Item 1. BUSINESS.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

We help organizations around the world protect their information, reduce storage costs, comply with regulations, facilitate corporate disaster recovery, and better use their information and IT infrastructure for business advantages, regardless of its format, location or life cycle stage. We do this by storing physical records and data backup media, offering information management solutions, and providing data center space for enterprise-class colocation and hyperscale deployments. We offer comprehensive records and information management services and data management services, along with the expertise and experience to address complex storage and information management challenges such as rising storage rental costs, legal and regulatory compliance, and disaster recovery requirements. We provide secure and reliable data center facilities to protect digital information and ensure the continued operation of our customers’ IT infrastructure, with reliable and flexible deployment options.

Founded in an underground facility near Hudson, New York in 1951, Iron Mountain Incorporated, a Delaware corporation, has approximately 225,000 customers in a variety of industries in 56 countries around the world, as of December 31, 2020. We currently serve customers across an array of market verticals - commercial, legal, financial, healthcare, insurance, life sciences, energy, business services, entertainment and government organizations, including approximately 96% of the Fortune 1000. As of December 31, 2020, we employed approximately 24,000 people. We are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and are a constituent of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and the MSCI REIT index. As of December 31, 2020, we were number 619 on the Fortune 1000.

We have been organized and have operated as a REIT beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 2014.

BUSINESS STRATEGY

OVERVIEW

Our company has been a market leader in the physical ecosystem supporting information storage and retrieval, as most businesses have relied on paper documents or computer tapes to store their valuable information. Over time, customers are increasing their digital information, with the new information storage ecosystem being a hybrid of physical and digital mediums. We are a different company than the one we have been historically. The strategic journey we are on is driving this change and our focus remains on three pillars outlined below to grow our business.

Continued growth in physical storage through revenue management as well as volume growth achieved in faster growing emerging markets and consumer and adjacent business growth in developed markets			•We are establishing and enhancing leadership positions in higher-growth markets such as central and eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, through both organic expansion and acquisitions in countries where GDP growth is faster and outsourcing information management is at an earlier stage. •We continue to identify, acquire, incubate and scale complementary businesses and products to support our long-term growth objectives and drive solid returns on invested capital. These opportunities include our digital services and our Entertainment Services, Fine Arts and Consumer Storage (each as defined below) businesses.
Utilizing our global scale as well as 70 years of customer trust to deliver differentiated data center offerings			•We have made significant progress in scaling our Global Data Center Business through acquisitions and organic growth, with 15 operating data centers across 13 global markets. •As of December 31, 2020, approximately 87% of our data center capacity was leased. With total potential capacity of 376 megawatts ("MW") in land and buildings currently owned or operated by us, we are among the largest global data center operators.
Developing and offering new products and services that allow our customers to achieve reliable and secure information management solutions in an increasingly hybrid physical and digital world			•Our customers are faced with navigating a more complex regulatory environment, and one in which hybrid physical and digital solutions have become the norm. Our strategy is underpinned by our persistent focus on best-in-class customer experience, as we continue to seek innovative solutions to help our customers progress on their journey from physical storage to a digital ecosystem.

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Part I

PROJECT SUMMIT

In October 2019, we announced our global program ("Project Summit") designed to better position us for future growth and achievement of our strategic objectives. We expanded Project Summit during the first quarter of 2020 to include additional opportunities to streamline our business and operations, as well as accelerated the timing of certain opportunities previously identified. Such opportunities include leveraging new technology solutions to enable us to modernize our service delivery model and more efficiently utilize our fleet, labor and real estate. For further details on Project Summit, see the "Overview" section of “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report.

