Introducing Iron Mountain's underground facility

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When it comes to storing and preserving vital and business-critical records, you'd be hard pressed to find a more secure location than the Iron Mountain Underground.

June 14, 202426 mins
Storing and preserving vital and business-critical records
When it comes to storing and preserving vital and business-critical records, you’d be hard pressed to find a more secure location than the Iron Mountain Underground. Nick Farrer, VP of Digital Sales Solutions, recently paid a visit to western Pennsylvania to learn more about the people and processes that make the Underground one of the more unique and captivating facilities in the country. Join us for a rare look at what goes on 220 feet below earth.

Enhanced benefits of Iron Mountain's underground facility in Boyers, PA

Iron Mountain’s underground facility in Boyers, Pennsylvania serves as a highly secure and resilient location for data centers, records management, media archives, and digital transformation services. This 200-acre underground complex is trusted by government agencies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and major corporations for high-security storage, digital infrastructure, and long-term preservation of sensitive assets.

By leveraging its natural underground environment, the facility offers protection against physical threats, natural disasters, and environmental risks, making it an ideal solution for mission-critical data, classified records, historical documents, valuable media archives, and digital conversion services.

Why this matters

For organizations that require maximum security, disaster resilience, digital transformation services, and long-term data preservation, Iron Mountain’s underground facility in Boyers, PA, provides a unique and strategic advantage. The underground environment not only protects assets from external threats but also enables energy-efficient, high-compliance, and sustainable operations—a critical factor in today's risk-conscious and environmentally focused world.

Pennsylvania Data Center Cabinet Rows

Why underground?

Unmatched security & protection
  • Highly Secure Location – Being 220 feet below ground provides a natural layer of security that reduces exposure to external threats, including physical attacks, espionage, and unauthorized access.
  • Limited Entry Points – Access to the facility is tightly controlled with armed checkpoints, biometric authentication, and mantraps, making unauthorized entry extremely difficult.
  • Perimeter Defense & Surveillance – Equipped with CCTV monitoring, metal detectors, and 24/7 security personnel, ensuring constant surveillance and controlled access.
Disaster resilience
  • Protection from Natural Disasters – Unlike traditional above-ground facilities, this underground site is naturally shielded from hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, and earthquakes.
  • Fire & Flood Resistance – The limestone environment is naturally non-flammable and does not require traditional fire suppression systems that could damage sensitive media or data assets.
  • Temperature & Humidity Stability – The underground setting naturally maintains a stable climate, reducing risks associated with extreme temperature fluctuations and humidity damage.
Digital transformation and digitization capabilities
  • Intelligent Document Processing – The Boyers facility offers advanced digitization services to help organizations transition from physical to digital records, ensuring greater accessibility and efficiency.
  • Secure Digital Storage & Retrieval – Digitized records can be securely stored and retrieved while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.
  • Supports Long-Term Digital Preservation – Enhances records management strategies by safeguarding valuable historical, government, and corporate documents in digital formats.
Energy efficiency & sustainability
  • Geothermal Cooling Advantage – The facility benefits from naturally cool underground temperatures, reducing the need for energy-intensive cooling solutions.
  • Optimal Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE): Due to its stable underground climate and underground aquifer, this natural cooling contributes to higher energy efficiency and low optimal PUE.
  • Matched by 100% Renewable Power – The facility is 100% matched by renewable energy sources, aligning with modern sustainability goals.
Long-term data & asset preservation
  • Ideal for Media & Archive Storage – The underground setting reduces exposure to environmental pollutants, UV light, and oxidation, preserving delicate materials such as historical records, digital media, film archives, and government documents.
  • Secure Data Center Operations – Mission-critical data storage and backup services benefit from a low-risk, high-resilience environment, ensuring business continuity in case of cyberattacks.
Compliance & regulatory alignment
  • Government-Grade Security & Compliance – The facility is trusted by federal agencies, financial institutions, and healthcare providers, meeting stringent standards such as FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and ISO 27001.
  • FISMA HIGH & FedRAMP-Certified – These certifications demonstrate adherence to the highest levels of data security and operational integrity, making it an attractive choice for government and enterprise customers.