Commercial smart locks are the next evolution in your business security system. You probably already spend a lot of energy (or anxiety) thinking about cybercrime — and rightly so. The stories of cyberattacks and ransomware are frightening, and your staff and customers can be seriously affected by them. But the physical security of your building or office — and the people, material, and data inside — should also be a priority, and that’s where commercial door-grade smart locks can play a key role.
Smart locks are the new gold standard in security for commercial doors, but they can feel like a big jump from the traditional deadbolt and key. In this guide, we’ll explain how to optimize your business security with the best commercial smart door lock system for you.
The Growing Importance of Business Security in the Digital Age
Your business security strategy is all about mitigating risk, and as our world changes, the risks change, too. With your business’s physical security, your primary concern is managing who does and does not have access to your building, offices, facilities, or even specific rooms.
You don’t need to be alarmist to take physical security seriously. For instance, while overall crime rates are down, retail theft is on the rise. Some businesses have had to shut down a store or branch because of theft concerns (OnSolve, 2024). If you’re a retailer, that might concern you.
Good physical security protects your people and property, and it makes your employees feel safe, too.
Common Forms of Physical Security Breaches
You and your security team should be aware of the most common ways people breach your physical security:
- Tailgating This occurs when an unauthorized person follows an authorized person through a door or entry gate.
- Document, data, or IP theft Improperly stored or protected materials can be stolen or simply viewed by unauthorized persons.
- Unaccounted visitors If people can easily enter your building or office without anyone’s knowledge, you cannot account for them should some incident occur while they are there.
- Social engineering Bad actors can play on people’s basic decency in order to gain access to places they don’t belong. Tailgating is a form of this, but someone may also impersonate a delivery person or employee, or they may devise some likely pretext for why they have a legitimate reason to be there.
Top 5 Reasons to Optimize Your Business Security with Smart Locks
What makes a commercial smart door locks so superior to a traditional lock? Smart locks offer effective solutions to the vulnerabilities of mechanical locks:
- Easy key management With a few clicks, you can assign, modify, or revoke access codes or digital keys in mere seconds.
- Lost keys are no big deal Digital keys can be deactivated from your control panel, and you can quickly assign new keys to keep employees active.
- Break-in resistance Many smart locks can resist torque attacks and lock bumping, common forms of bypassing mechanical locks.
- Anti-theft features Tamper and access alarms let you know if something is wrong and warn intruders away.
- User/visitor status notifications Smart locks can automatically log who enters, when, and how so you know exactly who is in your office.
Top 2 Reasons You Might Opt Against Smart Locks
We believe commercial smart locks offer the best protection for your business, but we recognize there are some disadvantages to consider.
- Initial cost Smart locks require professional installation to connect them to a network, so the up-front costs can be much greater than with traditional locks. You should weigh these initial costs against the hidden costs of traditional locks. For instance, the labor required to copy, store, and manage physical keys, the expense of a locksmith when keys break or go missing, and the security risk of lost keys. In addition, consider the value of the advanced features a smart lock offers you over a traditional lock.
- Hacking Yes, smart locks are vulnerable to hacking attacks just like any network-enabled device. Protection from digital attacks will depend on the security of your own network as well as the efforts of manufacturers to constantly improve their software. In any case, hacking a smart lock requires much more sophistication than picking or bumping a traditional lock.
A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Smart Locks for Your Business
Digital keys, voice access, keypads, scanners, cameras, alarms…
There are tons of options out there for smart locks for your doors, but we’ve boiled down the decision process to a few main ideas.
Commercial Smart Lock / Electronic Door Lock Basics
Let’s start with the basics: defining a smart lock.
Just like any of the “smart” devices in your home, a commercial smart lock uses digital and networking technology to give you more control. Smart locks may use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID, biometrics (voice or fingerprint readers), and even keypads. These may be in addition to a standard key slot.
A smart lock consists of three main parts:
- An electronic lock
- A reader (for voice, fingerprint, or app)
- A user interface via computer or mobile app
All those electronics mean you get more control over how your locks operate, who can enter your workplace, and when they can do it.
Evaluating Your Business’s Needs Before Implementing Smart Lock Systems
There are certain standards you can follow to determine your business security needs, but ultimately it’s up to you and your team to decide what makes the most sense for your circumstances.
Conduct a Security Risk Assessment
An effective security system, whether physical or digital, begins with a security risk assessment. There are five main steps to follow:
- Identify what you want to protect
- Determine what might threaten those things
- Identify vulnerabilities in your current security system and what impact a breach may have
- Define and implement strategies to better protect yourself
- Conduct additional security risk assessments at regular intervals
If you’ve only got one or two doors in a small or medium office to worry about, you may not need the fanciest smart locks to protect yourself. If you have a whole building to manage, however, you might prefer a sophisticated system with powerful, centralized controls.
Decide on Critical Features
As you consider the best security strategy, ask what smart lock features you want at each point of vulnerability.
- Data How important is it to have a record of everyone who uses a given door?
- Video Are there doors where you would like video cameras?
- User permissions management How often do you need to assign or revoke access to people?
- Remote access control Would you like the convenience of remote monitoring and even remote locking and unlocking?
- Durability Will any of your smart locks be exposed to the weather?
It’s useful to discuss these things prior to contacting a security company like Anderson Lock. That way you’ll feel more equipped to discuss your needs with one of our security consultants, who can validate your findings and help you identify anything you may have missed.
Then they can help you find the right commercial smart lock system for you.
Integrating Smart Locks into Your Overall Security System
Your smart locks can integrate with the security system you already have in place, including security cameras, alarms, and access control systems. This allows you to create a unified defense system that gives you a full picture of your protected spaces.
Leveraging Advanced Features: Beyond Basic Security
Commercial smart locks offer powerful advanced features that increase security and efficiency and can even be fun.
- Cloud-based control Smart locks with mobile apps can be controlled from anywhere with a network connection. Manage access, lock or unlock your doors, or set up automatic locking from home or on the road.
- PropTech integration More and more property managers are opting for smart locks as part of their property technology, or PropTech, ecosystem. They can grant prospective renters remote access and offer self-guided phone tours, saving time on malfunctioning lock boxes and no-shows.
Why Smart Locks are Just the Beginning: The Future of Business Security
The elaborate security systems dreamed up by Hollywood movies are fast becoming realities for today’s businesses. Smart locks are only the latest addition to a quickly evolving security landscape.
The future of security will feature artificial intelligence and quantum computing, allowing for faster detection and response, more accurate identification of false alarms, increased scalability, and more powerful tools for security officers.
Upgrading to commercial smart locks will give you a more responsive and efficient security system and put you on the path to the smart business security future.
Anderson Lock is Chicagoland’s go-to expert shop for business and institutional lock and security needs. Contact us today to learn how your business can benefit from commercial smart locks.