It's something most people will do more than once every day, most times without ever giving it a second thought: using a key to open a lock.

Whether it's to open a locker at the gym, start your car or get into your apartment at the end of a long day's work, keys have long been the standard for locking and unlocking doors.

The old adage states, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." However, the fact that something "ain't broke" doesn't necessarily mean it can't be made better.

Many people, particularly those who live in single-family homes or small apartment buildings, don't realize how much of a hassle keys can be, as they only have a few for their front door, back door and garage.

But for those who manage multifamily buildings like condo complexes or high-rise apartments, the stresses of life with hundreds of keys are all too familiar.

Keys getting lost. Keys getting duplicated. Outgoing tenants failing to return keys. The list goes on and on.

For the sake of convenience and security, now is a great time for multifamily apartment buildings to look into leaving keys behind and getting "smart" by using smart cards or other contactless access credentials for their access control programs.

Whether you're the head of a condo board at a complex in Key Largo or the building superintendent for a high-rise tower in Manhattan, there's a better way to give your residents convenient, secure access to their homes.

Reconsidering keys is the "smart" thing to do

The majority of today's workplaces require employees to carry some form of identification card. These employee badges are often pretty standard: a name, a photo, a title, maybe a company logo.

There's a reason why such a format is so popular: it works.

Simplicity is king in many cases, with organizations settling for the basics because they're not aware of the other options out there.

However, if you're settling for a basic ID card for your employees, you're missing out on an opportunity to make your ID program even more powerful.

ID cards all perform one key function: they verify the identity of the wearer. However, you can also use your ID credentials to perform a variety of other tasks.

By simply changing the kind of card stock you use and adding some equipment, you can take your ID card program from "ID only" to "wow, this card does a lot!"

In doing so, you can make life easier on your employees, offer a better way to track attendance and more, taking your ID program to another level.

Keep the ID, but do more with it

Wristbands are everywhere!

These versatile accessories are used in a variety of different circumstances:

• They're issued at music festivals to verify the wearer has access to a particular area
• They're used at concerts and bars to verify that the wearer is over the age of 21
• They're used for fundraising and awareness (think LIVESTRONG bracelets)

Yes, most people have encountered wristbands in some way, shape or form.

However, in recent years, wristbands have been adopted for a different kind of use, one that may have never crossed your mind: as access credentials in formerly card-based access control systems.

These wristbands look a lot like awareness wristbands, but are different in one key way: they can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks, including opening doors, making payments and recording attendance.