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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549


FORM 10-K



FOR ANNUAL AND TRANSITION REPORTS PURSUANT TO
SECTIONS 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

(Mark One)


ý

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)15((d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 20012003

or

oTRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                             to                             

Commission File Number 1-13045


IRON MOUNTAIN INCORPORATED
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Pennsylvania
23-2588479
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) 23-2588479
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

745 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts


02111
(Address of principal executive offices) 02111
(Zip Code)

617-535-4766
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class
 Name of Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, $.01 par value per share ("Common Stock")
91/8% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2007
 New York Stock Exchange

New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:  None

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý    No o

        Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes ý    No o

        As of March 1, 2002,June 30, 2003, the aggregate market value of the Common Stock of the registrant held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $2,155,654,992.48$2,658,636,421 based on the closing price on the New York Stock Exchange on such date.

        Number of shares of the registrant's Common Stock at March 1, 2002:        84,384,0492004:    85,775,503





IRON MOUNTAIN INCORPORATED
20012003 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT


Table of Contents

 
  
 Page
PART I    
Item 1. Business 1
Item 2. Properties 1112
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 1213
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders 1216

PART II

 

 

 

 
Item 5. Market for the Registrant's Common Stock and Related Shareholder Matters 1317
Item 6. Selected Consolidated Financial and Operating InformationData 1317
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 1621
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative DisclosureDisclosures About Market Risk 3354
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 3355
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 3355
Item 9A.Controls and Procedures56

PART III

 

 

 

 
Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant 3457
Item 11. Executive Compensation 3757
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management 4057
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions 42
PART IV57
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services57
Item 15.Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, and Reports on Form 8-K 4458

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        References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to "the Company", "we", "us" or "our" include Iron Mountain Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

        Certain information required in Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated by reference from our definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on or about May 27, 2004.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        We have made statements in this annual reportAnnual Report on Form 10-K that constitute "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and in other federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements concern our operations, economic performance, financial condition, goals, beliefs, strategies, objectives, plans and financial condition.current expectations. The forward-looking statements are subject to various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. When we use words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements.

        Although we believe that our forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, our expected results may not be achieved, and actual results may differ materially from our expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations include, among others:

        You should not rely upon forward-looking statements except as statements of our present intentions and of our present expectations, which may or may not occur. You should read these cautionary statements as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear. We assumeundertake no obligation to update or reviserelease publicly the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to updatereflect the reasons why actual results could differ from those projectedoccurrence of unanticipated events. Readers are also urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures we have made in this document, as well as our other periodic reports filed with the forward-looking statements.Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission" or "SEC").

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PART I

Item 1. Business.

A. Development of Business.

        We are the leader in outsourced records and information management services ("RIMS").services. We are an international, full-service provider of records and information management and related services, enabling customers to outsource these functions. We have a diversified customer base that includes more than halfcomprised of the Fortune 500 and numerous commercial, legal, banking, healthcare, accounting, insurance, entertainment, and government organizations. We provideorganizations, including more than half of the Fortune 500 and more than two thirds of the FTSE 100. Our comprehensive solutions help customers save money and manage risks associated with legal and regulatory compliance, protection of vital assets, and business continuity challenges.

        Our core business records management services include: records management program development and implementation based on best-practices to help customers comply with specific regulatory requirements; implementation of policy-based programs that feature secure, cost-effective storage for all major media, including paper, which is the dominant form of records storage, magnetic media (including computer tapes), microfilmflexible retrieval access and microfiche, master audioretention management; digital archiving services for secure, legally compliant and videotapes,cost-effective long-term archiving of electronic records; secure shredding services that ensure privacy and a secure chain of record custody; and specialized services for vital records, film and optical disks, X-rayssound and blueprints.regulated industries such as healthcare, energy and financial services.

        Our principaloff-site data protection services providedinclude: disaster preparedness planning support; secure, off-site vaulting of data backup media for fast and efficient data recovery in the event of a disaster, human error or virus; electronic vaulting to provide managed, online data backup and recovery services for personal computers and server data; and intellectual property escrow services to protect and manage source code and other proprietary information with a trusted, neutral third party.

