Why key-based digital smart locks are impractical for critical infrastructure management
Digital smart locks have proven to create high added value for the critical infrastructure segment when there is a need to manage numerous sites in remote locations with a large number of users. However, smart locks can be classified into two groups: keyless and key-based. Let’s analyze the many reasons why key-based smart locks are impractical:
- You cannot monitor the person who’s accessing the site. A key can easily be handed over to a third person that may not have the authorization / training to access a dangerous site. The smartphone has become a personal tool that can be easily protected by biometric measures to ensure that the user is the only one with authorized access.
- You cannot have real-time access management: Giving and removing access rights in real time is not possible with electronic keys. It is impossible to remove access rights of a lost or stolen key. The only option it to provide temporary access rights and make them expire periodically to reduce the risk window.
- You cannot get real-time audit trails: In a key-based locking system, the administrator must rely on the users and wait until they synchronize their keys to get the data. And they may not do it until they next need access. That could be in some months from now.
- You incur additional costs: You need to buy the key, and electronic keys are expensive.
- You already have a phone. Electronic keys need, in the best case, a phone to synchronize access rights and audit trails. If a phone is needed, why don’t use the phone directly as a key?
- You cannot improvise accesses: It is not possible to send over-the-air access rights to somebody close to the emergency unless they are carrying the electronic key with them. But everybody has their phone with them!
- Digital keys need to be maintained: The user must replace the battery and eventually reprogram the key.
- Digital keys generate unnecessary battery waste: If we can do it without using batteries, why should we pollute the world with huge amounts of unrecyclable battery waste?
For all these reasons (and more), when considering digitalizing access for critical infrastructure, a keyless option is always the better one.
Author: Joaquim Serrahima, Director Global Key Accounts Telecom, iLOQ
