A Virtual Data Room (VDR) is a cloud-based secure, collaborative hub that stores and makes available uploaded documentation. Because VDRs are accessible to parties on both sides of an acquisition, they’re often used to help expedite and streamline due diligence processes involved in mergers and acquisitions — including the process of determining whether an organization will buy another company.
Why data rooms are important
A calm, quiet environment is an ideal place to make a decision. And while board rooms are the established meeting place for sessions filled with business deals, the restricted nature of such settings is an issue; there’s very little room for error, and it’s nearly impossible to accommodate all interested parties at one time. That’s where virtual deal rooms (VDRs) come into play. Here are four reasons why a secure data room is critical to protecting your property.
There’s guaranteed safety of any piece of information
Cyber-security threats are not merely limited to attacks by hackers on infrastructure but also include threats related to data theft. With the influx of M&A activity in the marketplace, leaks and breaches can lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in losses for the compromised businesses. Your medical records, licenses, contracts, financial statements, and other sensitive information are safe from prying eyes — even from your disgruntled employees. The only way into them is through a data room portal with credentials issued to approved participants.
Positive deal outcomes
Relationships between different parties involved in an M&A deal are just as crucial to the deal’s success as the actual transaction itself. An audit log helps organize all documents attached to a file, allowing businesses to identify who access what files and for how long. This is valuable information that can focus on only those interested parties that might buy or sell stock in the company.
Quicker deals
Your online data rooms are a huge time saver. With the click of a button, you can share files with your global team at any time of day. With its internet-only approach, you get to save time and avoid scheduling conflicts or costly travel, giving you more opportunities to close deals. A data room makes reviewing documents easy.
Information transparency with elders or investors
Transparency is the key to good business practices. Prospective lenders and investors want to know where their money will go. This means that any party considering a loan or an investment will scrutinize all aspects of your business to see if it’s profitable and worth their money. By keeping information on your business readily available, you can ensure that your business remains accessible and transparent. With a VDR, parties have access to the digital data files that the company has shared with them but cannot download other files from the server to which they’re connected.
Conclusion
If you’re new or hesitant about VDR, there’s no time like the present to set up a VDR for your start-up in just a few days. Once it’s operational, you can easily invite users to sign up and get started.