21 Mar Remote key management: The overlooked but crucial part of your hybrid work strategy

The pandemic pushed us to adapt to remote work in record time. As we get back into the rhythm of office life, many organizations are shifting to a hybrid model – that is, working from home on some days and on-site on others.

With so much to consider in the shift to hybrid work, one thing organizations could overlook (but shouldn’t!) is their key management.

Read on to find out how you can manage your workplace’s keys remotely – and why you need to be doing it.

Remote key management = better key management

We’ve written before about the perils of poor key control:

• Sloppy key processes (or a complete lack of them)
• Time and money wasted searching for and replacing keys
• A reliance on manual recordkeeping

If any of these issues sound familiar, it’s because they’re all hallmarks of chaotic key management.

If your organization wants to implement a hybrid work model, you’ll need to find ways to keep tabs on all those keys from home.

If you haven’t thought about that, don’t worry. The switch to hybrid work presents a big opportunity for you to get on top of your keys once and for all.

There’s key management technology available that can simplify and streamline all the processes surrounding your keys. And that same technology will let you manage your workplace’s keys at any time – from wherever you are in the world.

Don’t succumb to the pitfalls of poor key control – particularly when the alternative is so clever and convenient.

But what is a remote key management system, exactly? And how does it work?

What does remote key management look like?

In a word? Simple.

Facilities managers have traditionally needed to hand keys to contractors and cleaners in person before they can start their work.

That meant manually monitoring their keys at all times, hunting them down if they disappear and, of course, being on-site to hand them over. It’s a scattered and time-consuming affair.

But using a remote key management solution allows you to monitor your keys from one user-friendly dashboard – which you can log in to from anywhere.

Let’s take Torus as an example.

You can install Torus key cabinets strategically, in any building across your workplace, so they’re easy to access.

Each of those cabinets will secure a certain number of keys, which you can assign to their respective rooms and areas. With just a few taps, you can allocate permissions for those keys to the people who need them.

If a contractor is coming on-site to carry out a job, Torus will send them a secure PIN they can use to access the cabinet and their designated keys.

You’ll know if they haven’t returned these keys in their allotted timeframe, because the Torus dashboard will tell you. And Torus will also send SMS reminders to anyone carrying keys.

All you need is the dashboard – and all your contractors need is the cabinet.

What are the benefits of remote key management?

Well, one obvious perk is being able to manage your keys from your lounge room.

But in the big picture, there are plenty of ways remote key management can benefit your organization:

• Reduced travel time (and travel costs). Using a remote solution, you can reduce the travel time necessary for contractors and employees. Instead of having them collect keys from a central location and travel to another, you can have cabinets with a set of keys stationed on the sites they’re needed.
• Heightened efficiency. With authorized users able to access keys when they need them, and no need to search for them if they’re not where they should be, you can scale up your efficiency to an all-time high.
• Sky-high return on investment. Remote key management lets you slash costs by minimizing key and lock replacement.
• Strengthened risk management. Because remote solutions like Torus integrate with identity and access control systems, they’re a balm for risk managers. You can remove permissions when you need to, and quickly spot policy violations from a single, user-friendly platform.
• A happier IT team. By using a secure cloud-based solution – which doesn’t require servers or ongoing maintenance – you’ll free up your IT team to focus on more complex tasks.

And that’s just to name a few.

Ready to give your remote key management strategy some serious thought?