What Vanguard Archives does

Vanguard Archives is a privately held records management and data protection company founded in 1915 in Chicago by Irene Warren and headquartered in Franklin Park, Illinois. The company provides secure offsite document storage, offsite tape storage, document scanning, paper and media destruction, and retain sample storage services to customers across the greater Chicagoland metropolitan area. Its client base spans healthcare organizations, publicly traded companies, educational institutions, payment processors, and food and cosmetics manufacturers, with service offerings aligned to compliance regimes including HIPAA, SOX, GLBA, FACTA, PCI-DSS, and FERPA. The company is SOC 1 Certified and positions itself as a full-lifecycle information management provider from creation through confidential disposal.

The company's operational backbone is its purpose-built physical infrastructure, including a vault facility with brick, concrete block, and steel construction, four-hour fire-rated walls, clean agent fire suppression, redundant HVAC, biometric iris scanners, and a GPS-tracked vehicle fleet with double-locked and self-alarming transport mechanisms. Vanguard operates two software platforms under the ActiveWeb brand: an online records management system that supports online ordering, barcode-driven chain-of-custody tracking, retention scheduling, and inventory reporting in Excel, PDF, and HTML formats, and a separate tape rotation management module that integrates with existing enterprise tape management systems. Barcode scanning is applied at every stage of document handling to ensure uninterrupted chain of custody.

Vanguard's revenue model is predominantly subscription-based for storage and rotation services, with transaction-based pricing for shredding, per-image unit pricing for scanning (typically 5-15 cents per image), and professional services revenue for ECM consulting. Distribution is direct via phone, online quote forms, and on-site service delivery within a regional Chicago footprint, supported by professional association memberships (ARMA International, AIIM, i-SIGMA, BRPA) for credibility and lead generation. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with the company competing on local service quality, compliance depth, and 100+ years of operational track record rather than on published price.

Name

Vanguard Archives

Legal name

Vanguard Archives

Website

https://vanguardarchives.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vanguard Archives is a privately held Chicago-based records management company providing offsite document and tape storage, scanning, shredding, and retain sample storage to healthcare, public, education, payment, and food/cosmetics clients across the greater Chicagoland area. Founded in 1915, SOC 1 Certified.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Records Management Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), General Warehousing and Storage (493110), Document Preparation Services (56141)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Secure & Vital Records Storage (Fireproof, Disaster-Recovery, Chain-of-Custody) (TLALALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Records Digitization & Archiving (Legacy Files, Retention Support) (BPAAAKAG), Financial Records Storage (Banking, Insurance, Accounting) (TLALALAC), Education & Research Archives Storage (Universities, Libraries, Labs) (TLALALAH), Records, Archives & Document Storage Moving (HSAKAKAF)

Keywords

• Records management services
• Offsite document storage
• Secure shredding services
• Data tape storage
• Document scanning digitization

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Document Storage Services: Offsite document storage with facilities designed for security and protection. Revenue generated through monthly storage charges based on quantity and sizes of items stored. Also includes permanent withdrawal fees to recover upfront accessioning costs when customers retrieve boxes permanently.
2. Tape Storage and Rotation Services: Offsite data tape storage with rotation services. Storage costs based on number of tapes stored offsite; service costs based on number of rotations per month and items rotated. Includes vault storage with environmental controls.
3. Document Scanning Services: Document digitization services including labor for document preparation, per-image scanning costs, indexing costs, and optional comprehensive per-image pricing. Also assists companies in setting up document management systems.
4. Shredding and Destruction Services: On-site mobile shredding, off-site shredding, scheduled shredding, and one-time purges. Pricing based on frequency of service, volume of material (weight of paper or number of boxes/containers), and type of information destroyed. Includes hard drive and media destruction services.
5. Retain Sample Storage Services: Offsite retain sample storage for food and cosmetics manufacturers supporting HACCP/HARPC plans and GFSI standards compliance. Includes indexing, tracking, and 24/7 delivery services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vanguard Archives provides offsite document storage, data tape vault storage, document digitization/scanning, secure paper and media destruction, and retain sample storage services to businesses primarily in the greater Chicagoland area. The company supports the full information lifecycle from creation through confidential disposal, with purpose-built secure facilities, GPS-tracked transport, and SOC 1 certified compliance controls covering HIPAA, SOX, GLBA, FACTA, PCI-DSS, and FERPA.

