Keeping Storage Units Safe and Sound: How ProdataKey Protects Self Storage Facilities
- ProdataKey
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
The self storage industry plays a critical role in today’s world, giving individuals, families, and businesses a secure place to store their valuable belongings. This industry has grown rapidly over time—and with thousands of self storage facilities across the United States, the need for reliable security in these spaces is higher than ever before.
The following white paper dives into the security needs of self storage facilities, and explores the various solutions that ProdataKey (PDK) provides through its cloud-based access control technologies.
What is Self Storage?
Around the world, people use self storage services for countless reasons—life transitions, moves, seasonal storage, business needs, and more. Today, there are more than 52,000 self storage facilities in the United States alone (Storeganise), with an average of 545 units within each facility (Modern Storage Media). self storage units typically contain a wide variety of items, ranging from furniture to electronics, sports equipment, and more. A report from StorageCafe reveals the average distribution of items contained in self storage units, with furniture, clothing, home appliances and equipment accounting for over half of all items.
Items contained within storage units carry significant financial or emotional value, so protecting these objects is essential. Utilizing these spaces requires customers to place significant trust in the managers of self storage companies. In order to deliver the security and storage experience that customers have grown to expect, self storage companies must continue to innovate and explore new ways that they can keep their facilities safe, smart, and seamless at all times.
Considerations for Self Storage Companies
As operators work to meet the rising demands and expectations of their customers, they must be aware of several notable considerations that will shape the success of their companies. Security sits strongly at the forefront, as storage properties are frequent targets for theft and burglary. At the same time, customers today expect seamless access and convenience. The following section dives into these two considerations and explores why self storage operators need to prioritize reliable security and convenience at all times.
Security Threats
The self storage industry has observed a notable increase in security threats in recent years. These threats include incidents of theft, arson, vandalism, and more—with theft in particular standing out as the most prominent.
A study conducted by news outlet WSMV4 looked at records gathered from storage facilities in the Metro Nashville area, and found that over 75% of these facilities reported theft, holdups, robberies, or burglaries at some point in time.
Additionally, burglary statistics available through the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer reveal a concerning upwards trajectory in this industry. In 2014, there were a reported 9,411 burglary incidents in rental storage facilities across the United States. By 2023, the number of yearly incidents surpassed 40,000—and there’s no sign of things slowing down.
Many self storage facilities are sparsely staffed, large-scale, multi-building properties with various access points. These factors make self storage spaces increasingly attractive to individuals seeking quick and undetected entries and exits. The presence of high-value items adds additional incentive for theft. Over time, operators have expressed a heightened awareness of these trends; with a survey from Modern Storage Media showing that 85% of self storage owner-operators reported an explicit concern surrounding theft and break-ins.
The financial impact of a single security incident in a self storage facility can be devastating. Pro-Vigil reports that self storage incidents have a typical cost of $11,000 per storage unit—a figure that easily compounds when multiple units are victims of the same event. In addition to the monetary loss, these incidents carry long-term consequences: operators must deal with complicated insurance claims, navigate damaged customer trust, and repair the physical infrastructure—all while dealing with the reputational harm that could dissuade future customers from using their services.
Customer and Staff Convenience
While security remains the utmost concern for self storage operators, customer convenience has become essential for finding and retaining customers. In today’s age, customers expect seamless, tech-savvy systems that make storage as easy and accessible as can be. Particularly for facilities that offer extended hours or 24/7 access, customers expect reliable operations and simple access to their unit at all times of the day and night. Any mechanisms that get in the way of this convenience—like out-of-date, troublesome hardware or burdensome rings of keys—threaten to redirect customers’ business elsewhere. In order to retain these users, convenience is a necessity.
Convenience is also important for self storage staff, who benefit greatly from smart systems that reduce administrative tasks, minimize troubleshooting, and allow facilities to function seamlessly around the clock. When staff no longer deal with issues like lost keys or appearing on-site to resolve access issues, they gain more time to focus on customer service and facility upkeep.
PDK’s Solutions for Self Storage Facilities
As providers of industry-leading access control solutions, ProdataKey is equipped with the security technologies needed to keep self storage facilities secure and running smoothly. The following section dives into the various ways that PDK empowers self storage spaces to create a security ecosystem that prevents incidents while delivering unmatched convenience and ease of use.
