ISJ hears key insights from Collin Sharp, Regional Sales Manager, Traka Americas.
Critical infrastructure is essential to society, yet it remains one of the sectors we take for granted the most. When you turn on the lights, wash your hands or do the laundry, there’s an expectation that it will simply work.
Many of us don’t think twice about what actually goes into making that happen.
Utility providers across the world are facing a variety of challenges, and how each addresses them directly impacts their ability to deliver the essential services many of us take for granted.
There is, however, technology available that’s helping form an operational framework from which providers can base and scale their workflow, while also empowering them to streamline processes and be better positioned to respond to the diverse situations that arise every day.
Changing of the guard
One of the most pressing challenges facing the utility industry is workforce transition.
As a large portion of experienced employees retire, they take with them critical operational knowledge that has not always been formally documented or passed on.
In its place, many organisations are left relying on informal, stop gap processes that may have worked in the past but are neither consistent nor scalable.
Coupled with that is the aging nature of the utility facilities themselves. Since many cities or regions have had only one or perhaps a couple of utility providers for a long time, there hasn’t been much competition and therefore a need to constantly upgrade facilities.
Many think, “If it’s still working, why fix it?” So, in short, you have a population of older workers at older facilities, which begs the consideration of security and access, particularly with physical keys. If those facilities have been around for a long time, they likely are accessed at least in part by physical keys.
So how many keys are out there, and do providers know where they all are? Has the older workforce been managing their key usage appropriately, and what has the hand-off process been like for newer workers?
While it may seem insignificant to focus on a simple asset like a key, misplacing just one sensitive key could be disastrous for a provider, especially if it ends up in the wrong person’s hands.
That’s why many providers are adopting modern approaches to key management. Compared to outdated methods like pegboards and logbooks, intelligent key cabinets are giving companies clear visibility on who has access to which key and when.
Access is designated digitally, transactions are tracked remotely and managers are alerted if keys aren’t returned on time, reducing downtime and reinforcing accountability across the workforce. This approach gives managers visibility across multiple sites and large geographic areas.
New frontier
In parallel with the introduction of the next generation into the workforce comes a new set of challenges.
Climate change is putting pressure on the grid in a lot of areas, which is forcing providers to consider how they need to fortify or upgrade their infrastructure.
Also, with the increased usage of AI, there’s been a rapid increase in the construction of data centres and cloud facilities.
Many of them require significant utility resources, including for temperature-controlled areas and to support a massive amount of data transmission and storage. It’s a unique balance of physical and digital solutions to ensure these facilities can operate in strategic locations effectively and without disruption.
Again, this presents a persistent challenge for utility operators who need to establish consistent, secure access to a variety of sites.
Intelligent key cabinets, including those that only have perhaps a couple of keys at a remote site, are an important part of operations, as they help monitor access to all areas and guarantee that every transaction is tracked.
This can be especially helpful for fleet management when providers have vehicles traversing a large geographic area to substations and other critical facilities. When they return a key, employees input how many miles are on a vehicle and if there’s anything wrong with it.
If it’s a major fault, like a flat tire or the check engine light has come on, the key cabinet system immediately removes that key from circulation until a manager has the vehicle serviced.
That cuts down on the possibility of an employee taking out a faulty vehicle and being stranded, which, in the case of an emergency like severe weather, can be dangerous.
Still another threat that many providers face is cybersecurity.
Attacks from hackers and cyber-terrorists are evolving daily, and critical infrastructure continues to be targeted due to its far-reaching impact on communities. When software systems come under attack, utility providers need to have responsive measures in place to maintain operations while the threat is neutralised.
Often, that starts with controlling physical access to buildings.
Many utility companies utilise some measure of digital credentials, like key fobs or badges, for their general access control – so if those are compromised in an attack, there must be a redundancy measure in place with physical keys.
During an attack, it’s even more important to know who exactly has access to which areas, and if there’s an intelligent key cabinet in place, managers can see that access in real-time.
While access control technology continues to advance, physical keys will remain a critical asset, whether as a primary or redundant measure, and companies must manage their usage accordingly.
As regulatory scrutiny around critical infrastructure continues to increase, utility providers also need clear, reliable ways to generate reports and support audits at a moment’s notice. In an industry where accuracy and accountability are essential, there isn’t time to rely on guesswork – operations depend on precise, transparent reporting made possible by modern key management systems.
Ultimately, technologies like intelligent key cabinets enable employees to work more safely and effectively, while giving management clear enterprise-wide visibility into operations.
In critical infrastructure, where even brief disruptions can have widespread public consequences, future-ready operational solutions are essential in helping to ensure that when we turn on the shower or start our favourite TV show, reliability is never in question because those services are equipped to do their job effectively.