        In addition to our storage customers include courier pick-upcore records management and delivery, filing, retrieval and destruction of records, database management, customized reporting and disaster recovery support. We alsooff-site data protection services, we sell storage materials, including cardboard boxes and magnetic media, and provide confidential destruction, consulting, facilities management, fulfillment and other outsourcing services.

        Iron Mountain was founded in 1951 in an underground facility near Hudson, New York. Now in our 5153strd year, we have experienced tremendous growth and organizational change, particularly since successfully completing the initial public offering of our common stock in February 1996. Since then, we have built ourselves from a regional business with limited product offerings and annual revenues of $104 million forin 1995 into the global leader in outsourced records and information management services, providing a full range of services to customers in 124 markets around the world. For the year ended December 31, 2001,2003, we had total revenues of nearly $1.2$1.5 billion.

        The growth since 1995 has been accomplished primarily through the acquisition of 79 domesticU.S. and 17 international records management companies, including two acquisitions completed in the first quarter of 2002.companies. The goal of our current acquisition program is to supplement internal growth by continuing to establish a footprint in targeted international markets and adding fold-in acquisitions both domesticallyin the U.S. and internationally. Having substantially completed our North American geographic expansion by the end of 2000, we shifted our focus from growth through acquisitions to internal revenue growth. In 2001, as a result of this recent shift, internal revenue growth exceeded growth through acquisitions for the first time since we began our acquisition program in 1996. In addition, our capital expenditures, made primarily to support internal growth, exceededThis was also the aggregatecase in 2002 and 2003, and in the absence of unusual acquisition considerationactivity, we conveyed in 2001. We expect this trend to continue andcontinue. We expect to achieve thisour internal revenue growth through a sophisticated new sales and account management coverage model that is designed to drive incremental revenue by acquiring new customer relationships, increasing the use of aggressive selling efforts to acquire new customersrevenue generated by existing customer relationships and by offeringeffectively selling a wide range of complementary and ancillary services to expand our new and existing customer relationships.

        On February 1 2000,



        In July 2003, we and Iron Mountain Europe ("IME"), our European joint venture, completed the acquisition of the records management operations of Hays plc ("Hays IMS") in two simultaneous transactions for aggregate cash consideration (including transactions costs) of approximately 205 million British pounds sterling ($333 million). IME acquired the European operations and we acquired the U.S. operations. IME's acquisition of Hays IMS has more than doubled our most important acquisition to date by merging with Pierce Leahy Corp.revenue base in a stock-for-stock merger valued at $1.0 billion, including the assumption of debtEurope and related transaction costs.has significantly strengthened our energy and U.K. public sector business lines. Since the merger,acquisition, we have been integrating the cultures, operating systems and procedures, and information technology systems of Iron MountainIME and Pierce Leahy. The integration processHays IMS.

        In February 2004, we completed the acquisition of Mentmore plc's 49.9% equity interest in IME for total consideration of 82.5 million British pounds sterling ($154 million) in cash. Included in this amount is continuingthe repayment of all trade and is expectedworking capital funding owed to proceed through 2002. See Note 6Mentmore by IME. Completion of Notesthe transaction gives us 100% ownership of IME, affording us full access to Consolidated Financial Statements.all future cash flows and greater strategic and financial flexibility.

        As of December 31, 2001,2003, we provided services to over 150,000200,000 customer accounts in 8082 markets in the United StatesU.S. and 4458 markets outside of the United States,U.S., employed over 11,00013,000 people and operated over 650approximately 800 records management facilities in the United States,U.S., Canada, Europe and Latin America.

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B. Description of Business.

The Records and Information Management Services Industry

Overview

        Companies in the RIMSrecords and information management services industry store and manage information in a variety of media formats, which can broadly be divided into paperphysical and electronic records, and provide a wide range of services related to the records stored. We refer to our general paperphysical records storage and management services as "businessbusiness records management." Paper We define physical records are defined to include paper documents, as well as all other non-electronic media such as microfilm and microfiche, master audio and videotapes, film, X-rays and blueprints. Electronic records include various forms of magnetic media such as computer tapes and hard drives and optical disks. We refer toinclude in our electronic records storage and management services as "data security services" and "e-Vaulting" (collectively,(1) off-site data protection)protection and "digital(2) digital archiving services."

