Smarsh Inc. (stylized as smarsh) is a "
software as a service
Software as a service (SaaS ) is a cloud computing service model where the provider offers use of application software to a client and manages all needed physical and software resources. SaaS is usually accessed via a web application. Unlike o ...
" (SaaS) company headquartered in
Portland, Oregon
Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, with nine offices worldwide.
The company provides comprehensive
archiving
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...
and has compliance, supervision and
e-discovery tools for companies in highly regulated industries, including public sector and financial services.
History
The company was founded in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York in 2001. The founder, Stephen Marsh, believed that the financial industry needed a better way to archive, store, and regulate its data as regulations required.
In 2004, the company relocated its headquarters to Portland, Oregon.
In 2012,
Quest Software
Quest Software, also known as Quest, is a privately held software company headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, United States. Quest provides cloud management, software as a service, security, workforce mobility, and backup & recovery. The co ...
, which owned 60% of Smarsh, was sold to
Dell Computer
Dell Inc. is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcams among other produ ...
.
[ In 2013, Dell sold its stake to California investment firm Toba Capital.][
]
Acquisitions
Smarsh has acquired a number of companies since its start in 2001. In 2008, it acquired the Connecticut-based CentraScan LLC, an email management service, the California-based Financial Visions Inc., a website compliance company, and iNation, LLC, a financial CRM provider.cloud
In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles, suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may ...
-based instant message archiving company, in 2015, and in December 2016, it acquired MobileGuard, a mobile communication monitoring and retention provider.[ In 2017, Smarsh acquired London-based company, Cognia, to improve Smarsh’s voice communication capabilities for mobile and landline devices. In 2018, K1 Investment Management acquired Actiance Inc. and merged with Smarsh shortly after. In 2020, Smarsh acquired Entreda, an integrated cybersecurity risk and compliance management software and services company, which will continue to operate under its own brand as a stand-alone, wholly owned subsidiary of Smarsh.
Smarsh acquired TeleMessage, which archives ]Signal
A signal is both the process and the result of transmission of data over some media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processing, information theory and biology.
In ...
conversations, in February 2024. In May 2025, TeleMessage gained media attention after it was revealed that Mike Waltz, former U.S. National Security Advisor, was using an unofficial version of Signal
A signal is both the process and the result of transmission of data over some media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processing, information theory and biology.
In ...
called "TM SGNL", created by TeleMessage to archive messages securely. This discovery highlighted the company's role in providing modified messaging applications for secure and compliant archival of governmental communications, raising discussions around security and record-keeping practices within high-ranking government circles. It was later reported that TeleMessage had been hacked.
Awards and recognition
Smarsh has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in America consecutively from 2008 through 2022.
References
{{Reflist, 2
Software companies based in Oregon
Companies established in 2001
Companies based in Portland, Oregon
2011 establishments in Oregon
Software companies of the United States