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.
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.
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.
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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Stop Losing Keys: The 10-Second Key Control Audit |
Evaluating strengths and weaknesses in your key control strategies helps you improve your organization’s security posture.
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.
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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How to Make Your Security Measures More Effective What Happens When You Don't Have Accurate Key Control Records |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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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.
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.
If you have an older key control system, consider upgrading your system for added security, ease of use, and efficiency.
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.