A rendering of the planned visitors' center at Iron Mountain in Boyers is displayed at a groundbreaking ceremony Friday. The facility is designed to minimize the number of visitors who must venture into the underground business located in a former mine, thus enhancing security.

BOYERS — Iron Mountain, an international business for storing and protecting information and data, has broken ground for a visitors' center that will enhance the operation's security.

The business, located in a former mine, is building the facility to minimize the number of visitors who have to go underground, according to Mark Kidd, senior vice president and general manager of Iron Mountain's Data Centers.

“(The project) is to improve security related to people coming in and out,” Kidd said.

The operation requires significant construction and technology equipment that is moved into the underground facility, and this center will separate visitors from the former mine.

Iron Mountain is not divulging the cost of the project, said Owen Davis, public relations and analyst relations manager for Iron Mountain.

State House Rep. Tedd Nesbit, R-8th, said the new project demonstrates Iron Mountain's dedication to investing in the area.

“Critically, more important than (the technology) is the families that (Iron Mountain) helps sustain,” Nesbit said. “I don't think I can overestimate the importance (Iron Mountain) plays in the region in terms of helping sustain economic growth in the area. I really appreciate you making the investment, I think it's great for the area.”

State Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, called Iron Mountain's operations “something special” for the area.

The Boyers location for Iron Mountain is considered the “flagship” and “unique asset,” according to Sarah Abrams, the senior vice president of global real estate for the company.

“Our commitment to this area began over 60 years ago,” Abrams said. “Since that time, we have continuously invested in and improved the mine. But this investment, to many of you, has not been obvious ... with the construction of this new gateway facility, our continuing commitment to Butler County will be visible to all.”In addition to the new visitors' center, the company unveiled a new addition to the data center facilities, a 20,000-square-foot space that can accommodate between one and 25 new customers, Kidd said.“We've been continuing to grow, and the fastest growth is on the data center side,” he said.In the past two years, Iron Mountain went from four data center clients to 35, including government agencies, banks and hospitals who need to guarantee their digital records are secure.The data center industry growth is around 25 percent annually, Kidd said.This new space is the third phase of a five-phase project that started in 2013 to increase the data center presence.Kidd said the projected employment growth would be about 20 people over the next two years for the data center.Iron Mountain employs about 200 people in Boyers, with more than 2,000 total employees in the mine on any given day. The company has 1,350 facilities in 45 countries.

Troy Hill of Iron Mountain shows part of the new construction at the underground data center during a groundbreaking Friday for the company's visitors' center in Boyers.