Physical Key auditing software

[leegcvcc]

Afternoon, well, evening now.

 

Apparently we need to track who has keys issued them as part of the site audit each year. I created a key issue database in Access, which is actually ok and does the job.

 

So, when someone tells me a key has been issued, I log the physical key to a user, then every year I print all of their keys they've been issued on a form, excluding returned keys, and this form gets put in Staff pigeon holes to amend/remove/add which keys they now have, then sign it and then back to muggins here to update the database for that year, then file all the returned forms ina file.

 

Obviously I'd rather not do that and would love to just send an email to them, where they accept what they have via a portal and no forms are involved. I use SNIPE for assets and thought about that, but the only thing it doesn't do is send out Asset emails in bulk, so I'd have to go through each user and email their assets. Plus they write some useful info on the forms which they couldn't do via SNIPE, so maybe it won't do. It's a hell of a set up, so keen to look at better options.

 

What do others do? I am told it is really important, yet some of SLT seem to disregard the importance when it's their forms!

 

Appreciate any help.

[Roberto]

What do others do?

 

Switch to keyless entry systems such as Salto.

[jthompson]

I don't know that we do anything like that. If we do, it'll be the site team doing it.

 

Off the top of my head, moving that info from Access to a Google Sheets file with an AppSheet front end might have some legs. You could then just circulate a standard email to everyone with a link to the AppSheet app, which will then take care of who sees what records.

 

AppSheet is basically the Google version of Access.

Edited November 10, 2022 by jthompson

[FN-GM]

I have seen keys be added to an asset register. It will do everything you noted above.

[leegcvcc]

Switch to keyless entry systems such as Salto.

Yeah we have SALTO but have many doors which aren't included and the cost and overhead (changing batteries for all doors for example) is prohibitive for a school in our position at the moment.

 

I have seen keys be added to an asset register. It will do everything you noted above.

Cheers, what asset register? SNIPE for example? It has caveats using this particular one, as it's designed for IT predominantly. Thanks,

[p858snake]

If its a restricted/registered (not sure of the UK terminology) check with the locksmith what they use, some of the common ones can share the key list data so it import keys, door group access etc when new keys are cut or barrel groups are created, From memory our locksmith uses promaster but due to the size of our keyset it wasn't worth buying it, which from memory does email reminders etc.

[leegcvcc]

If its a restricted/registered (not sure of the UK terminology) check with the locksmith what they use, some of the common ones can share the key list data so it import keys, door group access etc when new keys are cut or barrel groups are created, From memory our locksmith uses promaster but due to the size of our keyset it wasn't worth buying it, which from memory does email reminders etc.

ok, thanks for that. Will have a look as it's the first thing I've seen key related. Hard to envisage we are one of very few schools who still have keys and need to do this every year, or maybe it's the site team doing all this in the background for everyone and not the IT dept!

[fiza]

We still use keys for all doors and the site team look after the issuing and retrieval from staff. Not really under the IT remit.

[howartp]

Site staff do all our keys but i'm not aware they have any register of who has what keys. Very few doors are actually keylocked apart from external doors overnight.

 

They certainly don't chase us every year to see what we have!

 

We do have approaching 75 doors/gates on Paxton and I can only see that growing.

[Roberto]

ok, thanks for that. Will have a look as it's the first thing I've seen key related. Hard to envisage we are one of very few schools who still have keys and need to do this every year, or maybe it's the site team doing all this in the background for everyone and not the IT dept!

 

Prior to replacing all the locks with Salto at my old place, the physical keys were handled by the site team and while we probably would have knocked up a quick database to help them track it if they wanted, our IT team did not get involved. Regardless of the technology (or lack of it!) being use to manage it, there's a good arguement that says that site access control really should be a site team problem imo.