DESIGNED TO ACCELERATE EXECUTION OF STRATEGY AND CONTINUE GROWTH

Simplifying Global Structure •Combining Records and Information ("RIM") operations under one global leader •Rebalancing resources to sharpen focus on higher growth areas			Compelling Adjusted EBITDA Benefits
~$375M Expected annual run-rate benefits realized exiting 2021			$165M Benefits delivered in 2020
Streamlining Management Structure for the Future •Condensing number of layers and reporting levels •Reducing number of positions at Vice President level and above by ~45% •Reducing total managerial and administrative workforce by 700 positions •Realignment to create a more dynamic, agile organization better positioned to make faster decisions and execute strategy in key growth areas			Enhancing Customer Experience •Aligning global and regional customer-facing resources across RIM product lines to provide customers with a more integrated experience •Leveraging technology to modernize processes for better alignment between new digital solutions and our core business •Providing customers with a consistent experience across global footprint and introducing new ways of engaging with customers

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BUSINESS SEGMENTS

The amount of revenues derived from our business segments and other relevant data, including financial information about geographic areas and product and service lines, for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, are set forth in Note 10 to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report.

GLOBAL RIM BUSINESS

The Global RIM Business segment includes five distinct offerings.

Records Management, stores physical records and provides healthcare information services, vital records services, courier operations, and the collection, handling and disposal of sensitive documents (collectively, “Records Management”) for customers in 56 countries around the globe. As of December 31, 2020, we stored approximately 710 million cubic feet of hardcopy records.

Data Management, provides storage and rotation of backup computer media as part of corporate disaster recovery plans, including service and courier operations (“Data Protection & Recovery”); server and computer backup services; and related services offerings, (collectively, “Data Management”).

Global Digital Solutions (“GDS”), develops, implements and supports comprehensive storage and information management solutions for the complete lifecycle of our customers’ information, including the management of physical records, conversion of documents to digital formats and digital storage of information, primarily in the United States and Canada.

Secure Shredding, includes the scheduled pick-up of office records that customers accumulate in specially designed secure containers we provide and is a natural extension of our hardcopy records management operations, completing the lifecycle of a record. Complementary to our shredding operations is the sale of the resultant waste paper to third-party recyclers. Through a combination of shredding facilities and mobile shredding units consisting of custom built trucks, we are able to offer secure shredding services to our customers throughout the United States, Canada and South Africa.

Consumer Storage, provides on-demand, valet storage for consumers (“Consumer Storage”) across 31 markets in North America through a strategic partnership (the “MakeSpace JV”) with MakeSpace Labs, Inc., a consumer storage provider (“MakeSpace”), formed in March 2019. The MakeSpace JV utilizes data analytics and machine learning to provide effective customer acquisition and a convenient and seamless consumer storage experience.

GLOBAL DATA CENTER BUSINESS

The Global Data Center Business segment provides enterprise-class data center facilities and hyperscale-ready capacity to protect mission-critical assets and ensure the continued operation of our customers’ IT infrastructure, with secure, reliable and flexible data center options. The world’s most heavily regulated organizations have trusted us with their data centers for over 15 years, and as of December 31, 2020, five of the top 10 global cloud providers were Iron Mountain Data Center customers.

As of December 31, 2020, our Global Data Center Business footprint spans nine markets in the United States: Denver, Colorado; Kansas City, Missouri; Boston, Massachusetts; Boyers, Pennsylvania; Manassas, Virginia; Edison, New Jersey; Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona and four international markets: Amsterdam, London, Singapore and, through an unconsolidated joint venture, Frankfurt.

CORPORATE AND OTHER BUSINESS

The Corporate and Other Business segment consists primarily of Adjacent Businesses and other corporate items.

Adjacent Businesses is comprised of (i) entertainment and media which helps industry clients store, safeguard and deliver physical media of all types, and provides digital content repository systems that house, distribute, and archive key media assets, throughout the United States, Canada, France, China - Hong Kong S.A.R., the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (“Entertainment Services”) and (ii) technical expertise in the handling, installation and storing of art in the United States, Canada and Europe (“Fine Arts”).

Our Corporate and Other Business segment also includes costs related to executive and staff functions, including finance, human resources and IT, which benefit the enterprise as a whole.

