service:

• Do you have references?
• What are the ongoing costs after initial purchase? 
• What are the details of your service-level agreement?
• What warranty options do you offer?
• Can I buy an extended warranty? What’s the cost?