Reliable Access Rules and Scheduling
ProdataKey delivers the ability to create reliable, custom access rules for any space. In self storage in particular, custom access rules are a necessity. Facilities vary in their operational hours, and PDK makes it simple to create auto open schedules built around a unique facility schedule. This allows self storage complexes to easily secure exterior entry points and gates as well as interior hallway doors in accordance with the hours they need to be used. Whether a space is open 24/7 or from dusk to dawn, reliable schedules can be programmed with ease.
In addition to automatic schedules, security managers can easily use PDK.io to program access groups—providing different levels of access to different groups of people. For example, a system manager could create a Staff group, giving staff members access to offices and storage areas that may be off-limits to customers. Alternatively, a system could utilize a Customer or Renter group, allowing members access to only the specific areas of the facility that contain their units. These groups can be configured in a matter of minutes, and updated from any device, at any time.
Integrated Security Solutions
ProdataKey integrates with many of the industry’s leading security technologies, empowering dealers to create integrated, unified security ecosystems that protect facilities from all angles. In particular, video management systems are a powerful tool when used alongside access control. By integrating PDK with a surveillance system, users can have access to bookmarked events, real-time triggers, and instant alerts. In the event that a theft takes place, self storage staff can look through integrated access and video logs to find not only the exact moment that an unauthorized entry occurred, but they can directly access video logs of the entire event. This equips staff with the information needed to properly address the incident and find the instigator.
In addition to addressing security incidents after the fact, integrations are also useful tools for preventing incidents in the first place. In the study “Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender’s Perspective”, researcher Joseph B. Kuhns shared some key insights into actions that facilities can take to prevent incidents of theft.
Of the various mechanisms investigated, the top four burglary deterrents were found to be police presence, the indication of alarms, outdoor camera presence, and security signage. Two of these four deterrents—alarms and cameras—can be easily integrated with any ProdataKey 2.0 system.
By integrating alarms and cameras into their PDK systems, self storage facilities can put forward a strong security presence that prevents many crimes from happening in the first place. Ultimately, a fully integrated security system built around PDK’s cloud-based platform helps self storage facilities achieve a proactive, informed approach to safety.
Convenience and Ease of Use
Convenience is paramount for the satisfaction and overall storage experience of customers and staff alike. Customers utilizing self storage want to do so with ease, feeling like they can store and access their items without any unnecessary roadblocks. Additionally, staff need to be able to complete daily tasks and operations without the burden of on-premise, out-of-date security mechanisms. To address these needs, PDK has created an access control experience that prioritizes convenience above all else.
One of the areas where PDK delivers unmatched convenience is credentialing. In particular, ProdataKey’s mobile credentials offer a seamless access experience—and they are the favorite credential of a majority of ProdataKey dealers, according to a recent poll. Rather than switching between various keys, users can move through the parts of a facility they have access to with one single credential. Additionally, PDK’s mobile credentials allow for remote unlocking and locking—giving managers extra control over their space without being on-site.
Mobile credentials can be assigned, updated, or revoked remotely, giving greater flexibility to both staff and customers. Rather than picking up a credential in-person, customers can receive and activate credentials directly on their phone. Alternatively, if a customer has missed a payment or no longer utilizes the service, staff can update their access permissions remotely—no more tracking down keys or switching locks.
Advanced Security and Convenience Through Modern Access Control
ProdataKey’s access control solutions provide self storage facilities with the tools needed to keep their property safe at all times. PDK enables security experts to create environments that are easy to manage, convenient to utilize, and reliable each and every day. From programming automatic access schedules to integrating state-of-the-art tools, the sky is the limit for self storage security with PDK.
As the self storage industry continues to grow, forward-thinking operators can rely on PDK as a solution that not only solves current challenges, but also strengthens the foundation of their business.
ProdataKey (PDK) is a team of security integrators with decades of hands-on, in-the-field experience. PDK believes that the best technology is created by professionals who know what it takes to secure a facility properly and provide the end-user with a solution that instills confidence and safety.
PDK is passionate about creating technology to enhance the security, safety, and overall experience of both the professionals installing electronic access control and those that live with and use the system. PDK continues to create technology every day to enhance its products and the products of its technology partners.
