As students, faculty and staff head back to school at this time of year, safety and security are fundamental objectives of the school environment. One way to achieve these goals is with managed key control systems and policies.
Asset protection through key management systems addresses crime risk in myriad situations in an educational setting. For instance, with hundreds or even thousands of doors to classrooms, labs and offices, the potential for theft or vandalism can be reduced more easily and economically with a key control system. Likewise, master keys (either mechanical or card-based) can be held more securely in a sophisticated key storage system as opposed to a desk drawer or lock box with a manual tracking log.
Today’s key management solutions are fully integrated access control systems that provide security personnel, police and facilities management with a wealth of information that can be used to manage and improve security throughout the school premises. Under the complete control of school authorities, these computerized key control and management solutions allow authorized users to access keys that are safely stored in the key cabinet, and record the access history of each key, including user, date and time of checkout and return. At any time, school security can view who currently has keys out or who has had keys out and when. And when keys are not returned as scheduled, e-mail alerts can be sent to security management to allow quick action.
In addition to augmenting the safekeeping of keys, new key management technology also delivers an integrated state of the art solution that can be tailored to a school’s needs. Systems such as the SmartKey Locker System can be designed to accommodate larger items such as personal computers, cell phones and other valuable electronic devices, with new cabinets customized and added as required. And with the integration of key management software, school security administrators can control the system and maximize its reporting and programmable access capabilities.
