Questions to Ask Before You Decide
The lock system that made sense five years ago may be quietly working against you now. Not because it broke, — but because the facilities it serves have changed. More locations. Distributed staff. Audit requirements that didn't exist before. A workforce that expects mobile access as a baseline.
Evaluating a move to managed lock systems doesn't have to be complicated, but it does require asking the right questions. The following guide is designed to help facilities directors, operations managers, and procurement leads think through the options and benefits to find the best solution for their facility.
What problems is your current system creating?
The starting point for any upgrade evaluation isn't product features; it's understanding the limitations and pain points of your current system.
The most common friction points facilities teams describe are time-consuming manual override processes, difficulty making credential updates with staff turnover, no audit trail when access disputes arise, and lock infrastructure that can't scale as facilities grow or consolidate.
If your team is burning hours on lock-related administration, or if an auditor has ever asked for access records you couldn't produce, you already have the business case. The question is what kind of solution addresses it.
Do you need on-site management, remote management, or both?
Managed lock systems aren't one size fits all. The right model depends on how your facilities operate, not on which product sounds most advanced.
Two primary management approaches exist. On-site management uses electronic keys and staff manage locks locally without needing a network connection or cloud access. Remote management via a networked platform moves administration off-site entirely, giving facilities teams always-on visibility and control from any browser, with no need for an administrator to be physically present at the lock.
| On-Site Management (Electronic Key) | Remote Management (DigiLink) | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Centralized facilities with on-site staff | Multi-location or distributed facilities |
| Access to usage data | Not needed or on-site only | Always-on, accessible anytime |
| IT requirements | Minimal | Network connectivity |
| Admin overhead | Low | Minimal: remote changes, no physical access needed |
| Credential options | Keypad, RFID, Mobile | Keypad, RFID, Mobile |
These two models don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Some Digilock customers choose to begin with electronic key management at single-site locations and later expand to DigiLink® remote management across their distributed locations. One benefit of managed locks is that they scale as the needs of your facility change without requiring a one-size-fits-all decision.
How much do configuration and design flexibility matter?
Locks are installed into furniture, lockers, cabinetry, and credenzas that were designed with specific dimensions, aesthetics, and orientations in mind. A lock that doesn't fit the application, literally or visually, creates problems downstream.
The relevant questions here are practical. Will the lock fit the door thickness and swing direction of your existing furniture? Can it be oriented horizontally or vertically as the application demands? Does it work for both new construction and retrofit, so you aren't replacing furniture to accommodate the hardware? Do you need it to secure non-standard spaces like drawers, file cabinets, credenzas, or supply carts? Does the finish align with your facility's design standards across every application?
Not all upgrades are clean slates. If you are looking to retrofit existing furniture and you're working with lockers, cabinets, and credenzas that already exist, the practical priority is a solution that retrofits easily. One that drops into existing cutouts with minimal to no extra drilling, can adapt to various door thicknesses, and can be installed without complicated wiring. A lock that retrofits cleanly also lets you standardize management on a single platform across older and newer spaces, instead of managing a patchwork of hardware as your facility evolves.
If you're planning on new, built-to-spec furniture, the lock must meet it. That takes a manufacturer with both the configuration range to fit the application and the engineering depth to deliver it reliably at scale. Lock manufacturers that control their own manufacturing end to end are more likely to have the breadth of form factors, finishes, and orientations needed and the consistency to deliver them reliably, because they own and control every step of production.
Which credential types do your users need?
How a person opens the lock matters as much as how you manage it. Most electronic locks support three credential types: keypad, RFID, and mobile. The right choice depends on who your users are and what credentials they already carry.
Keypad access needs no card, fob, or phone, which suits shared or high-turnover spaces where issuing physical credentials isn't practical. RFID fits users who already carry a badge or fob, such as corporate offices, hospitals, and campuses that have standardized on an access card and can extend it to lockers and cabinets. Mobile credentials let users open a lock with their smartphone, removing card-issuance overhead entirely for transient or rotating populations like hospitality, higher education, and co-working.
Many facilities need more than one. A hospital might use keypad access for patient lockers and RFID for staff access to supply cabinets; an office might issue badges to staff and mobile credentials to visitors. A lock that supports multiple credential types offers flexibility to your facility as needs and users shift, without swapping hardware.
What does total cost of ownership actually look like?
Purchase price is the easiest number to find and the least useful one for evaluating lock systems. The more relevant question is what the system costs to operate over three to five years.
Unmanaged locks carry hidden costs that compound over time: staff hours spent cutting off locks, replacing cores, and resetting credentials; lock replacement after lost keys; audit failures that require remediation; and the operational drag of not being able to make changes remotely. Networked management reduces most of these by eliminating the manual touchpoints that consume facilities staff time.
When building the internal business case, include the fully loaded cost of lock-related administration under the current system. Seen that way, the comparison looks very different from a feature-to-feature price check.
What should you ask any lock vendor, including Digilock?
Any vendor you're seriously evaluating should be able to answer these clearly:
- What credential options does the lock support (keypad, RFID, mobile), and can it be managed on-site with electronic keys, networked through a platform, or both?
- How are credentials managed and reassigned when an employee leaves or a user's access needs to change?
- What's the override process when someone is locked out, or a key or credential is lost?
- What's the power source, expected battery life, and open/close cycle rating?
- How are firmware and software updates delivered, and what is the update cadence?
- What does installation and onboarding support look like, and who owns the process?
- What usage or audit data does the system capture, and how do you access it, on-site or remotely?
- What security certifications does the management software hold? (For networked platforms, look for SOC 2 Type II.)
- For networked management, is the platform cloud-based, on-premise, or both, and what happens to the locks if connectivity is lost?
These questions apply to any vendor in the category. A good managed lock partner — Digilock included — should welcome your diligence.
Ready to talk it through with someone who can answer these questions and more?
