Key Management

The Challenges Businesses Face in Handling Keys

Anyone responsible for key management within a company faces organizational, security-related, and liability challenges:

• Key loss – a security risk when lost keys are not reported or replaced
• Key availability – cannot be guaranteed or tracked with manual, error-prone management using key logs, Excel lists, or simple tools, increasing the risk of longer travel and waiting times
• Lock replacement in case of loss – especially costly for master or grand master keys
• Key-to-object assignment – unclear without traceable, intuitively understandable documentation, leading to increased delays
• Unauthorized handover – risk from employees lending out or copying keys
• Unclear processes – Who is responsible for issuing, returning, or replacing keys?
• Insurance implications – Unclear key management can jeopardize insurance coverage, including when working with external service providers
• Liability issues – When security breaches result from insufficient key control, including when working with external service providers

GreenGate has developed the Key Management module in GS-Service to ensure transparent, traceable, and audit-proof key
management.

• There is one key storage location with key cabinets per site
• Each key is fitted with a key tag featuring an individual barcode
• Keys are created as objects in GS-Service
• Keys are referenced with the building units in GS-Service
• Required system environment: GS-Works

The following features are available for key management:

• Status – shows the current state (e.g. available, checked out)
• Checked out by – records the person who took the key
• Checkout date – documents the date the key was handed over (including checkout time)
• Checked out externally – records the external service provider via free text (e.g. name, company, mobile number)
• Associated key – property stored at the building unit; set via a multi-reference

Task processing in GS-Works

1. Online mode must be activated
2. Material list showing required measuring devices and keys
3. The material list directly shows where the required key is located
4. Scanning the barcode with a smartphone or tablet checks out the key, setting a timestamp and recording the logged-in user
5. The “associated keys” property is available on mobile for the object within the task
6. The task list directly shows which key is required for a given task
7. Upon return, the barcode on the key is scanned first, then the corresponding key cabinet; the system documents the return and releases the key for use again

Advantages for on-call duty

• Creating the fault task automatically loads the relevant object information
• Required keys appear directly in the material list
• It is immediately clear where the keys are located
• If no key is required, there is no need to travel to the key storage location, and the technician can go directly to the customer