Securing the Flow of Operations

• By Raffaele Ceravolo
• Jul 18, 2024

The transportation industry is a complex and dynamic environment where efficient management of physical keys, vehicles and shared devices is critical to ensuring smooth operations, reducing costs and maintaining security. Every day, more transportation facilities are using modern electronic key and asset management systems to better secure, audit and manage the important assets that keep operations running smoothly.

Facility Keys
Treat each one like it is the only one. Access to certain areas within transportation facilities, especially airports, is vital to maintaining operations. Numerous areas require secure access, from offline openings to secure areas; bay doors to mechanical rooms; and management offices to IT and server rooms. Electronic key management systems help manage and track access to every key across a property, ensuring only authorized staff can access these areas. This protects assets and helps prevent unauthorized access, which can lead to security breaches and potential threats.

Key management systems that replace outdated pegboard and notebook management measures can track access to every key across a facility, set specific permissions and access levels for each user, issue real-time notifications when a key is accessed or returned, and monitor and audit access to ensure compliance with security protocols.

Fleet Vehicles
Expediting efficiency. Fleet vehicles are the lifeblood of the transportation industry, particularly for larger facilities, but managing their access and usage can be challenging, especially if they’re located at multiple sites. Key cabinets play an integral role in fleet vehicle management by controlling and monitoring vehicle access, which increases driver accountability, plus they ensure even use and instill safer processes.

With dedicated features to track vehicle mileage, fuel levels, parking location and vehicle faults, key cabinets allow administrators to monitor vehicle usage in real-time, set specific permissions and access levels for each driver, receive alerts when a vehicle is due for maintenance or service, track vehicle locations and monitor parking assignments.

By controlling and monitoring vehicle access, transportation organizations can reduce fuel consumption, maintenance and insurance claims costs. Additionally, intelligent key cabinets can improve driver accountability and reduce the risk of accidents or security breaches.

Shared Devices
Automating distribution and collection. Just like with keys, shared devices such as radios, tablets, scanners and other equipment are essential for transportation employees to carry out their daily tasks. But because there are often multiple users per device, the possibility of them being lost or mishandled is increased. Therefore, having a shared device management system can be foundational in helping automate the distribution and collection of these devices, ensuring they are always accounted for, fully charged and ready for use.

Intelligent asset management lockers can automate device distribution and collection; track device usage in real-time; set specific permissions and access levels for each user; and send alerts when a device is due for maintenance or service. and enhance overall productivity.

Process Control
Integrating critical workflows. Electronic key and asset management systems can also help drive critical workflows that keep transportation operations safe, secure and efficient by integrating existing access control or security platforms, work-order systems and more.

These management solutions can integrate with existing systems for seamless workflow, automate critical processes such as access control and maintenance scheduling, monitor and track operations in real-time and receive alerts when workflows are disrupted or delayed.

By integrating electronic key and asset management with existing workflows, transportation facilities are improving operational efficiency, reducing costs associated with manual processing and enhancing overall security.

Intelligent key and asset management solutions meet the biggest challenges facing airport and transportation facilities, especially as many of them continue to expand to meet growing customer use. These solutions are helping facilities better manage the operational tools staff, specialists, vendors and drivers need to work safely and efficiently. They are assisting administrators in managing and monitoring access to key and equipment inventory, while allowing authorized users to quickly checkout and return items with total accountability.

The transportation industry continues to change every day, but the concepts noted above represent futureproof measures that facilities are taking to proactively address internal security threats and protect against unnecessary losses due to device mismanagement. Those organizations that are taking advantage of these solutions are thus better prepared to operate at peak efficiency and ensure customers can travel safely.

This article originally appeared in the July / August 2024 issue of Security Today.