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Organization Structure: Why it matters & how inheritance works (concepts)

This article will help you strategically design your organization's structure to optimize access control and key management.

Yassine Jouahri avatar
Written by Yassine Jouahri
Updated this week

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Do you need an organization structure at all?

If you only have one or a few Key Automats in the same area, and everyone who uses them should have the same access, you can skip creating an organization structure. Keep everything directly under the root Organization and manage buildings/sections there—simple and effective.

However, if there’s any chance your operations will grow, it’s smart to add a minimal structure early. Growth triggers include:

  • You expect multiple sites/locations or properties

  • You’ll need to separate access (e.g., by customer, department, or site)

  • You want different email/SMS templates or contact details per region/unit

  • You operate in multiple towns/countries or time zones

  • You give vendors/contractors access only to specific places

Recommended starter layout (keep it minimal):

  • Single region today but likely to expand → Organization → Town

  • Operating in several cities → Organization → Country → Town

  • Locksmith managing customers → Organization → Town → Company (per customer)

You can add units later and move buildings/Key Automats under them. It’s straightforward, but planning a thin structure now reduces future rework and keeps access inheritance clean.


Organization Unit Types

LivionKey currently offers the following types of organization units:

Type

Description

Organization

The root level of your hierarchy, always present. You cannot create additional units of this type

Country

Ideal for multinational organizations

Area

Represents geographical regions within a country.

Town

District

Company

Specifically for locksmith companies managing keys for their customers

Other

Use this for any other organizational unit that doesn't fit the above categories

Notes:

  • Normal users cannot create a new organization unit of type “organization”

  • Created buildings and building sections are also part of the organization hierarchy, allowing for granular access control at the building level.


Examples

Let's explore a few examples to illustrate how different organizations might structure their LivionKey hierarchy.

A locksmith company case:

  • Locksmith Company (Organization)

    • Finland (Country)

    • Helsinki (Town)

      • Customer A (Company)

        • Building 1

        • Building 2

      • Customer B (Company)

        • Building a

        • Building b

A multinational company case:

  • A Multinational Company (Organization)

    • Spain (Country)

    • Germany (Country)

    • Sweden (Country)

      • South (Area) * Only if relevant to the company structure

        • Malmö (Town)

          • Building 1

          • Building 2

    • Finland (Country)

Tip: Only introduce Area (like “South”) if it truly exists in your operations. Minimal, meaningful levels are best.

A small company case:

  • Small Company (Organization)

    • Building 1

    • Building 2

Tip: Keep it simple. Add levels only when they change who owns, manages, or needs access to something.


Managing Organization Units

LivionKey Register - Organization tree view

Creating a New Unit

  1. Navigate to the "Organizations" view using the left menu shortcut.

  2. Select the desired parent unit and click the "+" button

  3. Select the appropriate "Organization Unit Type" from the dropdown

  4. Enter a name for the new unit

  5. Optionally, provide a custom ID for the unit if you have an existing system or ID structure you want to maintain

  6. Click "Save"

Editing an Existing Unit

  1. Navigate to the "Organizations" view using the left menu shortcut.

  2. Select the desired organization unit to change.

  3. Click the "Update" button found in the "info" section of the "General" Tab

  4. Make the necessary changes to the unit's name or type

  5. You can also edit the custom ID if needed

  6. Click "Save"

Deleting a Unit

  1. Navigate to the "Organizations" page

  2. Select the desired organization unit you want to delete.

  3. Open the 3 dot menu and Click "delete"

  4. Confirm the deletion

Remember:

  • For further information and guides on using the LivionKey Register, refer to our help center or contact our support team.

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