David Ogden, Founder & CEO of The Key Safe Company, speaks to SJUK about the company’s growth since its beginning and the significance of standards within the security industry.

Can you tell me about yourself and your role?

I started The Key Safe Company 30 years ago and introduced the concept of storing a key in a box outside of a house.

At the time, people asked why I would want to do that? Why would anyone want to advertise the fact there is a key outside of their property?

But we found there was a gap in the market and an important one to fill.

Our initial aim was to provide carers with secure access to people’s homes and to solve a core problem in managing keys.

When we realised that every day carers working for local authorities were running around for keys stored in costly key holding centres, we knew there must be a better solution, but it was critical that the deployed solution was safe and secure.

As a company, we save local authorities millions of pounds, having previously shut down every single key storage centre across the UK within five years of operation.

Our success came from finding a way to deploy keys at the point of need – which was right outside the homes of vulnerable people within the social care sector, enabling access with the use of a secure code shared with authorised individuals.

As well as offering carers a ‘better way’, key safes now play a critical role in the care pathway, enabling emergency services and paramedics access to vulnerable and bed-bound individuals.

We are saving lives every day because we stuck to reliable mechanical products, that work every time.

Another important part of our journey has been storing keys for vehicles in storage compounds and auction houses worldwide.

The concept of a key safe in that environment has proven to be a huge success and so we have naturally begun to roll out our products to private properties.

Companies such as Airbnb have benefited hugely from having access at the ‘point of need’, as the property owners no longer need to be on site to physically pass over the keys.

These successes continue to be at the core of our strategy today, as we work with keyholding companies, rapid response and locksmiths, changing the way the security industry thinks about managing keys.

Despite the security industry struggling to balance convenience and safety, we believe we have been able to execute both with our accredited key safes.

What are the main features of your key storage? And how do consumers make sure their key storage systems are secure?

Firstly, our ark Tamo range comes with illuminated push buttons and vault to simplify access in the dark.

But what really sets our product apart from others on the market, is our patented multi-push keypad.

This world-first means each digit can be used in a code up to four times (once being the standard), allowing customers to generate up to 9.7 million possible code combinations – compared to the standard 4096.

But alongside these features, security is paramount. A lot of key safe products out there are at the lower end of the price scale and can be broken into within seconds.

Our products range from £69 – £180 RRP, but the level of security they are built to is unrivalled.

These are the innovations that set us apart from our competitors and as they always have been, they are rooted in customer feedback.

It is important to me that we educate consumers and the security sector alike on the different standards within the industry.

For example, if an individual tells a locksmith that they want to install a key safe onto their domestic property, the locksmith has a responsibility and duty of care to recommend the most suitable product to manage the risk.

Our products are measured against the LPS1175 loss prevention certification board (LPCB) and we test our key safes through third-parties to determine whether they can withstand malicious or stealth attacks.

Furthermore, our products come with a Secured by Design (SBD) certificate, meaning they are preferred by the UK police.

Something that is sold as ‘hammer proof’ is not accredited.

Companies can make sure that the key safes they are purchasing are secure by looking out for ‘LPCB’ and SBD logos; end users should also check that the certificate the product is displaying is up to date.

I would emphasise that it’s essential for companies to check with their commercial insurance providers, to see whether their insurance becomes void if they install a particular key safe.

Insurers need to know whether the key safe that is being deployed, has been tested against an official industry standard.

Can you tell me why key safes should be more of a consideration across multiple industries?

The Key Safe Company’s foundations lie within the demanding adult social care industry.

However, we recognised that there are many other use cases that would benefit from the same solutions and we are opening up to a broader consumer base.

If your property is secured by an electronic access solution, what happens when the power is cut? You will need a backup key and where is that being stored?

Our products are deployed across holiday homes, void property companies, schools, universities, nuclear sites, water companies, electricity companies and critical infrastructure.

How can key safes help build organisational resilience?

Our key safes have aided organisational resilience in many ways, most notably when it comes to business continuity and removing costly and timely inefficiencies.

A key safe ensures an organisation can keep running in the event of unexpected issues (sickness, weather, transport) – running for keys comes with so many points of failure – a key safe will remove these.

A sector we see this often in is void property.

If somebody owns a building that becomes void, the demands become much greater, with many trusted individuals needing access 24/7.

Our solution allows individuals to access that building without needing to travel to a second location, such as a key van or key centre and because of the mechanical design, no maintenance is necessary.

What misconceptions would you like to correct about secure key storage?

That electronic is best. Often when you need access to a building, you need it fast.

Having serviced the care industry for over 30 years, we know first-hand how critical fast access is.

What happens if emergency services turn up to a property with an electronic product on the door and the batteries haven’t been change or there has been a power cut?

We have kept our key safes mechanical for one simple reason – reliability.

What is on the horizon for your key safes and how will your products develop?

The next big event we have coming up is the Master Lock Association (MLA) Expo in Telford.

At the MLA I will be educating people on what kind of standards to look out for when purchasing or installing key safes.

As a business, we are always striving to be better. We acknowledge that we can always improve – we have never been complacent.

Within the next 12 months, we will be launching a product that I truly believe will transform the way the industry manages access – watch this space!

Overall, we want to continue to solve problems – gauging what our customers require from us as a business.

This article was originally published in the July edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.