Blog+Key
News and updates
What we build, who we work with, and what we learn along the way — the Log+Key blog.
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Behind the scenesPHP2Shell: Log+Key is not affected
The critical PHP vulnerability PHP2Shell does not affect Log+Key: the software uses no PHP. What that means and what to check in your organisation now.
Since 21 October 2026 it has been in the news: a critical security vulnerability in PHP, known as “PHP2Shell”. If you use Log+Key, you may be wondering right now whether your key data is at risk. Or your IT team is asking you. The short answer: No. Log+Key is not affected, and you do not need to do anything.
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GuidesWhere is the patient’s key? How home care services end the chaos at shift handover
Patients’ keys that go missing before a round cost valuable care time and unsettle the team. This article explains how home care services digitise their key management and keep it ready for care-quality inspections.
Picture the situation: the early shift starts in 15 minutes and the rounds have been assigned. But when you reach into the key cabinet, Mrs Meyer’s front-door key is missing. The colleague from the late shift probably still has it in her coat pocket after going home. Sound familiar?
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GuidesFrom the workshop to the showroom: smart key management for car dealerships and fleets
When customers wait in the showroom because a vehicle key can’t be found, customer satisfaction suffers. This article shows how dealerships and workshops keep track of every vehicle key digitally, at any time.
Picture the situation: a prospective buyer in the showroom would like a test drive on the spot. The salesperson happily agrees and reaches into the key safe — but the hook is empty. The key is somewhere between vehicle preparation and the workshop. Sound familiar? In a car dealership, vehicle keys move between departments all day long.
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GuidesNot a second lost on a call-out: how home emergency call services secure their property keys digitally
When an alarm comes in, every minute decides how fast help arrives. This article shows how modern home emergency call services digitise access to keys — and take the liability risk out of it.
Picture the situation: at three in the morning an emergency call reaches the control centre. The responder jumps into the vehicle, but at the key cabinet there is confusion. The key is not where it should be. Sound familiar? When precious minutes are lost searching in an emergency, people’s health is at stake.
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GuidesNo more misplaced keys in property management: digital security for your property keys
An owner asks where all the master keys are and the key book is no help: we look at five typical key situations in property management — and how to get them under control with Log+Key.
Picture the situation: after a change of tenant, an owner asks where every single master key is. If at that moment someone first has to dig through old paper key books, or nobody knows which tradesperson last took the key, the management company quickly struggles to explain itself.
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GuidesNo more misplaced keys: the digital solution for your caretaker business
A burst pipe on a Friday night and the master key is missing: we look at five typical key situations from everyday caretaker work — and how to get them under control with Log+Key.
Picture the situation: Friday, 10 pm — water damage at a business park. The emergency team is on its way and time is short if bigger damage is to be avoided. But when someone reaches for the key cabinet at the depot, there is a nasty surprise: the master key is missing.
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UpdatesLog+Key 2.5 is live: plan management, custom roles and new convenience features
With Log+Key 2.5 you manage your plan and user permissions yourself: Billing & Subscription in the app, custom roles, links and type-specific fields on objects, plus plenty of convenience features for contacts, the terminal and overviews.
Log+Key 2.5 is our next big step: we’re putting you in full control of your plan and your user permissions. In this post you’ll find out how the new plan management, self-configurable roles and handy convenience features make your day-to-day object management noticeably easier.
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Behind the scenesWhat a works depot and municipal utilities taught us about keys in the public sector
Six lessons from a municipal works depot and municipal companies: why the review comes before the product, why responsibility is an office and not a person — and what the audit office asks about years later.
Public institutions are our youngest segment: one municipal works depot and two municipal companies — plus the requirement lists from public-sector buyers that reach us long before a single key is scanned. That is exactly why the segment belongs in this series.
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Behind the scenesWhat building service providers taught us about keys in the field
Six lessons from ten building service providers: why the key store is the bottleneck, why proof towards the client counts — and why tools are just one more object.
