The role of the security professional has changed considerably over the past decade, with more focus on both mitigating threats and attacks as well as on the business needs of the organization. An added wrinkle to this expanded role is the threat from inside the organization from rogue/former employees, unscrupulous contractors who have authorized access and even unintentional security breaches by well-meaning or careless staff. These threats from within are often the most costly and dangerous.
Many aspects of the insider threat can be mitigated with investment in tools such as key inventory systems that monitor and control the use of facility keys. Keys are held in a tamper-proof cabinet and access to the cabinets and to individual keys is controlled at all times, with every key being accounted for. All access activity is automatically recorded and email or text messages are sent to alert management of irregularities such as overdue keys. When networked, a firewall and AES256 encryption technology for data exchanged between the cabinet and the server help protect the system and the organization’s assets.
These and other features of the key inventory system help management in identifying unusual activities that may indicate an insider threat. For instance, the system records when an employee attempts to access a key they are not authorized to use or when a key is returned by an employee other than the one who took it out. These activities are risk indicators that a key management system can identify and, when combined with data from the various other security and surveillance systems, the information can be analyzed and conclusions drawn so that necessary actions can be taken to prevent future threats.
Key inventory systems can play a valuable role in ensuring the safety and security of an organization’s assets and effectively supplement an internal threat control program. Contact one of our experts today for more information on how key inventory systems can benefit your business.
