The foundation of any security strategy is keeping high-value possessions under lock and key. In fact, locks and keys are believed to go back as far as the Romans, where valuables were kept in secure chests locked by a key worn as a ring. 

While the concept of a lock and a key is still around today, locks have become digital. 

The most secure locks are now electronic. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at exactly what keyless security is, how it works, and why it’s an important part of your company’s security strategy alongside a verified security alarm.

If you’re a manager of a commercial property, a building, a private office, or even a separate section within an office, there are some aspects of access security you need to know about. One of the most important of which is the front line security system - access control.

This year, Alberta RCMP are suggesting that property owners consider Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). This includes installing fences and locked gates around the property to make it obvious when someone is trying to trespass, installing timed/motion sensor lights to keep your property bright at night and while you are away, and planning your landscaping to deter criminals. For example, keeping trees and shrubs pruned so that they do not make windows easy entry points, and even installing thorny plants that make sneaking around uncomfortable, if not impossible, for criminals.

Security, and keeping possessions under lock and key, goes back thousands of years. A lock found in ancient ruins near Nineveh, is thought to be 4,000 years old. The Romans kept valuables in chests locked by a key worn as a ring. And about 500 years after the Roman empire collapsed, locksmiths in England were making all-metal lock and key systems. Double-acting pin tumbler locks used today, were patented in 1848, so have been used commonly since, for over 160 years.

When an employee misplaces their key to your business, it should never be taken lightly. A lost key not only puts your business at greater risk for trespassing, vandalism, and theft, it can also put your employees at risk if they are at the office when a criminal gains access. 

That's why it's critical that misplaced keys are reported immediately and that access to the affected areas be changed - the longer you wait, the longer you risk that someone will use the key.