In the previous parts of this series the keys always belonged to the business itself or to its clients. In building services it is different: the keys belong to the customer.
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Behind the scenesWhat car dealerships taught us about vehicle keys
Six lessons from five car dealerships: why search time is the only metric that counts, why the key belongs to the vehicle rather than the hook — and why the DMS stays the leading system.
The car dealership is the youngest segment in this series — and the only one where the key does not belong to a door but to an object that can drive away by itself. That changes more than you might think. In an alarm service the client key hangs in the same place for years; in property management often for decades.
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Behind the scenesWhat property management firms taught us about key handovers
Six lessons from six property management firms: why the follow-up question costs more than the loss, what tenant changes and contractors demand of the process — and why Excel survives so long here.
Assisted-living alarm services and home care — the first two parts of this series — have one thing in common: the keys belong to clients, and the team carrying them is your own. In property management, both are different. The keys belong to buildings you manage on behalf of owners.
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Behind the scenesWhat home care services taught us about client keys
Six lessons from 14 home care services: why client keys go missing differently on the road than in alarm services — and what actually helps.
The first part of this series covered assisted-living alarm services — there, keys stay in storage and only travel during a call-out. Home care is the opposite case: here the keys are constantly on the move. Every round starts at the key rack of the care station and ends there again — ideally.
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Behind the scenesWhat assisted-living alarm services taught us about key processes
Six lessons from 21 assisted-living alarm organisations at DRK, Johanniter and Malteser: why key processes break at night — and what helps.
Assisted-living alarm services are the sector Log+Key grew out of: in 2020, in a room at the Johanniter, in front of a handwritten key book and several thousand client keys.
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GuidesKey management best practice: the guide
How to manage keys properly: the lifecycle, seven best practices drawn from around 70 organisations, and an honest comparison of paper, Excel and software.
A key is handed out in seconds — and is remarkably hard to track down again. Anyone working in an organisation with 50, 500 or 5,000 keys knows the situation: a contractor is waiting at the door, a response vehicle needs to leave, an employee has resigned. And the decisive question is the same every time: who has the key — and since when?
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Behind the scenesAI builds our website. It does not build our software.
Our website is built with AI, our software is not built without people: why we apply different rules to each — and what that means for your data.
An admission first: this website — the page you are reading this article on — was largely built by artificial intelligence. The code behind the blog, the landing pages, many first drafts of the copy: AI work, directed and reviewed by a team of designers, editors and developers.
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GuidesViewings without key panic: how estate agents cut their liability risk
The property key has vanished and the viewing starts in 30 minutes. We look at the five most common key risks in an estate agency — and how to get them under control with Log+Key.
Picture the situation: in 30 minutes you have a viewing for a promising property. The prospective buyers are already on their way and everything is perfectly prepared. But when you reach for the key board in the office, you grasp thin air. Where is the property key? Which colleague still has it in their pocket from the last appointment?
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UpdatesLog+Key 2.4: NFC sign-in, smarter object assignment and more
The 2.4 update makes your day-to-day key management even more convenient: NFC sign-in at the terminal, a reworked object assignment, more precise user management and automatic reminders for overdue keys.
With the update to version 2.4, we're rolling out new features that make your day-to-day key management even more convenient — from lightning-fast sign-in at the terminal to an expanded object assignment.
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UpdatesSign in at the terminal with your personal NFC tag
Version 2.4 makes signing in at the Log+Key terminal faster than ever: users can now be assigned a personal NFC tag that works like a key card — one wave of the hand and you're signed in.
Version 2.4 is here — and it makes the path to your keys shorter than ever. From now on, you can sign in at the Log+Key terminal with your personal NFC tag: one wave of your hand past the terminal, and you're in.
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GuidesUp to €40,000 in funding: how home care services can finance digitalisation with Log+Key
The state of Lower Saxony funds the digitalisation of home care services in rural areas with up to €40,000 per year. Introducing and running Log+Key qualifies as an eligible digitalisation measure – and we support you with the application free of charge.
