[Infographic] Iris Celebrates 20 Years of Evolution and Excellence

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When you think of identity theft today, you may imagine different scenarios featuring cybercriminals employing complex tactics like phishing, data breaches, or even hacking into devices to steal people’s personally identifiable information. However, identity thieves have been around for decades, and they used to rely on much simpler tactics to steal sensitive data.

Did you know that when the Oxford Dictionary first coined the phrase “identity theft” in 1964, the crime mainly occurred over the phone? Fast-forward to the 1990s, when identity thieves began to use the Internet to deploy their schemes. As consumers became more comfortable using the Internet and home computers, a whole new world of identity crimes emerged. While the first personal shredder was released to protect consumers’ private information, it would still be over a decade before identity theft protection services became available.

In 2004, we saw a real consumer need for protection against identity thieves and became one of the very first organizations to provide identity theft resolution services in the U.S.

Now, 20 years later, Iris is celebrating two decades of providing identity and cyber protection solutions.

Looking Ahead: Creating a New Way for Companies to Offer Identity Protection

As a people-first, technology-forward company, Iris has earned its reputation as an industry leader and consistently seeks innovative ways to evolve its technology and services. Our in-depth understanding of the consumer market for identity protection services, coupled with insights gained from listening to our clients and their customers, enables us to craft tailored solutions and experience options aligned with consumers’ needs and our partners' business goals.

Over the course of 2024, Iris plans to further expand our products and services, allowing clients the ability to offer identity protection services to their consumers in a variety of ways and in various environments. This shift signals an exciting evolution from being a solely portal-focused provider to a comprehensive identity theft protection platform. Iris’ Identity Protection Platform will also offer our partners more setup flexibility and customization options than ever before, helping empower companies to create an identity protection plan that makes the most sense for their consumers and their business.

Check out our 20-year anniversary infographic, which explores the history of identity theft and highlights some of Iris’ biggest achievements over the past two decades.