Bianca hands Tony a pen and a log sheet. As he signs his name in, she goes out back to a hidden wall, punches in a combination on a small steel box the size of a standard electric fuse box. She locates Tony's keys, takes it out and shuts the box back before heading back out front to hand him the keys.



The example above is a common enough scene in many offices around the world today. Business organisations have long since realised the importance of a safe and secure place to keep keys. Keys unlock business assets - literally. With assets that can easily be carried off or stolen, the key cabinet becomes even more valuable.

If you've worked with a firm that turns dull interiors into posh havens, classy corporate offices and stylish hotel rooms, you'd know a key cabinet does not only hold company keys; more importantly, it holds client-entrusted keys for each project site.

When dealing with personal property, the choice for particular key cabinets becomes very important. In cases where you are holding client-entrusted keys, you assume greater risk as your project contract is most likely to include indemnification clauses for losses the client suffers while your team is working on the property.

When choosing a key cabinet to hold your set of keys, consider:

The keys you are likely to store in it. Are you putting keys to company properties in this particular key cabinet? Is it for clients' properties? Do you intend to keep all keys in one place? The value of the related assets to the keys you are safekeeping, along with your calculation of risk helps you decide the level of security you'd like for this specific key cabinet. The more valuable the keys are, the more inconspicuous you'd like the box to look and the more security features you'd require of it.

The material the key cabinet is made. Most key cabinets today are made of steel. No two types are alike, however. Some are made of heavy-duty, fireproof steel, others from an inferior quality. There are also key cabinets fashioned from wood. Not nearly half as indestructible as fireproof, steel cabinets but adequately serve your purposes in certain circumstances, certainly where security is less of an issue.

Its locking mechanism. There are basically two types of locking mechanisms - key locking mechanism and the combination lock mechanism. The choice is often made based on which one suits your needs more. Recent models have dual-locking systems and digital keyless systems for added security.

Your company's policy on custodianship. For safekeeping of important assets, some companies have specific policies requiring all vaults, lock boxes, and key cabinets to have dual-locking systems. Often, this is in conjunction with a policy stating no two employees must know both combinations that would totally unlock the safe/vault/lock box.

Key cabinets minimise the risk of loss or damage. In this day and age, where honesty has become a personal policy only on paper, safekeeping responsibilities require more than trusting in the innate goodness of people; it requires minimising the temptation to steal.