Today’s corporate world is highly data-driven. Whether it is marketing material, financial statements, intellectual property, board material, or other forms of sensitive data, companies regularly share, store, and manage large volumes of information.
What’s more, as business teams or units operate from different locations, the need for online data management solutions is on the rise. That is why VDR solutions have become immensely popular in the corporate world. The higher demand for secure data room solutions means more and more data room companies are competing in the market now.
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A free, competitive data room market means that consumers have more options to choose from. However, there is another side to the story. Due to the large number of virtual data room services in the market, buyers find it challenging to find the right data room provider for their needs.
Choosing the right due diligence software is crucial for businesses to ensure seamless, secure data sharing during critical processes like M&A transactions and audits.
Ronald Hernandez, Founder of dataroom-providers.org, emphasizes, “In today’s fast-paced environment, due diligence software should prioritize data security, ease of use, and flexibility to meet diverse corporate needs.”
The following are the key factors to consider when choosing the best virtual data room provider for your business.
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The first and most important thing to consider when choosing a data room provider is VDR security. Virtual data rooms are defined as highly secure, cloud-based document repositories used to share, store, and manage data during M&As, fundraising rounds, IPOs, etc.
The next question is, how to make sure the data room is secure? Following are some fundamental security requirements for any VDR.
Document access control means the VDR must give the management full control over the data flow and access. That said, VDR administration must be able to decide who can or cannot access a certain file or folder. Advanced virtual data rooms even allow management to control file versions and access certain segments/pages of a document.
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Two-factor authorization is not only a common but highly important security feature. It minimizes or even eliminates the effect of a hacking attempt. Generally, two-factor authorization requires the users to provide the right password, and then a one-time generated code is sent to the user’s mobile phone or email address.
When choosing a virtual data room provider, just make sure that it is certified by recognized organizations. Always look for certifications like HIPAA, FINRA, SOC1, SOC2, GDPR, FISMA, PCI DSS, etc.
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Virtual data room comparison is a must-do step when choosing a VDR for your business. There are different benchmarks to compare virtual data room providers, and here are some of them.
When it comes to operating systems, the adaptability level of virtual data rooms varies. It is interesting to see that even some successful data room vendors often limited deployment options. It is important to be prudent when considering the deployment options.
For example, if your business uses Windows as an operating system, you would definitely look for a VDR that you can deploy on Windows. However, what if you decide to change your operating system in the future? Therefore, it is better to choose a vendor that offers multiple deployment options like Linux, iOS, Android, macOS, etc.
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We have already talked about data room security above. In addition to the above-mentioned features, the need for advanced security features varies based on your usage. For example, if you want a virtual data room service for M&As, it is important to have features like fence-view or view-only. These features ensure that nobody can edit, save, share, download, or alter a document. Other important security features include IP address-based access limitations, document shredding, document access revoke, etc.
Virtual data room user interface is another important point for virtual data room comparison. For example, the user interface should be simple enough that an entry-level accountant and a CFO can use VDR with the same ease.
A thoughtfully developed user interface has options like a single sign-on for all projects, is easy to navigate, has multiple deployment options, and is easy to scroll through a large number of files.
In addition to the user interface, also look for the level of customization a data room vendor offers. That may include adding custom logos and banners and changing the overall data room look.
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As virtual data room technology has grown immensely, modern-day vendors target specific industries rather than selling services to everyone. For example, iDeals data rooms are globally known for their VDR solutions for M&As, life sciences, law firms, and top-level managers.
As a buyer, you must consider the same: choose a data room vendor that is good in your particular niche. Such sellers have solutions that are right according to an industry’s needs. Some of the best virtual data room providers include iDeals, Merrill, ShareDocs, and Sharevault.
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When choosing a virtual data room service, consider elements like data room security, deployment, user interface, customization, industry-related experience of the vendor, strong customer support service, and free trials.