WCSU uses key management system to boost campus security
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To enhance campus-wide safety and help track physical keys, a new key management system was put in place by Western Connecticut Statue University (WCSU) in Danbury, Connecticut. The school wanted to be able to give individual users access to specific keys versus having to always carry the keys to every building with them at all time, which also made loss a bigger risk.
Keysets can easily go missing, putting facilities at significant risk, so a key management system helps protect students and staff, as well as assets such as vehicles, machinery, equipment and electronics. But the previous key management system had issues, including ghosting in databases, corrupt databases, an unreliable sync function and the lack of an error indication. In addition, with the previous system, the notches in the fobs had to be inserted face down; however, the system still permitted users to return the fob even if the notch was in the face-up position and allowed the next user to be able to pull the fob, which left no record of the event.
To boost safety, the campus installed 30 Traka cabinets to manage more than 2,300 users, 1,026 items and approximately 6,500 keys across both WCSU campuses. The cabinets, which have allowed campus security to account for all the master keys on campus, are used by faculty, staff, students, administrators, contractors, affiliates, law enforcement and others that may need access to a secured location. The university is also managing its vehicles through the system, including its maintenance fleets, as well as those that faculty, staff and employees can reserve.
Providing a level of control of the mechanical lock provides campus security professionals with a tracked record that includes a date and timestamp as to when someone may have withdrawn a key from a key box. In addition, in the event of an emergency, campus police can respond directly to the building and use the key system in that building to unlock areas within the building, permitting them to respond faster than stopping at the police department first to gain access to a building.
The web-based platform has also saved the university time and labor, as locksmiths can program key boxes no matter where they are on campus. Daily audit reports are automatically generated and emailed to the system administrator to account for all master keys on campus. The university has integrated its card system which reduced the need for extra data entry, replaced all older cabinets with the Traka systems and is exploring further upgrades to its overall system, including integration of item assignments.
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