A security system associated with places physically protected by corresponding security mechanisms used to gain physical entry to the places by security mechanism users is managed using a searchable database that stores information on a plurality of places, a plurality of security mechanisms, and a plurality of security mechanism users. Program code provides access to the searchable database and interacts with database users using an Internet-accessible web site. The program code further authenticates each database user attempting to connect to the searchable database, and after authentication, interactively communicates a plurality of screens to database users, where each screen includes only hotlinks associated with security management operations for which those database users are authorized such that the screens do not include any hotlinks associated with security management operations for which the database users are not authorized.