PaperPhysical Records

        PaperPhysical records may be broadly divided into two categories: active and inactive. Active records relate to ongoing and recently completed activities or contain information that is frequently referenced. Active records are usually stored and managed on-site by the organization that originated them to ensure ready availability. Inactive paperphysical records are the principal focus of the RIMSrecords and information management services industry. Inactive records consist of those records that are not needed for immediate access but which must be retained for legal, regulatory and compliance reasons or for occasional reference in support of ongoing business operations. Based on industry studies, we believe that inactive records make up approximately 80% of all paper records. A large and growing specialty subset of the paperphysical records market is medical records. These are active and semi-active records that are often stored off-site with and serviced by a RIMSrecords and information management services vendor. Special regulatory requirements often apply to medical records.

Electronic Records

        Electronic records management focuses on the storage of, and related services for, computer media that areis either a back-upbackup copy of recently processed data or archival in nature. Back-upCustomer needs for data backup and recovery and archiving are distinctively different. Backup data exists because of the need of many businesses to maintain back-upbackup copies of their data in order to be able to operaterecover the data in the event of a system failure, casualty loss or other disaster. It is customary (and a

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best-practice) for data processing groups to rotate back-upbackup tapes to off-site locations on a regular basis and to require multiple copies of such information at multiple sites. We refer to these services as "data security services."off-site data protection.

        In addition to the managementphysical rotation and storage of physical copies of back-upbackup data, we are introducing newoffer electronic vaulting services as an alternative way for businesses to transfer data to us, and to access the data they have stored with us. Electronic vaulting is a Web-based service that allow forautomatically backs up computer data over the direct transfer, storageInternet and retrievalstores it off site in one of back-up data between our customers and our secure data centers. In early 2003, we announced an expansion of the electronic media storage facilities via public broadband communications networks. We refervaulting service to these services as "e-Vaulting."include backup and recovery for personal computer data, answering customers' needs to protect critical business data, which is often orphaned and unprotected on employee laptops and desktop personal computers.

        ArchivalThere is a growing need for better ways of archiving data is generally retained for legal, regulatory and compliance reasons orand for occasional reference in support of ongoing business operations. Historically, archivalbusinesses have relied on backup tapes for storing archived data, as well as back-upbut this process can be costly and ineffective when attempting to search and retrieve the data has been stored on physical mediafor litigation or other needs. In addition, many industries, such as computer tapes or optical disks.healthcare and financial services, are facing increased governmental regulation mandating the way in which electronic records are stored and managed. To help customers meet these growing storage challenges, we introduced digital archiving services. We are collaborating with other companieshave experienced early market adoption of these services, especially for e-mail archiving, which enables businesses to develop technologies to provide storageidentify and related services for this data electronically in its original digital format. Customers' data will be captured via telecommunication lines or the Internet. Based on the nature of the data, customers can choose to store their data on-line for real-time access, near-line access for a slightly lower cost or off-line on computer tapes or disks for less time-critical data. We refer to these developing services as "digital archiving services."retrieve electronic records quickly and cost-effectively, while maintaining regulatory compliance.

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Growth of Market

        We believe that the volume of stored paperphysical and electronic records will continue to increase for a number of reasons, including: (i)(1) the rapid growth of inexpensive document producing technologies such as facsimile, desktop publishing software and desktop printing; (ii)(2) the continued proliferation of data processing technologies such as personal computers and networks; (iii)(3) regulatory requirements; (iv)(4) concerns over possible future litigation and the resulting increases in volume and holding periods of documentation; (v)(5) the high cost of reviewing records and deciding whether to retain or destroy them; (vi)(6) the failure of many entities to adopt or follow policies on records destruction; and (vii)(7) audit requirements to keep back-upbackup copies of certain records in off-site locations.

