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Going Keyless with Electronic Cabinet Locks

Securing your space: The advantages of keyless electronic cabinet locks

January 10, 2023

One of the common requests for digital keyless locks in professional environments are specifically for electronic cabinet locks. These may be referred to as “cupboard” locks in some parts of the US and in other countries, but for the purpose of this article, we will refer to them as cabinet locks.

What is a keyless electronic cabinet lock?

A keyless electronic cabinet lock also referred to as a digital keyless cabinet lock, is just what the name implies: it is a lock that does not require a key to access. There are several keyless access options. An RFID cabinet lock is accessible via an RFID or radio-frequency identification, often found in an employee badge or key card access to a hotel room for example. Mobile ID access is where user identification for the lock resides on one’s mobile device. It should be noted that Digilock locks have cabinet lock options with a combination of RFID/Mobile ID access. The most familiar keyless option is keypad access where the lock is opened with the input of a code.

How are electronic cabinet locks managed?

Digilock keyless cabinet locks come with a choice of management options:

  1. A Smart Lock option that can be managed anytime/anywhere via our proprietary DigiLink® software. A Smart Lock will offer the greatest management flexibility and provide the most robust usage reports.
  2. On-premise via a dedicated tablet and electronic “key”. This advanced management system works well when on-site management is desired and some level of usage reporting is needed.
  3. On-premise via an electronic key. Great for an on-site management situation where minimal usage information is required.

Who needs electronic cabinet locks?

An electronic cabinet lock provides a simple but effective way to protect employee or patron personal belongings as well as an effective way to control access to sensitive materials without the headache of key management. An electronic cabinet lock can and should work on a cabinet door or drawer.

Use cases for select industries

There are many reasons businesses would need to protect sensitive files with an electronic cabinet lock. Here are just a few examples:

  1. In the Workspace, there are confidential employee records, financial and security data, legal information and other proprietary information that needs to be protected. For companies who already use RFID badges for building and other access, an RFID cabinet lock option is an obvious choice.
  2. In Healthcare, there are a wide variety of electronic cabinet lock needs including HIPAA-protected healthcare records to secure, medicine cabinet locks and drug cart locks. Many medical supplies require protection via digital cabinet locks on a door or drawer. Even the patient experience can benefit from an electronic lock with under bed keyless cabinet locks. We see a mix of lock access options requested in Healthcare – RFID cabinet locks as well as keypad locks and a growing trend for Mobile ID electronic cabinet locks.
  3. In the Retail environment, there are merchandise displays that can reduce shrink with the addition of an electronic cabinet lock. A great advantage of this type of lock is that it eliminates the need for store personnel to locate the manager or other key holder to unlock the cabinet. Instead, RFID locks for cabinets can be opened with a swipe of a store employee's badge.
  4. In the Hospitality industry, the electronic cabinet lock is a long overdue improvement over the small in-room safe. With jewelry, laptop computers and other guest valuables to protect, a keyless cabinet lock can be easily retrofitted into existing cabinets including dresser cabinets and under bed pull-out drawers. For hotels that use a card to access the guest room, the RFID cabinet lock option works nicely as does the keypad lock as it works on the same principle of an in-room safe: Open and available for use, unless locked with a self-selected code.

If you work in an environment where cabinet storage would benefit from more convenient and versatile protection, consider a Digilock electronic cabinet lock solution. You can learn more about our cabinet locks and other locks @digilock.com