Quick Answer
Iron Mountain Alternatives: Scanning and Offsite Storage
The short answer
For a like-for-like move off Iron Mountain, start with Access or Vital Records Control; if you are really trying to get rid of paper, shortlist DataBank or SecureScan instead. As of October 20, 2026:
- Access (Access Information Management) — the closest national alternative: offsite storage (Access Classic), scanning, NAID AAA-certified shredding and the Access Unify platform that governs physical and digital records together. More than 30,000 clients.
- Vital Records Control (VRC) — storage in facilities throughout the US, including specialized, tape-vaulting and underground storage, plus document conversion, AI-driven indexing, intelligent document processing and shredding.
- DataBank (a Kyocera Group company) — scanning with AI-powered processing, content management, workflow automation and cloud hosting for regulated organizations. Pick it when the plan is to digitize and stop storing.
- SecureScan — scanning and shredding with SOC 2 Type II, NAID and HIPAA/HITECH certification; strong for one-time bulk conversions.
Regional records centres often beat all of them on price within their metro area — get at least one local quote.
The comparison
| Vendor | Offsite storage | Scanning / conversion | Shredding | Software | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access | Yes (Access Classic Storage) | Yes, incl. backfile conversion | NAID AAA-certified | Access Unify (retention, storage, digital) | Like-for-like national replacement |
| Vital Records Control | Yes, facilities across the US; specialized, tape and underground | Yes, incl. AI-driven indexing and IDP | Yes | VitalWeb records management | Mixed storage needs, healthcare and legal |
| DataBank | Hosting of digital content, not box storage focus | Yes, AI-powered capture | — | Content management and workflow | Digitize-and-automate programmes |
| SecureScan | No box storage focus | Yes, bulk and day-forward | Yes | Hosted digital archive options | Scan-and-shred projects |
Vendor capabilities from each company’s website on October 20, 2026. None publishes a national storage price list; all are quoted.
What to compare before you switch
- Storage unit and rate. Per cubic foot or per box per month; ask which and convert to the same unit.
- Activity fees. Retrieval, delivery (standard and rush), refile, new-box intake, indexing, and permanent withdrawal — the fee for boxes leaving for good. This is what makes leaving any incumbent expensive.
- Move-out logistics. Who pays to pull, transport and re-index your inventory. Many vendors fund part of a transfer for a multi-year contract.
- Retention clean-up first. Destroy records past their retention period before moving them; you pay to move and store every box you keep.
- Scan-on-demand. A vendor that scans a file when you request it, instead of delivering the box, cuts delivery fees and makes the eventual digitization gradual.
- Certifications. NAID AAA for destruction, SOC 2 Type II, and HIPAA business-associate terms for medical records.
Store, scan or destroy?
- Retrieved more than a few times a year or needed searchable: scan. Access’s cost guide cites about 8–12 cents a page for straightforward letter-size scanning, with OCR adding roughly a cent; a 10-box project (~22,000 pages) is about $2,200–$3,300 before preparation, indexing and QA.
- Kept only for compliance and rarely touched: store with the cheapest compliant vendor.
- Past retention: shred with a certificate of destruction.
For scanning-heavy projects, compare vendors in our best OCR companies for large-scale backfile conversion and plan the pilot project and sample pricing before signing. Multi-language and government projects are covered in best enterprise document scanning services.
Last verified: October 20, 2026.