Although many people do not know it, our company started out as a locksmith shop over 30 years ago. Over time, our focus has eveolved to include other areas of both electronic and mechanical security. However, we still have our roots in providing expert door security. With this background, we place a premium on this important area of security. We consider effective door security to be the cornerstone of any complete security plan. This rings especially true when working with our commercial customers. These applications must provide security against both “outside” threats related to burglars and vandals as well as “inside” threats posed by employees. In this post, we provide commercial door security options that accomplish both of these goals.
First, we will start with a focus on electronic commercial door security. The options discussed here represent advanced, technologically sound door security ideas for your property. From there, we will look at the mechanical side of commerical lock hardware. For starters, creating this type of security requires choosing the right hardware to secure your building. Then, we’ll show you how a creative master key system can add the door security you need for your business. Now, let’s dive in with a quick primer on electronic commercial door security!
Electronic Commercial Door Security Options
Adding an electronic element to help secure your most important doors can help in a couple ways. For starters, electronic locks can provide extra security. In addition to sturdy construction, these locks also provide key-free entry to your building. This helps with key security, which in turn creates more overall door security. Furthermore, some of this equipment also provides the ability to track usage. Therefore, if someone comes in during non-business hours and takes something, you can often figure out exactly what happened. In this section, we’ll discuss a couple types of electronic commercial door security options that offer these features. Let’s start with a look at adding keypad locks to your property’s most important doors.
Some keypad locks, such as this model by Trilogy, allow you to track who enters certain doors, and when.
Keypad Locks
Keypad locks allow for users to enter a code, rather than use a key, to unlock a door. Business owners install these locks on both interior and exterior doors that deserve extra security. This helps keep customers and lower-level employees from entering areas of your business that they should not have access to. It also adds convenience and security. Using keypad locks allows management to walk around the building without keys. Furthermore, these locks often include the ability to track door activity. If you assign your employees different keypad codes, you can often plug a computer into your lock to see who’s unlocked your door, and when. This combination of security, convenience, and employee tracking make keypad locks exteremely popular. Next, let’s take a look at a security measure that takes these concepts even further!
Access Control Systems
Over the past several years, access control systems have gotten increasingly popular. This security measure involves using advanced lock equipment to control access to your property. Access control systems utilize electronic locking hardware to operate specific doors within a business. Rather than using a key at these doors, users approach a keypad or a credential reader and present either a code or a physical credential such as a card or fob. Users who present an approved credential will then be able to open the door after the reader interacts with the door’s electronics to unlock it. Business owners can allow each credential to open only certain doors at specific times, giving them tremendous control over who can open which doors, and when.
In addition to controlling access to certain doors, access control systems include software that tracks access as well! Every time an employee approaches an access door, it creates a time-stamped event that you can view on a computer by logging in to your access control system. This allows you to easily track employee activity within your business. Furthermore, it allows you to see if anyone tries to enter doors in your business that they should not attempt to enter.
For example, if an employee without the necessary permission attempts to use their credentials to enter a secure room, the system will both deny access and “flag” this event. At that point, you will know which employee attempted this breach. The security and flexibility offered by these systems makes them an extremely valuable piece of any commercial security plan. At this point, let’s turn our attention to some mechanical commercial door security options!
Keys that provide key control. such as those that work with Medeco locks, help you track and limit access to keys.
Mechanical Commercial Security Measures
Mechanical locks remain the backbone of almost any property’s door security. For this reason, we make a few recommendations to all of our commercial lock customers. In this section, we explain how you can add important door security by following a couple steps. First and foremost, making sure to install the best locks available can help secure your doors against even the smartest burglars. From there, designing an efficient master key system can add security and convenience for workers on your property. Let’s get started with a description of the types of locks you should install at your own business.
High-Quality Locks and Keys
Now, let’s take a look at how creating a master key system can create superior mechanical business security. The level of familiarity that people have with key-operated door hardware often makes customers assume that all locks are, by and large, created equal. However, this represents a very inaccurate assumption. The highest quality commercial locks — such as our preferred Medeco products — offer tremendous security against several burglar-related threats. These locks offer a structure built to thwart picking, drilling, and blunt force attacks.
Additionally, using top-of-the-line lock hardware often involves the use of patented keyways and key control systems. When locksmiths set up an account with a select few top lock companies, such as Medeco, they receive the ability to receive proprietary locks that can only be opened with keys created by that locksmith. This adds superior key control, as Medeco customers cannot go to another locksmith to try to work around their location’s key copy list. Our key control customers create a list of individuals authorized to receive a copy of a key. When customers stop in for a copy of a secure key, we have to match their ID to the location’s list of authorized key copiers. If the individuals are not on the list, we cannot create a key for them.
In addition to only creating keys for authorized personnel, we also track how many keys we make and who we give them to. This makes it easy for you to keep total control over all of your propety’s keys. Now, let’s take a look at another way that you can use mechanical locking hardware to add security to any commercial property. Next up, we explain the value of a well-crafted master key system.
Master Key Systems
When we design a key system for our commercial customers, we must do so with both security and convenience in mind. Creating an effective master key system allows us to achieve both. One of the biggest benefits of a master key system lies in the ability to minimize the number of keys needed to operate all of a property’s doors. We do this by creating keys that we place on different “levels.”
The “master” key sits atop this pyramid, and master keys can open any doors on site. We can also create keys that unlock only certain “sets” of doors. For example, we can provide employees with a key that works your property’s main entrance as well as their office and any common areas they must access. From there, we can also create keys that only unlock one door. You can then provide these keys, known as “user” keys, to contractors or others who may need access to a very specific area of your property. For example, you may provide a mail service with a key that only provides access to your lobby.
Master key systems allow you to control access to sensitive areas of your business while also maintaining impressive effeiciency with key creation.
These systems allow you to provide the proper amount of access to every individual who receives a key. Additionally, they also allow you to give maintenance workers and management just one key to access any area of your property. For these reasons, master key systems represent an important component of any business security plan. For more information, check out our post on Creating an Effective Master Key System!
Putting it All Together
We hope that this post helps you determine what commercial door security options provide the best fit for you. Furthermore, we encouarge you to contact us with any questions you may have about the material in this post. We will happily provide support while you create a plan that secures your own business. Moreover, we encourage you to take advantage of our free site survey program. We offer free walkthroughs and quotes to both new and existing customers alike. During our visit, we can work out a way to address any security concerns you have. Additionally, we can make our own recommendations based on observations made while onsite. Together, we can create a complete door security plan to keep your property, and everyone on it, as safe and secure as possible.