Benefits of Using a Master Key for Your Business
As a business owner, you may be carrying and managing a lot of keys to access different parts of your office building. If you want to change all this and looking for a convenient and more secure way, you may want to install master key system for your business.
But what is a master key?
Simply put, it is a specially designed key that can be used to work on different locks.
A Master key system consists of different levels of keys; which makes it possible for key owners to either have access to all areas of the building or have restricted access depending on the level of key that they possess.
This hierarchy of keys in the master key system typically includes Grand Master Key (that provides access to different master key systems and their change keys); Master keys (that opens different locks, each of which is operated by its own individual key); and Change key (the lowest level in the system that operates only one lock in the master key system). So, in a nutshell, this organized system allows one lock to be opened with two or more keys.
How do they work?
The most common mechanism used inside a lock is the pin-and- tumbler design. With this design, a series of small pins of varying length line the slot where you place your key. These pins are divided up into pairs and are kept in place by a series of springs at the top of the shafts. When no key is inside the lock, the bottom pins are completely inside the plug and the upper pins are halfway in the plug and halfway in the housing, keeping the plug from turning and unlocking your door.
It takes the correct key to move those pins into the appropriate position to disengage the lock. If you look at your key, you’ll see that the end that you stick into the lock has its own unique series of notches. Think of this as a sequence, one of many, that holds the exact password you need to get those pins in exactly the right position. Insert it in and all the pins are lined up perfectly with where the cylinder and housing comes together. This is what’s known as a “shear line.”
Now, when a lock is master keyed, a third pin is inserted that separates some of these rows of pins. This is often called a spacer or a master wafer. The addition of this third pin adds one more way to open the lock!
What are the benefits? 
- Convenience: It is, of course, convenient to carry a single key, making at least one aspect of your life easy and simple. Especially in the times of emergency like fire in the building, having one key for all locks is definitely an advantage versus fumbling with a bunch of keys. It helps save lives and intellectual property without wasting too much time.
- High level of security: With a fewer keys, there would be less instances of lost or stolen keys as there would less keys to distribute and manage. You can provide a high level of access control to your employees or limit the access of your employees to specifically designated areas, depending on their roles within the organization.
- Easy tracking: You can keep a track of the number of keys and who all have those keys.
These keys provide an effective, affordable solution to improve the access control and security of your commercial premises, whether you have an office, hotel or a retail store. It certainly gives you a peace of mind knowing that your building is safe against unauthorized access and use.
Kyle Locksmith Co. provides professional commercial locksmith services and help you install high quality, sophisticated master key system for your business. Our technicians will sit with your security team and note down your requirements in details to carefully plan and design the entire hierarchy of keys and locks. We take your security seriously and have the skills as well as experience to design and install all kinds of access control systems including panic bars, RFID, magnetic swipe cards and high security locks. Or you can simply call us for any lockout or lock rekeying requirement. To know more about our locksmith services in Kyle and surrounding areas, call us today at (512) 634-8090