        Despite the growthWe believe that paper-based information will continue to grow, not in spite of, but because of, new "paperless" technologies such as e-mail and the Internet and e-mail, we believe that stored information remains predominantly paper-based.Internet. These technologies have prompted the creation of hard copies of such electronic information and have also led to increased demand for data securityelectronic records services, such as the storage and off-site rotation of back-upbackup copies of magnetic media, and outsourcing support services that address the needs of data center operations and disaster recovery programs.media. In addition, we believe that the proliferation of digital information technologies and distributed data networks has created an emerging need for efficient, cost-effective, high quality solutions for electronicdigital archiving and the management of electronic documents.

Consolidation of a Highly Fragmented Industry

        Over the past several years, there has beenThere was significant consolidation inwithin the highly fragmented RIMS industry.records and information management services industry from 1995 to 2000. Most RIMSrecords and information management services companies serve a single local market, and are often either owner-operated or ancillary to another business, such as a moving and storage company. We believe that thisthe consolidation trend will continue because of the industry's capital requirements for growth, opportunities for large RIMSrecords and information management services providers to achieve economies of scale and customer demands for more sophisticated technology-based solutions.

        We believe that the consolidation trend in the industry is also due to, and will continue as a result of, the preference of certain large organizations to contract with one vendor in multiple cities and countries for multiple services. In particular, customers increasingly demand a single, large, sophisticated company to handle all of their important paperphysical and electronic records needs. Large,

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national and multinational companies are better able to satisfy these demands than smaller competitors. We have made, and intend to continue to make, acquisitions of our competitors, many of whom are small, single city operators.

Description of Our Business

        We generate our revenues by providing storage for a variety of information media formats, core records management services and an expanding menu of complementary products and services to a large and diverse customer base. Providing outsourced storage for records and information is the mainstay of our customer relationships and provides the foundation for our revenue growth. The core services, which are a vital part of a comprehensive records management program, are highly recurring in nature and therefore very predictable. Core services consist primarily of the handling and transportation of stored records and information. In our confidential destructionsecure shredding business, core services consist primarily of the scheduled collection and handling of sensitive records. In 2001,2003, our storage and core service revenues represented approximately 86%87% of our total revenues. In addition to our core services, we offer a wide array of complementary products and services such as performing special project work, selling RIMS-relatedrecords and information management services related products, providing fulfillment services and consulting on records management issues. These services address more specific needs and are designed to enhance our customers' overall records management programs. These services complement our core services; however, they are more episodic and discretionary in nature. Revenue generated by our business records and off-site data protection businesses includes both core and complementary components.

3        Our various operating segments offer the products and services discussed below. In general, our business records management segment offers records management, secure shredding, healthcare information services, vital records services, and service and courier operations in the U.S. and Canada. Our off-site data protection segment offers data backup and disaster recovery services, vital records services, service and courier operations, and intellectual property protection services in the U.S. Our international segment offers elements of all our product and services lines outside the U.S. and Canada. Our corporate and other segment includes our fulfillment, consulting and digital archiving services. Some of our complementary services and products are offered within all of our segments. The amount of revenues derived from our business records management, off-site data protection, international, and corporate and other operating segments and other relevant data for fiscal years 2001, 2002 and 2003 are set forth in Note 12 to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


Business Records Management

        The hard copy business records stored by our customers with us by their nature are not very active. These types of records are stored in cartons packed by the customer. We use bar-coded tracking technologiesa proprietary order processing and inventory management system known as theSafekeeper™ system and theSafekeeperPLUS™ system, which combines the architecture of thePierce Leahy User Solution® ("PLUS®") system and the enhanced functionality ofSafekeeper™, and other procedures to ensure the integrity of the contents of a customer's cartons and to efficiently store and later retrieve a customer's cartons. As a central component of our integration plan for the Pierce Leahy transaction, we developedSafekeeperPLUS™ and continue a city-by-city conversion program that is expected to be completed in 2002. Storage charges are generally billed monthly on a per storage unit basis, usually either per carton or per cubic foot of records, and include the provision of space, racking, computerized inventory and activity tracking and physical security.