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Part I

BUSINESS ATTRIBUTES

Our business has the following attributes:

Large, Diversified, Global Business			The world’s most heavily regulated organizations trust us with the storage of their records. Our mission-critical storage offerings and related services generated approximately $4.1 billion in annual revenue in 2020. Our business has a highly diverse customer base of approximately 225,000 customers - with no single customer accounting for more than 1% of revenue during the year ended December 31, 2020 - and operates in 56 countries globally. This presents a significant cross-sell opportunity for our Global Data Center and Global Digital Solutions businesses.
Recurring, Durable Revenue Stream			We generate a majority of our revenues from contracted storage rental fees, via agreements that generally range from one to five years in length. Historically, in our Records Management business, we have seen strong customer retention (of approximately 98%) and solid physical records retention; more than 50% of physical records that entered our facilities 15 years ago are still with us today. We have also seen strong customer retention in our Global Data Center Business, with low annual customer churn of approximately 4% - 8%.
Comprehensive Information Management Solution			As an S&P 500 REIT with approximately 1,450 locations globally and with offerings spanning physical storage, digitization solutions and digital storage, we are positioned to provide a holistic offering to our customers. We are able to cater to our customers’ physical and digital needs and to help guide their digital transformation journey.
Significant Owner and Operator of Real Estate			We operate approximately 93 million square feet of real estate worldwide. Our owned real estate footprint spans nearly 26 million square feet and is concentrated in major metropolitan statistical areas in North America, Western Europe and Latin America.
Limited Revenue Cyclicality			Historically, economic downturns have not significantly affected our storage rental business. Due to the durability of our total global physical volumes, the success of our revenue management initiatives, and the growth of our Global Data Center Business, we believe we can continue to grow organic storage rental revenue over time.
Shifting Revenue Mix			We have identified a number of areas where we see opportunity for growth as we position ourselves to unlock greater value for our customers. These business lines, including Data Center, Fine Arts and Entertainment Services, Consumer Storage and Secure IT Asset Disposition, represent markets with strong secular growth.

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In addition, our Global Data Center business has the following attributes:

Large Data Center Platform with Significant Expansion Opportunity			As of December 31, 2020, we had 130 MW of leasable capacity with an additional 246 MW under construction or held for development.
Differentiated Compliance and Security			We offer comprehensive compliance support and physical and cyber security. Our multi-layered approach to security includes a combination of technical and human security measures, and experienced senior military and public sector cyber security leaders oversee our security. As of December 31, 2020, our data centers comply with one of the most comprehensive compliance programs in the industry, including enterprise-wide certified ISO 14001 and 50001 environmental and energy management systems. We also report globally on service organizational controls, PCI-DSS compliance, and met FISMA HIGH and FedRAMP controls in the United States.
Efficient Access and Flexibility			We have the ability to provide customers with a range of deployment options from one cabinet to an entire building, leveraging our global portfolio of hyperscale-ready and underground data centers. We also provide access to numerous carriers, cloud providers and peering exchanges with migration support and IT.
100% Green Powered Data Centers			As of December 31, 2020, our Global Data Center platform was powered by 100% renewable energy, with carbon credit assistance and low power usage effectiveness (“PUE"). We are one of the top 25 buyers of renewable energy among the Fortune 1000 and now offer the Green Power Pass, which allows customers to include the power they consume at any Iron Mountain data center as green power in their CDP, RE100, GRI, or other sustainability reporting.

COMPETITION

We compete with thousands of storage and information management services providers around the world as well as storage and information management services managed and operated internally by organizations. We believe that competition for records and information customers is based on price, reputation and reliability, quality and security of storage, quality of service and scope and scale of technology. While the majority of our competitors operate in only one market or region, we believe we provide a differentiated global offering that competes effectively in these areas.

We also compete with numerous data center developers, owners and operators, many of whom own properties similar to ours in some of the same metropolitan areas where our facilities are located. We believe that competition for data center customers is based on availability of power, security considerations, location, connectivity and rental rates, and we generally believe we compete effectively in each of these areas. Additionally, we believe our strong brand, global footprint and excellent commercial relationships enable us to compete successfully and provide significant cross-sell opportunities with our existing customer base.

