On New Year’s Eve in 2009, when the clock struck midnight and it officially flipped over to 2010, I jumped up on a table in White Castle and screamed “Welcome to the future!”

Ahem…

It had been a long night to say the least.

My point of that story, other than to give you guys something to chuckle at, is to drive home how far technology has come in the past decade or so and that is definitely evident in the security industry.

While huge strides have been made everywhere from biometrics to electronic access, today I’m going to focus on your options for security credentials.

Not all of these are that futuristic, but there’s a reason. Why fix it if it ain’t broke? Still not sure what I’m talking about? Keep reading.

Security Credentials: The Options

Keys

There’s a reason keys have been around for something like six thousand years.

They work!

They’re some of the first security credentials ever used and while they may have advanced in their own ways over time (we started with wooden keys, if that gives you any idea) they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

All of this isn’t to say they don’t have their drawbacks, because they do have a few.

Physical keys are at risk of being lost or stolen and that can put a dent in your wallet when you have to shell out money for an expensive rekey. Over time they can being to wear down and will eventually have to replaced. Finally, at times, they can be difficult and cumbersome to manage.

However, if inexpensive and easy are what you’re looking for, look no further than the original key.

Card Readers

I can’t remember the last time I went to a hotel where I wasn’t given a card as the key to my hotel room. There’s a good reason too.

Cards are easily programmable and if a guest loses a card, it’s much easier to program another key than to keep an extra stock of room keys handy. Another benefit of cards as security credentials not related to hotels is the ability to program them to unlock at certain times. This can come into play at places of employment that need to restrict certain areas at certain parts of the day.

The main drawback to this security credential is the cost. If you only plan to install one or two card readers, you should be fine, but the cost will ramp up pretty fast if you need a lot.

E-Keys

Like their sibling, the mechanical key, e-keys are excellent options for security credentials. The bonus? They don’t have the same drawbacks as mechanical keys.

E-keys can be deactivated if lost or stolen. This means a lost E-key will no longer work  and a rekey won’t be needed.

Phew. Of course, there still is the issue that they can be lost or stolen but it’s a small price to pay.

What isn’t a small price to pay? The cost e-keys themselves. They cost quite a lot and are substantially more expensive than mechanical keys. However, if you’re looking for an easy rekey and ease of mind, you might not mind the cost.

These are just a few of the security credentials offered today. Of course, as always, if you have any more questions, you can always contact us!