Intelligent Key Management with Traka and FM Innovations

Giving access to buildings, facilities, secure areas, equipment, machinery, lockers, cabinets and vehicles; keys are one of your organisation's most important assets.

On a conventional site, any attempt to manage keys usually relies on a book in which cursory details of keys taken and returned are entered by hand and confirmed by an illegible signature - an arrangement that is inefficient, unreliable and makes tracing keys an almost impossible task.

FM Innovations has been working with Traka and Secure Edge to integrate their intelligent key management cabinets with our Vehicle and Fleet Management Software for some of our tertiary education providers. We look forward to a long and beneficial partnership with Traka and Secure Edge as we seek to improve, simplify and streamline our clients business processes for managing their assets. As the Traka key cabinets can be used for vehicle keys, room keys, equipment keys and any other key you can think of, they are ideal to integrate with FM Innovation's WSMenterprise suite.

So does your organisation have an issue with managing keys? What are the implications of keys being lost?

Downtime and lost productivity, as well as the replacement costs and administration time are just some of the overheads that would likely be incurred. Together, Traka and WSMenterprise offer Electronic Key Management solutions that will control who can gain access to keys, restrict individual key usage to authorised users, provide a full audit of key activity and generate numerous easy to use reports based on user information logged at the time of taking or returning keys.

Why key management?

It's a question often asked - but like so many things in life, unless you try it, you won't know! Here are just a few reasons why customers turned to Traka for improving their key control...

• Keys are only available to authorised staff
• Keys are always available 24/7 without the need for security (or management) supervision
• Reduced risk and greater compliance - staff can't access assets they are not permitted (or qualified) to use.
• Minimised downtime, lost productivity or inconvenience as the user of a key can always be identified quickly
• Greater accountability and a higher level of ownership amongst your staff, resulting in fewer losses and less damage
• Fewer security implications because keys are rarely lost
• Less expenditure on replacing missing or lost keys
• Reduced administration time spent in checking records, preparing for an audit or coping with security breaches

Turn your conventional keys into clever keys

At the heart of the system is the Traka iFob. These bullet shaped devices contain a chip which provides a unique electronic ID. Once attached to an iFob, individual keys or keysets are effectively electronically tagged. Keys are permanently attached to an iFob with a robust security seal. Each iFob is then assigned a specific port within a Traka key cabinet and locked in place until released by an authorised user.

Managing conventional keys

The problem with conventional keys is that they are hard to manage and track - at best they will be behind a security desk where staff will issue them, making notes and collecting signatures (many quite illegible). But often, in less security minded complexes, they will be in a managers cupboard, left hanging on hooks or even locked in a desk drawer. Who controls who can get access to these keys - and, more importantly, the buildings, facilities, equipment, confidential paperwork or vehicles that they give access to?

'Clever keys' vs conventional keys

Traka's solution is simple. Keys, or keysets, are permanently attached using a tamper proof security seal to a metal iFob. The iFob is an extremely strong nickel plated brass cylinder, which contains an electronic chip, giving it a unique identity. Thus, the keys are effectively electronically tagged. The iFob, with keys attached, locks into a receptor strip within the key cabinet until released by an authorised user.

Two immediate benefits:

• Keys no longer need to be labelled - so if they get dropped or lost, there is no immediate identity issue and security risks are minimised.
• Keys are available 24/7 but to authorised staff only - so there is no issue about leaving keys unattended should the manager be off-duty or away on holiday.

Restricting access to authorised users

Once the appropriate user profiles and key details have been entered into the system, Traka ensures that only authorised users are allowed access to the key cabinet – and only then to designated keys. The system automatically records when a key is used and by whom on a central database. And this information is available via the cabinet’s data display or on the administrator’s PC.

Controlling access times

Providing enhanced control and security, the times at which keys are available to specific staff can be defined using FM Innovation's integrated management software. Entry to particular rooms – and the use of certain facilities – by cleaners or service staff, for example, can be restricted to certain times of the day, to fit with shift patterns. Alternatively, a ‘key curfew’ can be applied, setting the time by which a key must be returned.  In addition, keys can be booked in advance ensuring, for example, that a particular room or vehicle is reserved for an important function.

Recording user information

An asset's last user can be a useful source of information. When an iFob is returned to its key cabinet, the user can be requested to record details such as mileage and parking bay, and/or report any faults or repairs that may be needed. Where a serious fault is reported the relevant keys can be ‘locked-down’ immediately, so they are unavailable to anyone other than a service engineer. All of these details can be stored in FM Innovations' Vehicle Management software and easily extracted into reports.

In-depth management information

Allowing long term records to be held and continuously updated, FM Innovations' Vehicle Management software will ensure you’re able to monitor and record key usage, and compile a comprehensive range of management information, enabling you to:

• Check when a key is taken and returned, and by whom
• Identify keys that have not been returned once an allocated period of time has elapsed
• Determine how often particular keys are used, and for exactly how long
• Notify a line manager or supervisor by email or SMS text of an alert situation

With Traka there’s no more argument about who has damaged a vehicle, received a speeding fine, accessed a secure area or misplaced a piece of important equipment – all the information you need is on file.

Using the system

Employees request access to the key cabinet by using a PIN code, magnetic ID card, proximity token or by biometrics fingerprint recognition. If the request is valid, the cabinet door will open, and the keys permitted for use by that user will be illuminated. By pressing the release button next to a permitted key, it will be released and the transaction written to system memory - who, which key and, at what time.

To return the key, the holder must again secure admission to the cabinet and then replace the iFob in its designated position. If this is not done, the system will prompt the user to move the iFob to its correct position. All information is again logged - and if any key is returned by a user who is different to the person who took it, it is immediately flagged-up as a warning.

Local or remote

Multiple key management cabinets can be controlled from the same administrators PC - you may have several cabinets in one building, or many cabinets networked together from a number of remote sites. Knowing who has a key at any instant in time is easy - either check using the real time software or simply go to the cabinet and enquire at the on-line data display.

To learn more about how Intelligent Key Management integrated with FM Innovations' WSMenterprise software can improve your business processes contact us.

In Australia the Traka key management systems are supplied by Secure Edge Technologies. For more information on the system please click here.

To view an easy to follow video of the key management process please click here.