What does "electronic" actually mean here?
Anyone searching for electronic key management today usually lands on hardware vendors — large key cabinets with a code pad or RFID card readers. There is a historical reason for this: before cloud software became accessible to every SME, "electronic" was practically a synonym for "electronic key safe". By now the term is considerably broader.
Today, electronic key management simply means: the movements of physical keys are documented digitally. Which device the documentation is created on — a safe pad, a smart-lock app or a web browser on a smartphone — is, for the moment, an open question. It is precisely this openness that opens up an approach that gets by without a large purchase.
The three archetypes of electronic key management
From conversations with prospective customers, three fundamentally different types of solution emerge — all legitimate, but for very different use cases:
1. Electronic key safe
A lockable cabinet with a code pad, RFID card reader or biometric access. When it is opened, the system logs who opened the safe. Which key was then taken or hung back up is usually not recorded — it has to be documented separately. Sensible where many high-value keys are kept at a central site and there is a high security need against physical theft. Purchase cost typically €500 to €5,000 as a one-off, plus optional maintenance.
2. Electronic locking system (smart locks)
Instead of physical keys, an electronic lock is used that opens via a smartphone app, chip or code. Strictly speaking this is not key management but key avoidance — the physical key disappears entirely. Sensible for a small number of doors with a high volume of handovers (e.g. holiday lets). Allow €50 to €200 per lock. For a keyring with 60 flat keys, this solution would quickly become uneconomical.
3. Key management software (cloud)
The keys remain physical — but every movement is documented digitally. Staff scan an NFC tag or pick a key in the app, and the system logs the time, the person and the context. It works without buying hardware safes or swapping out a locking system. With Log+Key, this starts in the free tier at €0 for up to 10 keys and scales linearly with the number of keys. You will find the full software feature set on the software landing page.
Where the electronic safe reaches its limits
An electronic key safe reliably solves exactly one problem: the physical security of the keys. But it typically leaves three questions open:
- Who took the key afterwards? The safe logs that someone opened it at 8:47 with a valid code — not which of the 200 keys in the safe then left in which hand.
- How do I pass the key on later? Handovers to tradespeople or cleaners happen outside the safe. You still have to document these movements manually — or they go undocumented.
- What happens if I have multiple sites? Each site needs its own safe, and each safe its own code management. There is no central view across all sites.
On top of this comes the economic aspect: a mid-range safe costs as much as one or two years of a software solution. For small teams or a small number of keys, the outlay is not necessarily in proportion.
How software solves it differently
Cloud-based key management turns the axis around: it is not the place of storage that is secured electronically, but every movement of the key. In concrete terms, that means:
- A complete history per key. Who issued it, who returned it, when, who it was passed on to, and with which signature. Searchable, exportable, audit-proof.
- Mobile use instead of a fixed location. Handovers happen where the work happens — in the car, at the tenant's, at the wall terminal, at the desk. Everything syncs in real time.
- External recipients without an account. Tradespeople sign on a tablet or terminal, cleaners likewise — no onboarding, no password, just a signature.
- Your existing safe stays usable. Via the Wiegand interface, common safe and locking systems can be connected to Log+Key, so that the movement there also lands automatically in the history.
- Get started with no hardware investment. A free tier up to 10 keys, then predictable monthly pricing. No setup effort, no safe delivery time, no installation.
For a conceptual overview of all the building blocks — software, hardware, process — see What is a key management system?