Off-Site Data Protection

        Data securityOff-site data protection services consist of the storage and rotation of back-upbackup computer media as part of corporate disaster recovery and business recoverycontinuity plans. Computer tapes, cartridges and disk packs are transported off-site by our courier operations on a scheduled basis to secure, climate-controlled facilities, where they are available to customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to facilitate data recovery in the event of a disaster. We use various proprietary information technology systems such asMediaLink™MediaLink andSecureBase™SecureBase software to manage this process. We also manage tape library relocationrelocations and support disaster recovery testing and execution. We are now in the early stages of offering e-VaultingIn addition, we have introduced electronic vaulting services as part of our off-site data protection services product line. E-Vaulting allows customers to utilize different levelsOur electronic

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vaulting service automatically backs up personal computer and server data over the Internet and stores it off site in one of electronic transfer, storage and recoveryour secure data centers, always available in the event of critical back-up data ranging from real time transfers using storage silos to electronic transfer and off-line storage for less immediate needs.a disaster.

Healthcare Information Services

        Healthcare information services principally include the handling, storage, filing, processing and retrieval of medical records used by hospitals, private practitioners and other medical institutions. Medical records tend to be more active in nature and are typically stored on specialized open shelving systems that provide easier access to individual files. Healthcare information services also include recurring project work and ancillary services. Recurring project work involves the on-site removal of aged patient files and related computerized file indexing. Ancillary healthcare information services include release of information (medical record copying), temporary staffing, contract coding, facilities management and imaging.

Vital Records Services

        Vital records contain critical or irreplaceable data such as master audio and video recordings, film, software source code and other highly proprietary information. Vital records may require special facilities or services, either because of the data they contain or the media on which they are recorded. Our charges for providing enhanced security and special climate-controlled environments for vital records are higher than for typical storage functions. We provide the same ancillary services for vital records as we provide for our other storage operations.

Service and Courier Operations

        Service and courier operations are an integral part of a comprehensive records management program for all physical media including paper and electronic records. They include adding records to storage, temporary removal of records from storage, refiling of removed records, permanent withdrawals from storage, and destruction of records. Service charges are generally assessed for each procedure on a per unit basis. TheSafekeeper andSafekeeperPLUS systems control® system controls the service processes from order entry through transportation and invoicing for business records management whileMediaLink andSecureBase™ systems manage the process for the off-site data securityprotection services business.

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        Courier operations consist primarily of the pickup and delivery of records upon customer request. Charges for courier services are based on urgency of delivery, volume and location and are billed monthly. As of December 31, 2001,2003, we were utilizing a fleet of more than 2,000 owned or leased delivery vehicles.

Confidential DestructionSecure Shredding

        Confidential destructionSecure shredding is a natural extension of our records management services, completing the lifecycle of a record. The service involves the shredding of sensitive documents for corporate customers that, in many cases, also use our services for management of less sensitive archival records. We believe that customers are motivated by increased privacy regulation and the desire to protect their proprietary trade secrets. These services typically include the scheduled pick-up of loose office records which customers accumulate in specially designed secure containers we provide. Complementary to our shredding operations is the sale of the resultant waste paper to third-party recyclers. We currently perform theseThrough a combination of plant based shredding operations and mobile shredding units comprised of custom built trucks, we are able to offer secure shredding services to our customers in 23all of our existing business records management markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. We seek to expand our presence in this business through acquisitions and internal start-ups.start-ups that leverage our existing records management infrastructure.

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Intellectual Property Protection Services

        We provide intellectual property protection services through our wholly ownedwholly-owned subsidiary, DSI Technology Escrow Services, Inc. DSI specializes in third party technology escrow services that protect intellectual property assets such as software source code. In addition, DSI assists in securing intellectual property as collateral for lending, investments and other joint ventures, in managing domain name registrations and transfers, and provideprovides expertise and assistance to brokers and dealers in complying with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") electronic records regulations.regulations of the SEC.

Digital Archiving Services

        Our digital archiving services focus on archiving digital information with long-term preservation requirements. These services represent the digital analogy to our paperphysical records management services. Because of increased litigation risks and regulatory mandates, companies are increasingly aware of the need to apply the same records management policies and retention schedules to electronic data as they do physical records. Typical digital records include electronic mail,e-mail, e-statements, images, electronic documents retained for legal or compliance purposes and other electronic recordsdata documenting business transactions. Digital archiving services are offered for image-based records as well.

