Data storage and management practices in firms, corporations, enterprises, small businesses, etc., have gone through revolutionary changes in the form of virtual data rooms. Gone are those days when organizations used to spend thousands of dollars on paper documentation. Virtual data rooms have not only made data management easier, but they have also resolved one of the biggest issues faced by present-day organizations — data security.
So what exactly is an electronic data room? What type of businesses can use it? Why are virtual data rooms beneficial for businesses? You can find all the answers in this guide.
What is a digital data room?
A digital or virtual data room is an online data storage platform where professionals and businesses of any type can store and manage their important data. Data room users can upload, share, edit, and annotate documents in the VDR.
The biggest misconception about a virtual data room is that it is just a data storage facility. Dataroom software is also a virtual workspace that businesses can use to maximize collaboration between their employees and management.
What’s more, modern virtual data rooms are enriched with project management and collaboration tools, which makes them very useful solutions that facilitate deal making. That’s the reason VDRs are so prevalent in the M&A industry.
Virtual data room application spheres
Small businesses, firms, corporations, and professionals from different business sectors are using data rooms for multiple reasons. Here are some common use cases of VDR software.
- Mergers and acquisitions
M&As are indeed one of the biggest use cases of data room software. Acquiring a new business involves an exchange of important business data on a large scale. Virtual data rooms allow all parties to collaborate on a centralized platform where they can share business documents and communicate seamlessly.
- Law firms
Lawyers or law firms use virtual data rooms for various purposes, and keeping confidential data safe is one of them. Lawyers deal with highly personal data on a regular basis and may face lawsuits for not protecting clients’ data. Apart from that, lawyers use VDRs as a secure communication platform where they can connect with their clients.
- Startups
The use of a virtual data room for startups is becoming a new norm. Startups often face a shortage of funds and often look for cost-cutting methods. As online data rooms are paperless solutions, they help startups reduce their paper and printing costs significantly. Apart from that, IT-based startups use virtual data rooms as a workplace.
- IPOs and fundraising
Initial public offerings and fundraising are data-sensitive ventures where a business entity has to make its confidential data public. Virtual data rooms make these processes safe by giving companies complete control over their business data. Data room administration can set access restrictions and use customizable NDAs to prevent any data leak.
- 5. Audit
Generally, public companies are legally bound to have their corporate records audited by licensed auditors. Hiring external auditors means a company has to give them access to all its financial records and other sensitive documents.
Virtual data rooms allow corporations to have their documents audited in a controlled environment. Data room administration can monitor every single activity in the data room, keeping a close eye on auditors.
Apart from that, data room software are commonly used by:
- Investment bankers
- Financial advisors
- Remote workers/freelancers
- Healthcare institutions
- Pharmaceutical companies
- IT firms
Benefits of a digital data room
- Safe data storage
As we mentioned earlier, online data rooms have relieved businesses from data security concerns. Thanks to certified virtual data room providers, businesses can now keep their important data safe in a secure, centralized place.
What differentiates data rooms from other data storage facilities is their hard-to-break security. A certified virtual data room employs multiple layers of security. For instance, two-step verification protects the VDR from unauthorized entry even if a user’s password is compromised.
Furthermore, audit logs help businesses to deal with internal threats. Data room administration can monitor every activity in the data room, giving it a clear view of who is doing what, when, and where.
- Seamless collaboration
Virtual data rooms not only keep important data safe but they streamline multiple processes within the organization. As data rooms are remotely accessible, users can access business data from anywhere. Depending on their access level, they can share, edit, or annotate documents. Moreover, multiple users can work on a single document simultaneously.
With data rooms, it is easier to dispatch documents to multiple users. E-signatures is one of the latest additions to virtual data rooms that allow the users to sign any document electronically. Data room users can arrange audio and video meetings, text each other privately, and start group discussions.
- Due diligence
Due diligence is an important step in large-scale business transactions such as M&As, IPOs, fundraising, capital investments, and real estate transactions. The due diligence process involves a thorough verification and evaluation of business data to make better decisions.
Virtual data room services like iDeals, Merrill, Datasite, and Intralinks data room not only make the due diligence process simpler but they make it way more secure as well. With VDRs, a business exposing its data to external parties can control who can access what and for how long. This is why the importance of choosing the best data room is so great. Modern data rooms have built-in customizable NDAs that can be used to legally bind the buyers from misusing the company’s confidential data.
Final words
Virtual data rooms have worldwide usage in all types of business sectors. They are not just ordinary online data storage platforms but practical business solutions that can be used as deal rooms and virtual workspaces. They are easy to set up, reduce operating costs, easy to use, and extremely budget-friendly options.
