Problem Solver: Converting From Mechanical to Electronic

Feb. 2, 2015
What to consider when making the switch

It’s a challenging scenario for any building manager. Someone loses a key to an interior space. Or worse yet, someone loses a master key. It’s a situation that could cost building owners and tenants alike in money, time and lost productivity. Once something like that happens, the damage is done. But converting interior locks from mechanical to electronic could help prevent it from happening in the first place.

Once limited to perimeter doors and highly sensitive areas, electronic locks and credentials are  becoming more common in interior office applications. More building owners, managers and tenants are looking for secure alternatives to mechanical locks that not only simplify management and everyday use, but that are also affordable.

This presents a unique opportunity for locksmiths to provide solutions that meets their clients’ needs, and are also highly flexible and adaptable. The switch to electronic credentials is now easier than ever.

Easy to Install & Implement

Some electronic locks were developed specifically to make it easy for facilities to upgrade for improved security and efficiency. Ideal for interior office doors, common area doors and sensitive storage spaces with a cylindrical door prep, electronic credentials give building owners the power to provide their tenants with the best security tools on the market.

Ease of use is the most obvious component of electronic locks to consider, and that starts with installation.  Look for locks that can be easily retrofitted into an existing standard cylindrical door prep. This makes it easy to add electronic locks where they are needed, without the burden of having to drill holes, run wires, replace the door or modify the frame.

Users are given access by either keycard or by smartphone credentials, reducing the need to issue mechanical keys. in many cases Electronic credentials can now be managed with cloud-based apps from anywhere. Just as easily as you are able to grant access, you are also able to take it away.

Electronic credentials are easy to implement for even the non-tech savvy individual, and can also be managed by software with access alliance partners.

Innovation That Fits Your Customers’ Needs

It is important to figure out the needs of your customer before recommending the innovative products available on today’s market. Sit down with the building owner to ask them about the needs of their building to see what best fits their needs, and their tenants workspace and workday.

Manufacturers take the life of a tenant into consideration when developing the systems, and do whatever possible to ensure that everything about the user experience is convenient. From the sleek, modern design that seamlessly blends into interior doors, to the cloud-based credential management, innovation has made the products available today better than ever. The act of taking your smartphone out and gaining access to an interior door will never be more complicated than pulling out a keychain and physically opening the door.

Whatever the need of a business may be, electronic credentials are flexible and adaptable, and most importantly are made to fit the mold of any business. Going from a mechanical key to electronic has never been easier.