        The growth rate of mission-critical digital information is accelerating, driven in part by the use of the Internet as a distribution and transaction medium. The rising cost and increasing importance of digital information management, coupled with the increasing availability of telecommunications bandwidth at lower costs, may create meaningful opportunities for us. We are cultivatingcontinue to cultivate marketing and technology partnerships with technology providers whose products can interface with our digital archives.to support this anticipated growth.

        We believe the issues encountered by customers trying to manage their electronic records are similar to the ones they face in their business records management programs and consist primarily of: (i)(1) storage capacity and the preservation of data; (ii)(2) access to and control over the data in a secure environment; and (iii)(3) the need to keepretain electronic records due to regulatory compliance or for litigation support. Products and services are currently being developedOur digital archiving service is representative of our commitment to address theseevolving records management needs and expand the array of services we may offer for electronic records.offer.

Complementary Services and Products

        We offer a variety of additional services within all of our business lines, which customers may request or contract for on an individual basis. These services include conducting records inventories, packing records into cartons or other containers, and creating computerized indices of files and individual documents. We also provide services for the management of active records programs. We can provide these services, which generally include document and file processing and storage, both off-site at our own facilities and by supplying our own personnel to perform management functions on-site at the customer's premises.

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        Other complementary lines of business that we operate include fulfillment services and professional consulting services. Fulfillment services are performed by our wholly ownedwholly-owned subsidiary, COMAC, Inc. COMAC stores customer marketing literature and delivers this material to sales offices, trade shows and prospective customers' sites based on current and prospective customer orders. In addition, COMAC assembles custom marketing packages and orders, and manages and provides detailed reporting on customer marketing literature inventories.

        We provide professional consulting services to customers, enabling them to develop and implement comprehensive records and information management programs. Our consulting business draws on our experience in RIMSrecords and information management services to analyze the practices of such companies and assist them in creating more effective programs of records and information management. Our consultants work with these customers to develop policies for document review, analysis and evaluation and for scheduling of document retention and destruction.

        We also sell: (i)(1) a full line of specially designed corrugated cardboard, metal and plastic storage containers; (ii)(2) magnetic media products including computer tapes, cartridges and drives, tape cleaners

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and supplies and CDs; and (iii)(3) computer room equipment and supplies such as racking systems, furniture, bar code scanners and printers.

        The amount of revenues derived from our business records management, off-site data protection, international and other operating segments and other relevant financial data for fiscal years 1999, 2000 and 2001 are set forth in Note 12 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Financial Characteristics of Our Business

        Our financial model is based on the recurring nature of our revenues. The historical predictability of this revenue stream and the resulting EBITDA (earnings from continuing operationsoperating income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) and Adjusted EBITDAamortization (OIBDA)1 allow us to operate with a high degree of financial leverage. Since 1995, we have invested approximately $2.8 billion in acquisitions and capital expenditures for property, plant and equipment to support our growth. Our primary financial goal has always been, and continues to be, to increase consolidated Adjusted EBITDAOIBDA in relation to capital invested, even as our focus has shifted from growth through acquisitions to internal revenue growth. Adjusted EBITDA is a source of funds for investment in continued growth and for servicing indebtedness. Our business has the following financial characteristics:


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Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA adjusted for extraordinary items, other income (expense), merger-related expenses, stock option compensation expenseFor a more detailed definition and minority interest. Merger-related expenses are primarily those expenses directly relatedreconciliation of OIBDA and a discussion of why we believe this measure provides relevant and useful information to our merger with Pierce Leahy that cannot be capitalizedcurrent and include severancepotential investors, see Item 7. "Management's Discussion and pay-to-stay payments, costsAnalysis of exiting certain facilities, system conversion costsFinancial Condition and other transaction-related costs. Stock option compensation expense represents non-cash charges resulting from the acceleration and extensionResults of previously granted stock options as part of separation agreements with certain executives.

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