If you run a home care service that mainly looks after people in need of care in rural areas, there is a real opportunity in Lower Saxony right now: through the state programme 'Strengthening home care in rural areas', the state funds digitalisation projects with up to €40,000 per care service and calendar year.
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UpdatesLog+Key+3: The highlights from versions 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3
Behind the scenes, Log+Key is continuously optimised and improved. With versions 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 we've rolled out a whole series of small and large updates that make your day-to-day key management even more intuitive, flexible and clear.
The history is the heart of complete documentation. So you can find what you're looking for even faster, we've reworked and tidied up the history from the ground up. You can now filter entries by an exact time, or show only your own history with a single click.
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UpdatesUnlocked: Log+Key 2.0
Noticeable improvements and an even sharper focus on efficient digital key management — that's Log+Key 2.0!
With our 2.0 update we've thoroughly reworked the table view. Columns can now be shown or hidden individually and arranged to suit your needs. Filters have been made clearer and more compact, so they're quicker to take in. The history is now far more visual, too: actions such as checkout or return are shown as intuitive badges.
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UpdatesThree Releases with Many Small Updates
With versions 1.14, 1.15 and 1.16, Log+Key has introduced numerous detail improvements that make day-to-day use considerably more intuitive, efficient and transparent.
One focus of the recent releases was optimising user guidance and workflow processes. The checkout and return process has been reworked and now guides users even more clearly through the individual steps with the help of newly structured pop-ups.
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Success StoriesDigitalisation in the emergency services of the Cologne Johanniter
The Johanniter Cologne now rely on digital key management with Log+Key across all operational services.
With the introduction of the system, key requirements such as security, transparency and efficiency in key management have been consistently met. Every checkout and return of operational keys is now recorded electronically, enabling seamless documentation and a marked optimisation of internal processes.
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Success StoriesNationwide Key Management at Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe
Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe is now rolling out Log+Key nationwide — for greater transparency, security and efficiency in day-to-day key management. A strong signal for digital responsibility in social-care work.
With more than 290,000 home emergency call customers nationwide, Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V. is one of the largest social-care organisations in Germany. What many people don't see: behind this figure lies an immense logistical and organisational effort, and with it a great responsibility.
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Success Stories UpdatesFrom Feedback to Feature: Documenting Vehicle Location
A realised improvement suggestion now brings even more efficiency to the day-to-day work at the car dealership with Log+Key.
Since the introduction of Log+Key, daily life at the car dealership has become significantly simpler: key processes now run in a more structured way, and a clear overview of vehicles and their keys is effortlessly guaranteed at all times.
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GuidesSafety by design: how today's care services handle documentation
In home care, the secure handling of front-door keys has long been part of quality management and plays a role in inspections. Digital systems like Log+Key support this efficiently and transparently.
In home care, that is no trivial matter — it is a genuine risk factor. Care workers are responsible for people, but also for their front-door keys. Unclear responsibilities or missing documentation can quickly lead to stress, delays or security gaps, both for patients and for the team.
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UpdatesDeveloped together, improved for everyone — the new Log+Key 1.12
With Log+Key 1.12 we are taking the next step and launching features that have come straight out of everyday practice. Together with Stiftung Solina we have implemented specific requirements from day-to-day care work — and these improvements are now available to all Log+Key users.
Signatures can now be captured flexibly on a separate tablet or touchscreen — perfect for reception desks or handovers to customers and staff. With the new assignment function, authorised people can check out or return keys on behalf of others. Especially handy for team leaders or coordinators!
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UpdatesLots of new things with Log+Key 1.11
Good news for our terminal users: Log+Key 1.11 comes with some important terminal updates! But of course our latest update also brings plenty of improvements for everyone else.
Return dates and comments can now be added with every checkout and return. For detailed, organised documentation of your key movements. After a successful checkout/return, head straight back to the key overview and lose no time in the process. Our auto-logout countdown can now be cancelled. Is a key taking its time to come back?
