If you walk into an office and it’s relatively silent, despite an army of individuals typing away, you’ve probably stepped into a room full of membrane keyboards. While these are certainly cheaper to make and distribute, most IT people, including our cybersecurity service team, prefer the audio and tactile sensation of using an old-fashioned mechanical keyboard.
The mechanical keyboard is what might pop into your mind when you think back to old IBM computers and typewriters. It’s also the gold standard that allows typists to have the greatest feedback, response, and precision. But, unless you are a writer, software developer, or avid gamer geek, you probably had no idea that these clicking and clacking keyboards were back in vogue.
For a cybersecurity service provider, a mechanical keyboard is a bit of euphoria tucked into an otherwise stressful day. Individuals in IT, which spend their days editing, typing, scrolling, and deleting text, love the responsiveness of a mechanical keyboard. If you ask anyone in IT, they’ll tell you that their keyboard absolutely has an impact on their quality of life when they’re in front of a computer, which is all the time.
Gamers, too, appreciate this dated technology with a modern spin. Today’s mechanical keyboards can be fully customized to fit a person’s hand size or typing style. You can also click them much faster, which is crucial when you’re in the midst of a life-changing Fortnite Battle Royale.
Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, personal computers were making their way into every home in America; mechanical keyboards were your only option. Then toward the midpoint of the 2000s, the membrane keyboard had its 15 minutes of fame. While some people liked the silent operation, manufacturers loved them because they are cheaper to make. Some offices also preferred the quiet that comes with typing on the equivalent of a rubber band versus a mechanical keyboard, which may feature an audible click and tactile resistance while typing.
Mechanical keyboards are fully customizable, meaning that the IT folks in your life likely prize them as a hunter would an heirloom pocket knife. But, according to our cybersecurity service team, it might not be wise to allow your employees to bring their own equipment without setting rules and regulations on how they can be used. For example, many mechanical gaming keyboards have special gaming software preinstalled. Your IT team can ensure this software is not transferred over to your employee’s local machine without sacrificing the bliss of using their very own keyboard.
If you’re interested in having custom mechanical keyboards made, talk to your cybersecurity service advisor about which vendors they might recommend so that you can best control what happens in your office.
ImageQuest is Nashville’s most trusted cybersecurity service and offers managed IT, IT compliance, and virtual CISO services for those in the nonprofit, healthcare, banking, insurance, and legal industries.