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

EMPLOYEES

As of December 31, 2020, we employed approximately 9,000 employees in the United States and approximately 15,000 employees outside of the United States. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 500 employees in California and Georgia and three provinces in Canada were represented by unions in North America and approximately 1,100 employees were represented by unions in Latin America (in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico). All union employees are currently under renewed labor agreements or operating under an extension agreement.

BENEFIT PROGRAMS

Where applicable, employees are generally eligible to participate in our benefit programs, which may include health and welfare arrangements as well as pension schemes. Certain unionized employees in California receive these types of benefits through their unions and are not eligible to participate in our benefit programs. In addition to base compensation and other usual benefits, a significant portion of full-time employees participate in some form of incentive-based compensation program that provides payments based on revenues, profits or attainment of specified objectives for the unit in which they work.

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Part I

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY

We believe that an inclusive environment with diverse teams produces more creative solutions, results in better, more innovative products and services and is crucial to our efforts to attract and retain key talent. We have prioritized inclusion and diversity ("I&D") as part of our corporate-wide strategic goals. Strategies we have taken to create and sustain a more inclusive and diverse environment include: appointing senior leadership for I&D efforts; ensuring that our recruiting efforts reflect our diversity goals; and launching, expanding and supporting our Employee Resource Groups—groups of our employees that voluntarily join together based on shared characteristics, life experiences, or interest around particular activities.

COMPANY CULTURE

We recognize that a great culture is foundational to how we deliver on our purpose and strategy and create sustained growth and value for our shareholders. We have committed significant resources to building a sustainable culture that enables innovation and creativity and facilitates trust, employee engagement, belonging and better performance. We understand the importance of listening to our employees, and, to that end, we regularly survey our employees to obtain their views and assess their experience. We use the views expressed in the surveys to adjust our approach on culture and driving employee engagement. We also use employee survey information, headcount data and cost analyses to gain insights into how and where we work.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

We are committed to integrating responsible and sustainable practices throughout our organization to help our operations to have a positive impact on the environment and the communities in which we operate. We aim to give back to the communities where we live and work, and believe that this commitment helps in our efforts to attract and retain employees. We offer philanthropic support to our global community through our Living Legacy Initiative, which is our commitment to help preserve and make accessible cultural and historical information and artifacts. We encourage volunteerism in the communities in which we live and work through our Moving Mountains volunteer program, offering paid time off for employees to help community-based and civic-minded organizations.

INSURANCE

For strategic risk transfer purposes, we maintain a comprehensive insurance program with insurers that we believe to be reputable and that have adequate capitalization in amounts that we believe to be appropriate. Property insurance is purchased on a comprehensive basis, including flood and earthquake (including excess coverage), subject to certain policy conditions, sublimits and deductibles. Property is insured based upon the replacement cost of real and personal property, including leasehold improvements, business income loss and extra expense. Other types of insurance that we carry, which are also subject to certain policy conditions, sublimits and deductibles, include medical, workers’ compensation, general liability, umbrella, automobile, professional, warehouse legal liability and directors’ and officers’ liability policies.

GOVERNMENT REGULATION

We are required to comply with numerous U.S. federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations covering a wide variety of subject matters which may have a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings and competitive position.

For example, some of our current and formerly owned or leased properties were previously used by entities other than us for industrial or other purposes, or were affected by waste generated from nearby properties, that involved the use, storage, generation and/or disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, including petroleum products. In some instances, this prior use involved the operation of underground storage tanks or the presence of asbestos-containing materials. Where we are aware of environmental conditions that require remediation, we undertake appropriate activity, in accordance with all legal requirements. Although we have from time to time conducted limited environmental investigations and remedial activities at some of our former and current facilities, we have not undertaken an environmental review of all of our properties, including those we have acquired. We therefore may be potentially liable for environmental cost and may be unable to sell, rent, mortgage or use contaminated real estate owned or leased by us. Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, we may be liable for environmental compliance and remediation costs to address contamination, if any, located at owned and leased properties as well as damages arising from such contamination, whether or not we know of, or were responsible for, the contamination, or the contamination occurred while we owned or leased the property. Environmental conditions for which we might be liable may also exist at properties that we may acquire in the future. In addition, future regulatory action and environmental laws may impose costs for environmental compliance that do not exist today.

