Collin Sharp, Regional Sales Manager at Traka delves into how key management can provide school and education administrators with peace of mind.

Technology has reshaped the education industry in much the same way as it has in for-profit businesses, however one area where school administrators continue to allocate more human and financial capital is in campus security and safety.

Safeguarding children and young adults while on campus has become a top priority for educators in the wake of multiple, horrific shootings during the past years. Research firm Omdia estimates that spending on educational security topped $3 billion in 2021 and is forecasted to increase 8% annually through 2026.

There has been a concerted push to extend safety investments beyond emergency response planning and training. One aspect of campus security that administrators and facility decision-makers are pouring additional resources into is key management. That is because most people often overlook the fact that a physical key can be a potential vulnerability. Single keys and entire keysets can easily get lost, which can put the school and students at significant risk.

As the recognized global leader in intelligent management solutions for keys and equipment, Traka works closely with all types of organizations, including education groups, to help them better control important assets by improving productivity and accountability and reducing risk in critical processes.

Our proven key management solutions provide educators and school administrators with total visibility and control of keys to better protect students and staff and the school’s assets, including physical assets such as vehicles, machinery, equipment and electronics.

Most education leaders will say their schools have adequate systems or security measures in place, but they acknowledge that more needs to be done. One big hurdle is that many schools are hesitant to change because of the time required to replace their antiquated key management systems.

If your school is considering an upgrade to its key management program, here are four ways Traka’s cutting-edge key management technology and solutions better protect your students and provide an attractive return on investment.

Enhanced operating efficiencies and accountability

Educators and administrators are always searching for ways to improve safety, but the simple truth is that school budgets are constantly under pressure. Every dollar counts and every institution is searching for cost-effective solutions that fit into a tight budget – but do not compromise student safety and security.

One higher education institution that sought Traka’s help is Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) in Danbury, Connecticut. Administrators wanted to enhance campus-wide safety and better manage about 6,500 keys, 1,026 related items and more than 2,300 users.

To achieve that goal, Traka installed 30 cabinets across WCSU’s two campuses to allow security administrators to track all master keys used by faculty, staff, students, administrators, contractors, affiliates, law enforcement and others who may need access. The university can now easily monitor usage and manage user rights, access and administration for keys and equipment instantly from the office or remotely through a smartphone or tablet.

Traka’s platform saves WCSU university considerable time and labor costs because locksmiths can now program key boxes from anywhere on campus instead of having to drive to a specific location. Just as important, Traka’s traffic box key system helps WCSU mitigate the risk – and avoid the cost – of having to re-key an entire building if a key is lost. Re-keying can cost between $20,000 and $50,000 and can sometimes reach $100,000 at large public universities.

Simplified vendor management

Higher education and K-12 schools do business with a large number of vendors to deliver services for their students. Oftentimes, oversight of all those contracts is disorganized. It is common, for example, for a school to work with multiple key management vendors, including small businesses with limited financial resources.

By unifying key management under one provider, facilities managers have complete, one-stop shop visibility into key usage. Instead of reviewing daily reports from multiple vendors, schools receive one daily audit report that is automatically generated and emailed to the university’s system administrator to report on activity and account for all master keys.

Having only one key management vendor also mitigates another risk: the threat of ransomware hackers breaching third-party vendor networks. With our platform, schools can feel comfortable that their key management system is being protected by Traka’s superior cybersecurity technology and protocols.

Improved campus security and safety

When it comes to protecting the safety of children and young adults, what often springs to mind are images of security guards patrolling campuses or schools conducting active shooter drills. Some schools are taking that a step further, including one of the largest private universities in the US.

Rochester Institute for Technology (RIT) in New York, with an enrollment of 19,700, was searching for a better way to protect their students, teachers and support staff on campus and improve access for their security officers’ most vital equipment: their firearms. Traka’s solution: creating customized key lockers to store and track firearms.

When a security officer checks out a weapon, they are required to return it within a set period of time. Supervisors receive an alert through Traka’s system if the firearm is not returned on time. The system also allows an officer to report a critical fault with the weapon, which will restrict that weapon from being checked out until the fault is corrected. The lockers can also be opened remotely by authorized personnel in case of an emergency.

The technology can easily be tailored for medical emergencies. Schools and universities can spread keys and equipment cabinets around campus, so staff and emergency services can access the keys when and where they need them, not from a central office.

Better fleet management and utilization

The cost of maintaining a fleet of vehicles can often be a sizable line item in the facilities and transportation budgets at large K-12 school districts and universities. Every unnecessary dollar spent maintaining and repairing cars, trucks, vans and related vehicles means less money that can be spent to provide students with a better education and learning environment.

Traka’s intelligent key solutions can help schools and universities reduce transportation costs and maximize the use of fleet assets, by rotating usage so there is even wear and tear of vehicles. It can also ensure that only authorized users have access to school or university vehicles.

One school district using Traka’s solution found that it was using only about 80 of the 100 vehicles it owned. The school was able to sell the unused vehicles and realize considerable savings (less money spent on insurance and annual maintenance costs) on its remaining fleet.

Traka’s platform can serve as an early-warning system to help schools avoid costly vehicle repairs. The technology can be customized so each driver, when returning a vehicle, is required to enter any mechanical issues into a maintenance log. The software system then alerts staff mechanics who make repairs before the problem causes further damage to the vehicle.

The digital transformation impacting the education industry is in full swing, but in some areas educators are still playing catch-up. Today’s intelligent key cabinets can provide schools with practical, easy-to-use solutions to ensure only the right people at the right time can access keys so educators and administrators can spend more time serving and protecting what matters most: their students.

About the author

A vital member of Traka‘s account management team for the past eight years, Collin Sharp has been delivering innovative technology solutions to the education industry since 2004. Located in Texas, Collin is responsible for helping schools from universities and college campuses to K-12 institutions secure, manage and audit the physical keys and shared equipment that keeps facilities safe and operational.

This article was originally published in the June edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.