Your Essential Guide to a Year-End Key Control Review

As we approach the end of the year, it's an ideal time to review your business’s key control practices. What worked well in 2023? What needs to change in 2024? Whether you’ve been a KeyTrak customer for a while or you’re still using a physical key log, our year-end checklist will help you plan an effective key control strategy for the coming year.

1. Perform a Key Control Audit

Key control audits are an important part of a key control strategy. Fortunately, electronic key control systems make this process more manageable. Any audit should account for not only keys but also the people who use them.

Identify and Address Missing Keys

A thorough audit of your key inventory is the first step in fortifying your key security. Identify any missing or unaccounted-for keys, and take prompt action to locate or replace them.

Ensure Employees Have the Appropriate Permissions

Review and update employee access permissions to align with their current roles and responsibilities. If employees no longer require key privileges, revoke their access and collect any keys they still have in their possession.

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2. Reflect on Key Security Performance

Evaluating strengths and weaknesses in your key control strategies helps you improve your organization’s security posture.

Celebrate Successes

Consider what key security practices worked well. For example, were there any incidents where your key control log helped absolve you of liability? Did the number of lost keys go down? Build upon those successes to strengthen your security foundation.

Identify Areas for Improvement

Explore challenges you faced in key your security practices to better understand and strengthen your security posture. For instance, did employees have access to keys that weren’t necessary for their jobs? Were there situations where a delayed response to overdue keys posed security risks? Evaluate any security incidents related to key management so you can refine your response strategy.

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3. Identify Key Security Goals and Priorities

Once you’ve reflected on opportunities for improving your key security, establish clear goals for the upcoming year. Your priorities will vary, but the items below might give you some ideas.

Replace Manual Processes With Technology

If you still have manual key control processes anywhere in your organization, implement electronic key control technology to reduce the risk of human error. Even if you already have a key control system, consider how you can take advantage of your system’s features to streamline your key security practices.

             
Secure Spare Keys

Securing spare keys is essential for comprehensive key control. Unaccounted-for spare keys, such as backups for smart locks or valet keys for vehicles, introduce vulnerabilities. To enhance security, run a thorough report of keys, compile a list of keys with spares, and add those duplicate keys to your key control system.

Set Up Automatic Reports and Alerts

If you haven’t already, set up automatic reports to be emailed to relevant people to ensure someone is regularly reviewing key activity. Also, make sure you have security alerts enabled so you can quickly respond to overdue keys, open drawers, and more.

TIP: If you have a KeyTrak Edge system and you’re concerned about being inundated with alerts, enable escalating email alerts. The alert will go to the responsible user first, followed by the manager if the user doesn’t resolve the issue within a specific amount of time.  

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4. Include Key Control in Your Employee Security Training Program

Consistent training is crucial for fostering a culture of security within your organization. To enhance your overall security posture, emphasize key control policies in your training program. Providing key control training ensures that employees understand and follow protocols related to key access, retrieval, and secure storage.

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5. Optimize Your Key Control System

As your business evolves, so do your key control requirements. To enhance your business’s security and efficiency, look into system upgrades that align with your needs.

Update Your Software

To ensure your key security measures are as effective as possible, it’s important to stay current with the latest software advancements. Regularly check and update your system software to the latest version.

Upgrade Your Hardware

If you have an older key control system, consider upgrading your system for added security, ease of use, and efficiency.

Add Additional Key Capacity

Whether your business is growing or you’ve identified additional keys you need to secure (such as spare keys), you can add additional drawers, panels, or even entire systems to increase key capacity. Be sure to plan for future growth.

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As we enter a new year, use this guide to learn from the past, strengthen your key control measures, and strategically prepare for the future.