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UpdatesLog+Key 1.10 is here!
We are delighted to present the latest features and improvements. Dive in with us and explore the exciting new additions in Log+Key 1.10
From now on you can assign objects and keys to locations. This immediately brings you an important new capability: inventory checks can now be carried out by location. In upcoming updates we will extend this feature to grant user groups access to specific locations. This lets you map more complex organisational hierarchies with ease.
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Success StoriesLog+Key at the Car Dealership: A Success Story
We have successfully rolled out Log+Key at a large car dealership with multiple locations.
A large group of car dealerships in North Rhine-Westphalia has introduced Log+Key across several locations — with tangible success: greater oversight, less effort and safer handling of vehicle keys in everyday work. We are delighted to be able to share this account of their experience.
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Success StoriesSuccessful key management at Caritas
Using Log+Key saves not only money and time, but resources too. With such a large number of key movements, it all adds up quickly — and that after just 11 months in use.
The Caritas Krefeld has reached an impressive milestone: 200,000 key movements with our digital solution Log+Key. Using this figure, we simply ran the numbers on all the benefits of Log+Key and discovered that you save not only time and money but also significant resources.
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Success StoriesWhere are Mrs Meyer's flat keys?
In the latest issue of Caritas in NRW, Regina Schüren of Caritas Krefeld talks about our successful collaboration.
We are especially happy when our customers are satisfied with Log+Key and we can actively solve problems. Log+Key was founded with the goal of simplifying everyday working processes.
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Behind the scenesLearning by Doing at Log+Key
Practical projects primarily serve students, giving them their first chance to apply what they have learnt in a commercial, hands-on setting. But we as a company benefit enormously from them too.
As part of their interdisciplinary project, five students from FH Aachen developed a digital billing tool for Log+Key that simplifies the processes behind our organisational work. Over the four months, we picked up plenty of new experiences ourselves, which we would like to share with you in detail in this blog post.
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Behind the scenesThe Road to the Perfect Hardware Partner
From the early days with smartphones, through the difficulties with consumer tablets, to the partnership with gekartel: a blog article that sheds light on our search for the perfect terminal hardware.
At the Log+Key terminal you can scan your keys conveniently and in a flash, making it easy to register checkouts and returns. To do this, we rely on the high-quality touch terminals from gekartel AG. In this blog article, find out how this partnership came about and what advantages gekartel's professional terminal hardware offers.
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UpdatesOn to the next round with Log+Key 1.1!
After 1.0 comes 1.1 – the next version of Log+Key is ready to rumble, and we couldn't be prouder to introduce the new features to you.
After the successful launch of Log+Key 1.0, we're not resting on our laurels – instead we're getting straight back to it, more motivated than ever! Inspired by the individual wishes of our customers, we got right down to work. The result is a handful of new features built around the polished user experience of our terminal solution.
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Behind the scenesHow do you design a key management app?
This was exactly the question we asked ourselves at the start. As a UX designer, designing the "Log+Key" web app was an exciting and challenging task.
But how do you design an app like this? This article aims to shed light on the challenges, requirements and approaches involved in designing such a web app from the perspective of a UX designer. How do you design something that doesn't yet exist?
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UpdatesHello Log+Key 1.0!
We're live! Log+Key is now online with the new version 1.0. Exciting new features, improved user guidance, a reworked codebase and much more.
On Monday the moment finally arrived: we were able to share Log+Key 1.0 with the whole world! After an intensive stretch of work, we're delighted to announce the wide-ranging updates: Log+Key 1.0 comes not only with improved user guidance, but also with numerous new features and a thoroughly overhauled codebase.
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Behind the scenesThe origins of Log+Key
How did we first come up with the idea that businesses could benefit significantly from a digital key management solution?
Like every good story, the Log+Key story begins with a fundamental vision: analogue, cumbersome processes need simple, digital solutions. In short: businesses need digitalisation to make their processes more efficient, simpler and more relaxed. The topic of digitalisation is everywhere today.
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