For those who own or manage large buildings, such as an office building, there are going to many locks on the building. This includes the entrances to the building, as well as the offices, break room, bathrooms, supply rooms, and all of the other locations in the building. Typically, there will be separate locks for each of these areas, which controls the access to those rooms.
However, there may be a need for one person, or a few people, to have access to all of the rooms. For example, a building manager, business owner, or landlord will need to have access to various areas of the building. The same is true if you happen to have a cleaning crew who comes in after everyone else has gone home and all of the doors are locked. Other times, certain individuals, such as managers, will only need to have access to several areas, and not the entire building.
In the above cases, it is a good idea to find a locksmith company that can help you to design and institute a master key system for the business. A master key system will allow one key to open up two or more of the locks in the building with just a single key. This can provide quite a few advantages.
Benefits of Using a Master Key System
Consider all of the keys a typical office building might have. Even a small building would have a number of keys. It would be nearly impossible to provide a cleaning crew supervisor with a keyring large enough for all of those rooms, and even then, it would be hard to tell one key from another. Having a master key system in place is a much more convenient and simple method of operating.
In addition, the master key system will still let you know who has access to which areas of the building. Those who are assigned master keys will know the areas that they can access with those keys. The smaller number of keys can provide you with more security and control.
With a good locksmith company, it is possible to key according to the people who require access to certain areas of the building. A good system can help to minimize the cost of maintenance, as well.
What Are the Keys in a Master System?
In a master key system, you will find several different types of keys, each of which will allow a different level of access to the building. Let’s look at the key types in order of the number of areas they will open.
First up is the change key. This is at the lowest level of the system, and is sometimes called a sub-master key. It opens one lock, and locks that are the exact same. For example, it might open all of the entrance locks to the building.
Next is the master key. This key can open up several locks in the group, or potentially all of the other locks. It will depend on the number of levels and branches in the master key system. When there are higher levels, it is possible to have master keys for different areas. For example, there could be change keys and a master key for the offices, and change keys and a master key for the warehouse area. They would not necessarily be interchangeable. With an additional level tacked on, there could be a grand master key that would open up all of the rooms in both the warehouse area and the offices.
The master key system can be as complex or as simple as you need it to be. The levels are typically based on the size of the building, along with the amount of control you need to have over various areas, and who should have access to those areas.
Locksmith Company
If you are interested in having a master key system set up for your place of business, you are going to need help. Make sure that you find a locksmith that has the capabilities and skills needed to work with you to develop a strong and secure system that is well-organized and easy to use. Not every locksmith has the experience or the knowledge to properly set up a master key system.