Over time, business management is typically occupied with matters relating to maintenance and sustainability — hiring new employees, moving to larger premises, developing new business opportunities and so on. A strategic physical security plan – one which includes a key control and management solution – makes it easier to implement necessary changes and improvements.

A key control and management operational plan includes identification of all locking units and keys in the facility; operational needs of the staff; and an audit trail of user access. With this comprehensive plan in place, key control can be more readily upgraded or adjusted to meet new situations and help maintain the safety and security of a facility.

Automated key control and management systems play a critical role in a key control solution because they help eliminate vulnerability. Keys are stored in a locked key cabinet and can only be accessed by authorized users. Key control systems can be custom designed to fit almost any requirement and can be easily added to as needs grow. The key cabinets can be located anywhere they are needed and offer user convenience features such as the ability to return keys to any key cabinet and step by step instructions. Key control software enables management to easily accommodate the operational needs of the staff or quickly make changes as employees leave or join the organization.

Key control systems also help to reduce the costs that are associated with lost keys or unmanaged access because the automated system provides an audit trail of who accessed any key and when it was taken/returned. Key control and accountability is assured even if employees hand keys to one another without returning them to the cabinet, because the key control system will note that the key was not returned or that it was returned by a different user.

Ultimately, improving key control to keep pace with organizational changes and growth is more easily achieved with an automated key control and management system, supported by a key control policy.