You will need to use a GSA lock if you manage certain high-security items, such as private documents, weapons, or other valuable and sensitive materials. These are special locks that are specifically designed to hold these items and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Still, they must be installed by certified professionals who are thoroughly trained to manage these locks and vaults.
Whether you need to install, open, or repair your GSA lock, you need to know how to find the right team of professionals to get the job done and keep your items as safe as possible. Remember that this isn’t an easy task, so we created the following guide on how to choose the best GSA locksmith for you. Please keep reading if you want to learn more about this.
What Is a GSA Lock?
GSA stands for General Services Administration, which makes GSA locks and vaults high-security containers governmentally certified to contain valuable items, such as classified documents and weapons that only certain people must have access to.
These items could contain confidential information that could be used to extort people and take money from them. They could also contain copyrighted information that others would find appealing to steal.
Therefore, these GSA-approved locks and vaults were created to protect others from getting these items. Banks could also use them to keep their money away from thieves.
Types of Security Containers
Now that we know what these containers are, we must learn more about their types. You can get two GSA-approved containers, which are meant to hold two different types of items.
Class Five Containers
Class five containers commonly store weapons and other valuable items, such as money, precious metals, and jewels. These are the type of containers you will find at banks and financial institutions. They can also be used to store classified documents, materials, equipment, and components.
Although they provide the same protection as class six containers, they offer 10 minutes of extra protection against forced entry attacks. You will find several types of class five containers, such as file cabinets, weapon storage, IPS, and map and plan.
Some of them are meant to only hold one type of material, such as weapons, so they can’t be used to hold other materials, as they could get easily damaged by the conditions of the vault.
Class Six Containers
On the other hand, class six containers are specially designed to store classified information and documents. Some of the most common documents in these vaults are maps, drawings, and plans, usually related to governmental activities that only certain people can access.
They also come in several presentations, such as map and plan, and file cabinet styles. Some of them are only used in DoD ships, so they were specially designed to protect the information the crew will need on those ships.
Five Reasons You Need Expert GSA Locksmith Services
Once you decide you need a GSA lock or vault, you can’t simply get any commercial locksmith to install it. The chances are that the information you’re going to store is too confidential to trust a common locksmith with it. That’s why you need to hire a certified GSA locksmith who can take care of your items and install a 100% safe vault.
Still, it is also crucial to determine when you need to hire one of these certified locksmiths. Some of the most common scenarios are the following.
1- You Need to Replace a Faulty or Damaged GSA Lock
Although these vaults are extremely strong and made of materials that aren’t likely to get damaged often, they can wear out or get damaged once time has passed. Therefore, if you start to notice your lock isn’t working as effectively as it should, please make sure to immediately call a certified GSA locksmith to not compromise your items.
2- You Need to Repair Your Current Locks
Sometimes you won’t need to completely replace your locks, but if you notice any damage on your GSA lock, your safest bet is still to call a commercial GSA locksmith to get it fixed as soon as possible.
Remember that damage can get worse if you don’t take care of it immediately, and you may need to replace your lock, which would cause you to waste much more money than simply fixing it.
3- You Need to Duplicate the Key
Although these safety GSA vaults are supposed to be as difficult to enter as possible, you definitely won’t want to get locked out of your container, as this would make it impossible for you to access your valuable items.
If you want to avoid this annoying situation, the best thing you can do is duplicate your access key and keep it somewhere safe in case you break or lose your current one.
4- You Need to Upgrade Your GSA Lock
Technology will keep upgrading every day, which means you may need to eventually upgrade your GSA lock to ensure it is as up-to-date as possible. This will provide a higher level of safety, but only expert locksmiths who never stop training themselves will know how to properly do this job.
5- You Need to Install a Government-approved GSA Lock
If you’ve never used a GSA lock, this is probably the first service you will need from your GSA locksmith. They will teach you everything you need to know about these locks and guide you through several brands until you find the perfect one for you.
Bottom Line
Keeping their valuable information and items safe is one of most people’s main concerns. Therefore, GSA-approved locks and vaults have become extremely popular, but not many people have the necessary information to pick the right one.
Now you know all the basics you need to keep your items as safe as possible by hiring a commercial GSA locksmith. If you found this information useful, we recommend you check out the rest of our page to learn more about similar subjects.
