10 Years Ago
As part of our residential focus, Mul-T-Lock reported on its Code-It high security electronic lever lock and GotU digital door viewer. Jerry Levine wrote about the importance of lockshop retail space in the article “Impulse Sales Basics: Eye-Catching Displays.” In an article on car lockout tools in 2024, Steve Young asked, “As cars became more sophisticated, car-opening tools progressed from vent window tools to slim jims to long reach tools. Are electronic black boxes next?” The answer is most definitely yes. Tim O’Leary explained the maglock’s role in electronic door control, with a focus on code compliance. Another article by O’Leary looked at intercoms as profit centers. Levine provided an article on converting cylindrical locks, exterior trim, mortise locks and exit devices to electronic access control. We profiled the IP Pro Access Control System, introduced by SDC and expanded over the last decade.
20 Years Ago
Tom Gillespie described available residential hardware for modernizing an entrance door. Kwikset announced their new Powerbolt 1000. Dale Bowman covered the Medeco product line for residences. Jerry Levine showed the installation method for a Yale eBoss standalone lockset. Locksmith Ledger wrote a special report on Harry Stratton and the history of Briggs & Stratton. Rod Oden continued his interesting articles into the technical aspects of master keying. Lloyd Seliber added another master key article on the use of SKD and NMK cylinders. Locksmith Kent Stinson invented a disassembly method for rekeying Schlage 'F' series locks when an operating key is not present. Locksmith Ledger visited the Institutional Locksmith Association convention in Roanoke, Virginia. Another article described the educational value of joining a locksmith association. Gale Johnson installed a Simplex 900 latch by Kaba Access Control which also contains a key bypass cylinder. A risky safe-moving job was described as a safe was removed from a second-floor residential location. Lockmasters introduced a new video showing opening techniques for several types of safe deposit locks. Tiny fit keys to a Dodge Ram truck. Steve Kaufman offered suggestions on how to form good relationships with your customers.
Looking Forward
Editor’s note: We are revisiting this column, written 10 years ago by our late editor-in-chief, Gale Johnson, because most of his then forward-thinking points are still valid today.
Steve Hunt wrote an article on the future of locksmithing in our June, 2005 issue, citing the 4As of security: Authentication, Authorization, Administration and Audit. Locksmiths have always been connected with Authorization. Basically we install lock systems designed to prevent access by persons who do not have a key or combination to operate the lock. For over a century, authorization has been all that our customers normally expected. Our business relationship with each customer ended as soon as the lock was installed.
Authentication is used to identify who has the key or combination and if that person is who they say they are. Administration is a procedure used to add or remove privileges for key holders as circumstances change. Audit is the process of keeping records of how keys and locking systems are actually being used.
Electronics will be an important ingredient of security products in the 21st century. Part of the security package will still include mechanical locks designed to protect people and goods. A growing list of security-related items such as CCTV, biometrics and alarms is increasingly in demand by consumers. No longer is authorization the only requirement demanded by the public.
The bridge between authorization, authentication, administration and auditing can be automatically achieved with electronics. By using dual credentials such as fingerprint readers and a mechanical key, secure authentication is assured. Keys cannot be passed to an unauthorized person in order to gain entrance. Administrators can quickly add or remove access privileges. Audit trails can keep records of who accessed a door and when the access took place.
New phrases such as 'home automation' and 'access control' have become part of the language. This has not come without a price for the locksmith industry. Since both residential and commercial door locks now have electronically-operated versions, companies in allied fields such as the alarm and CCTV industries are adding electronic locks as part of their home automation or access control package of products.
Cell phones, plastic cards, keypads and biometrics are slowly taking the place of tried-and-true metal keys. Big box stores sell home automation systems which include phone-operated thermostats, lighting and deadbolt locks.
Will a locksmith business be the first company sourced when an electronic lock malfunctions? Are we prepared and trained to troubleshoot and repair electronic locksets when problems do occur?
The solution to all of this is to re-invent locksmithing for the 21st century. In order to be the first line of defense when someone needs security products, the public must be informed that locksmiths can do the job.
The future belongs to those locksmiths who use the same methods as emerging competitors from other industries are already using. One thing learned from scammers is that they know how to use the Internet to their advantage. Dynamic internet sites and social media presence are necessities. Concentrate on making the public aware of your company name and then offer the services and products in demand. Better use of advertising and new product knowledge will be the keys to success in the coming years.
