Operators of critical infrastructures (CRITIS) are required to protect them from external influences. This includes sabotage and terrorist attacks. Replacing a mechanical locking system with an electronic one makes CRITIS significantly more resilient and also more economical. Our current white paper shows how great the savings potential is – and the accompanying online calculator enables a quick calculation.  

The number of cyberattacks on critical infrastructures in Germany has been increasing for years. In the health sector alone, an increase of 45 percent was recorded in 2021. But it is not only IT that needs to be protected from access by unauthorised persons. Technical systems and buildings can also be the target of acts of sabotage in the form of deliberate misuse or manipulation. If these are classified as security-relevant by the legislator, they are subject to the so-called Major Accidents Ordinance.

In this case, the operator is obliged to secure the systems against tampering by unauthorised persons with targeted measures and to develop a corresponding protection concept.

Part of this can be the replacement of the classic mechanical locking system with an electronic one.
Because in this way

• it can be traced at any time when which person had access to which area of the building
• Previously authorised persons can be denied access to the building immediately or without delay by returning the key.
• access authorisation cannot be illegally duplicated in the form of duplicate keys
• unauthorised persons have no chance of gaining access

Options that mechanical locking systems do not offer, but which are part of the standards of a modern basic protection concept – especially in critical areas such as control or IT centres or energy supply systems.

Electronic locking systems not only more secure, but also more economical

In addition to the security aspect, there are also many other advantages that speak for the implementation of an electronic locking system. Vor allem wirtschaftliche. This is because the costs of a locking system account for far more than the expenses for its acquisition. Thus, the acquisition or retention of a mechanical locking system is subject to various cost risks.

Among them:
– Replacement of all cylinders in the event of loss of the master key and production of a correspondingly large number of new keys.
– Provision of security staff until the replacement cylinders are installed
– Financial losses due to burglary or vandalism
– High key costs due to high staff turnover
– Data theft
– Expansion of the master key system due to structural alterations

You can easily calculate the savings potential in your company with the ASSA ABLOY online calculator.

Simply enter parameters such as the number of doors, gates or employees, select the desired term and you will receive a meaningful overview of all the costs you could incur in connection with a mechanical locking system over the next few years.

The result is usually always clear: after just a few years – depending on the required security level – the electronic locking system is significantly more economical than a mechanical one.

Whitepaper “Cost-effectiveness considerations for locking systems

If you would like to delve deeper into cost comparisons, you will find useful information in the current ASSA ABLOY white paper “Cost-effectiveness considerations for locking systems”. The focus here is on:

• Acquisition and installation,
• operating costs and administration,
• flexibility and sustainability
• risk assessments and insurance, each considered for purely mechanical, mechatronic and electronic locking solutions.

Particularly helpful for estimating the costs of one’s own locking system are also checklists with parameters that should be taken into account when preparing the full cost calculation – including various activities as well as hardware and software services.

This is important because these are often forgotten in the calculation. Das jedoch kann ins Geld gehen. For example, the electricity costs of card readers at one hundred doors, which are supplied with power by cable, add up to around 11,000 euros over 10 years.
In addition, the white paper also includes risk assessments on the consequences of a key loss and highlights the costs and also the time required for related measures.
On this basis, it is possible to quickly calculate on one’s own whether the loss of a master key of a mechanical solution alone is worth converting to an electronic or mechatronic master key system.