Security services are a large and varied business offering in today’s security conscious environment. Using a combination of personnel and technology, security service providers offer products ranging from manned security to mobile patrols to monitoring and investigation. To help ensure that services offered are of the highest caliber, and to provide an added layer of assurance, many security service providers use a key control and management system to secure and safeguard keys entrusted to them.

Automated locking key cabinets are ideal for this application for a variety of reasons. First and foremost is the added security that a key control system provides versus a manual storage system. Keys can only be accessed by individuals who have been pre-programmed into the system, and these individuals can only access those keys which they have been authorized to remove. The programming can additionally include time and date restrictions to make sure those individuals do not remove keys when not on duty. Each time a key is removed or returned, a record of the activity is recorded so management will know who took which key and when. The system can even send an email to management if a key is not returned on time.

Another way to ensure the safekeeping of the keys and key cabinet is with the use of a remote box. The remote box enables the key cabinet to be placed into a secure room and requires that a second individual’s PIN be entered and verified in the system in order for an authorized employee to access keys. Or, the system may be configured with a biometric hand reader interface that recognizes hand size and shape and matches the handprint to the template originally stored for that employee ID number. If there is a match, access is granted and the entry is recorded.

The reputation of a security service provider is paramount to their success, and the use of key control and management systems can help assure their name and trustworthiness.