Key Management: Your Business’ Critical Safety Tool

When you think of security, keys aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. Especially in a world where cybercrime and digital solutions are in the front of our minds at all times. Yet without functional, secure physical key management, your business is at serious risk. Today, the LJ International team looks at key management best practices, and why every business needs a secure key management system.

What Does Key Management Even Mean?

At home, you, your spouse, and maybe older children or a trusted friend are the only people who can access your property through its keys. A thriving business is a different matter! All manner of staff need to access areas of the business throughout the day, including secure or high-risk areas that should be locked up tightly when not in use.

When they’re not in the hands of authorised staff, where are those keys? Do you track how long staff members sit with them in their pockets? Do you know who else has access to them when they’re checked out? That’s the critical part of key management every business needs to know, and so often gets missed.

Maybe you have someone assigned to let keys in and out, but manual tracking quickly becomes a security risk as you have no real control over what’s happening, especially if this isn’t the staff member’s full-time job. A smart key tracking system, on the other hand, is always looking out for your needs.

Benefits of Key Management Systems

A key management system helps you store keys securely, track their usage, and boost efficiency throughout your business. Here’s how:

Secure Storage:

When not in use, your keys are individually secured in a robust, tamper-proof case that ensures the wrong hands can’t reach them. You always know where they are, and that they’re safe.

Accountability:

Staff can withdraw a key set as they need, so they can work efficiently, but the digital parts of your key management system ensure you can audit key use, trace who is using what sets, and ensure other sets aren’t being withdrawn with the needed ones. You always know who has them, and can control user access. This happens in real-time, ensuring you always have the information you need to stay secure.

Access Control

Because of this accountability and traceability, you can rest assured that only authorised people are accessing sensitive parts of the building. Behaviour is being tracked and traced, so you always know what’s going on.

Loss Prevention and Cost Control

With greater accountability comes reduced loss. Keys won’t accidentally go home with a staff member, or simply disappear into the air. This cuts down on the costs for replacing a set- or rekeying a whole area due to key loss.

Efficient Workflows

This also means your staff won’t lose valuable company time trying to hunt for what they need. You always know where to find keys, and who has them if they’re already out. This helps staff work more efficiently, and makes their workday easier- as well as keeping them focused on income-earning activities, not trying to find keys!

A key management system is one of the smartest investments a business can make. Improved workflows, greater accountability, and enhanced security, all with a simple and easy-to-implement process that lets you focus on your key work activities.

Ready to try out a key management system of your own? LJ International is here to help make your workday safer, smarter, and more efficient, so feel free to reach out to our helpful team today.