The Locksmith Journal Jan/Feb 2019 - Issue 60 | Page 54

54 • HARDWARE&SECURITY PROUD SPONSORS OF THIS PAGE The Smart Way to Increase Revenue » » WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF constantly evolving technology; with 4K televisions and voice recognition systems now featuring in homes across the UK, security products are also becoming increasingly more advanced. Here, Suresh Peri, Commercial and Technical Manager for Mul-T-Lock talks exclusively to The Locksmith Journal about the changing face of security and the opportunities available for locksmiths to increase their offering to customers. Today’s ever-growing technological advancements are radically changing the way we protect our homes and businesses. With sophisticated yet affordable solutions, locksmiths across the UK are placing themselves at the forefront of this smart revolution. From keyless entry locks to remote access monitoring, traditional locksmithing is certainly adapting as the trade advances leaps and bounds into the future of security. With technology playing such an influential role in people’s everyday lives, business automation systems are becoming increasingly common, allowing organisations to control and monitor their premises at the touch of a button. Security is something business owners cannot put a price on—especially when it comes to keeping their business and assets safe from intruders. Fortunately, new technologies are being developed and brought to market each day that help give the power of fully customisable security solutions to fit customers’ ever- changing needs. Although these high-tech security systems can often still feel rather dystopian, the increase of affordability for these solutions mean more and more organisations across the UK are protecting their businesses with smart security solutions. This has provided locksmiths with a whole new revenue steam, especially with more customers than ever opting for ‘do it for me’ rather than ‘DIY’. This is especially true when it comes to new products and technologies on the market, that customers may be less familiar with. The needs of businesses are constantly changing, so their security solutions need to offer flexibility and simplicity to reflect this. With such a wide variety of different trades and industries needing security systems tailored to their specific needs, sometimes a “one solution fits all” just won’t cut it. Even though keys provide physical access to critical assets within LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | JAN/FEB 2019 organisations, including areas that house servers holding customer data, and to offices where customers’ accounts are managed, we often see business owners unsure of how many keys they have in circulation, or where they are at any given time. More worryingly, often when staff leave there is no system to revoke access or monitor if they return the keys. Nowadays, electronic key solutions that feature web-based management can be integrated with existing telemetry systems to help control and manage operations. This offers a high level of both physical and data protection – given they only use accredited software and infrastructure providers. For example, some systems boast an electronic key system where all the power is retained by the key or locks themselves. This means no wiring is required, whether the system uses door cylinders, cabinet locks or padlocks, offering an easy-to- install and low maintenance solution to meet business owners’ needs. With these systems, users have secure access to an online management application from anywhere in the world and can change key access permissions, profiles, schedules and validity, even revoking their use, virtually, at the click of a button. Plus, keys can be validated daily, weekly or monthly keeping them continuously secure.