Product overview

Vanguard Archives is an information management company offering a portfolio of records management and data protection services. The core offerings include Document Storage (offsite records storage in secure facilities), Tape Storage (high-security vault storage for data tapes), Document Scanning (digitization and ECM consulting), Paper Shredding & Document Destruction, Hard Drive & Media Shredding, and Retain Sample Storage (for food/cosmetics manufacturers). The company operates two software platforms: ActiveWeb for records management (enabling online inventory management, ordering, and reporting) and ActiveWeb for tape rotation (managing tape rotation programs). These services span the entire information lifecycle from creation through confidential disposal, serving the greater Chicagoland area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Document Storage Offsite document storage services in secure, modern facilities with brick, concrete block and steel construction, intrusion alarms, CCTV monitoring, enclosed loading areas, and GPS-tracked transport vehicles. Monthly storage charges based on quantity and sizes of items stored.
• Tape Storage High-security offsite tape storage and protection services in a purpose-built vault facility with biometric iris scanners, proximity cards, four-hour fire-rated walls, clean agent fire suppression, and redundant HVAC systems. Storage costs based on number of tapes stored offsite.
• Document Scanning Document digitization services including onsite document review, demo scanning, labor preparation, per-image scanning, indexing, and ECM system selection assistance. Pricing typically ranges from 5 cents to 15 cents per image.
• Paper Shredding & Document Destruction Paper shredding and document destruction services including on-site mobile shredding (witnessed at customer facility), off-site shredding (GPS-tracked transport to Vanguard's secure facility), scheduled shredding, and one-time purges with Certificate of Destruction.
• Hard Drive & Media Shredding Secure destruction of hard drives, CDs, thumb drives, data tapes, cell phones and other electronic media through physical shredding into tiny particles. Compliant with HIPAA requirements.
• Retain Sample Storage Offsite retain sample storage for food and cosmetics manufacturers supporting HACCP/HARPC plans and GFSI standards compliance, with FDA registered facilities, indexing, tracking, and 24/7 delivery options including direct delivery to food testing laboratories.
• ActiveWeb Online Records Management Software Industry top-rated online records management software enabling customers to place service orders online, enter box/file information, print labels, manage retention schedules and destruction dates, review activity and chain of custody histories, manage box/file activity with PC-attached barcode scanners, and create downloadable inventory reports in Excel, PDF, and HTML formats.
• ActiveWeb Tape Rotation Management Software Online tape rotation management software integrating with existing tape management systems, allowing customers to view entire tape inventories across all platforms, preview future tape rotations, manage data tapes with barcode scanners, and generate instant reports.

Quantifiable outcome

• GPS activity history recorded and retained for at least ninety days
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ARMA InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership. Vanguard Archives traces its roots to founders who helped establish ARMA (originally Warren Filing Association, renamed in 1956 to American Records Management Association, Chicago Chapter), which eventually became part of ARMA International.
• AIIM (Association for Intelligent Information Management)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership for information management professionals.
• i-SIGMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership for information governance and security professionals. Vanguard maintains compliance with i-SIGMA standards.
• Business Resumption Planners Association (BRPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership focused on business continuity and disaster recovery planning, relevant to Vanguard's offsite storage and protection services.
• ARMA Chicago ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chapter membership providing networking and industry engagement within the Chicago metropolitan area.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Corodata: Corodata provides records storage, shredding, and document imaging services to businesses across multiple US markets. It is a comparable regional records management operator with similar service breadth.
• Iron Mountain: Iron Mountain is the global leader in records storage, tape rotation, secure shredding, and information management, offering the same core services as Vanguard Archives at national scale. It is the dominant direct competitor Vanguard benchmarks itself against in the Chicagoland market.
• Shred-it (Stericycle): Shred-it provides on-site and off-site document shredding, hard drive destruction, and secure records management with comparable chain-of-custody controls. It is a direct peer in the destruction and recurring paper service lines that Vanguard offers.
• Access Information Management: Access is a regional and national records management provider offering offsite document storage, secure shredding, scanning, and document management software. It competes with Vanguard for Chicago-area enterprise and regulated-vertical customers.
• Recall Holdings (now Iron Mountain): Recall was a major records management and document destruction provider before being acquired by Iron Mountain; it represents the historical category peer for the same document and tape services Vanguard offers.
• National Records Storage: National Records Storage offers offsite records storage, shredding, and document management across US markets. It is a direct mid-sized peer comparable to Vanguard's regional service mix.
• DSSI (Data Storage Solutions Inc): DSSI provides offsite tape and document storage with rotation and vault services, closely mirroring Vanguard's tape storage product. It is a direct peer in the high-security tape vault segment.
• DocuVault: DocuVault is a regional records management provider offering secure document storage, shredding, and media vault services. It is a comparable mid-sized operator focused on compliance-driven storage, similar in positioning to Vanguard.

Broad incumbents

• Cintas: Cintas is a large business services company offering shredding, records storage, and uniform services as part of a broad facilities services portfolio. It competes with Vanguard in shredding and records management but as one of many service lines.
• ARC Document Solutions: ARC Document Solutions provides document management, scanning, and records storage services to enterprise and regulated customers. It overlaps with Vanguard in scanning and document storage but serves a broader enterprise print and workflow portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/storage60653

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vanguard Archives