We transfer a portion of our risk of financial loss due to currently undetected environmental matters by purchasing an environmental impairment liability insurance policy, which covers all owned and leased locations. Coverage is provided for both liability and remediation costs.

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In addition, we are subject to numerous U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to data privacy and cybersecurity, which are complex, change frequently and have tended to become more stringent over time. We devote substantial resources, and may in the future have to devote significant additional resources, to facilitate compliance with these laws and regulations, and to investigate, defend or remedy actual or alleged violations or breaches. Any failure by us to comply with, or remedy any violations or breaches of, these laws and regulations could result in the curtailment of certain of our operations, the imposition of fines and penalties, liability resulting from litigation, restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations, significant costs and expenses and reputational harm.

For more information about laws and regulations that could affect our business, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” included in this Annual Report.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Through our approach to Corporate Social Responsibility, we not only see ourselves as having our own responsibility to society, but also in helping our customers with their own environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, and helping them gain value, make improvements and save costs. We are committed to responsible, sustainable growth and focus our environmental sustainability efforts on the concrete steps we can take to minimize the impact our operations have on the environment. To that end, we have publicly adopted long-term energy and emissions goals that establish aggressive reduction targets. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our employees and strive to cultivate a culture of inclusion that values diverse perspectives across our global workforce. Iron Mountain and its employees also make a social impact in the communities in which we operate through charitable giving and volunteerism.

We have been recognized for our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. We were named one of America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek magazine in 2020. We ranked 81st on Newsweek’s 2021 list of America’s Most Responsible Companies. We received a 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

We are committed to transparent reporting on sustainability and corporate responsibility efforts in accordance with the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative. Our corporate responsibility report highlights our progress against key measures of success for our efforts in the community, our environment, and for our people. We are a member of the FTSE4 Good Index, MSCI World ESG Index, MSCI ACWI ESG Index and MSCI USA IMI ESG Index, each of which include companies that meet globally recognized corporate responsibility standards. A copy of our corporate responsibility report is available on the “About Us” section of our website, www.ironmountain.com, under the heading “Corporate Social Responsibility." We are not including the information contained on or available through our website as part of, or incorporating such information by reference into, this Annual Report. In addition, we continue to work to further align our reporting with the recommendations of the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures to disclose climate-related financial risks and opportunities.

STRONG SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS •Green Power Pass solution in Data Center market to help customers manage their carbon footprint. •Part of RE100 Initiative — commitment to using renewable energy sources for 100% of our worldwide electricity. •81% of our global electricity use — including 100% of the electricity used to power our Data Center business — was from renewable sources in 2020. •Recognized as a top 25 U.S. buyer of renewable energy and honored with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Goal Achiever Award. •Reduced GHG emissions by 52% (since 2016) and achieved a 25% reduction in non-IT energy intensity, surpassing an original goal of 20% by 2026. •Received a 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

INTERNET WEBSITE

Our Internet address is www.ironmountain.com. Under the “Investors” section on our website, we make available, free of charge, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) as soon as reasonably practicable after such forms are filed with or furnished to the SEC. We are not including the information contained on or available through our website as a part of, or incorporating such information by reference into, this Annual Report. Copies of our corporate governance guidelines, code of ethics and the charters of our audit, compensation, finance, nominating and governance, risk and safety, and technology committees are available on the “Investors” section of our website, www.ironmountain.com, under the heading “Corporate Governance."

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Part I