While services like Dropbox or Google Drive are fine for general sharing of files however, when it comes down to sensitive information that may be shared in an M&A process or IPO, data rooms offer the most advanced features. Unlike free file storage platforms, these are specifically designed to share files in a highly secure environment. They can also provide advanced authorization settings, auditing capabilities and watermarking that guarantees only authorized individuals can view and download the files needed.
A virtual dataroom allows both parties to perform due diligence using a workflow that is controlled for each document. This makes sure that confidential business information like patents, financial results, or product development are only accessible to interested buyers and ensures that all conversations are kept within the platform. This helps prevent leaks and also reduces the chance of sensitive information being accessed by the in the wrong hands.
Activity audit logs are another important aspect of a data room. They provide a comprehensive look at who accessed a document and when. This lets M&A teams to monitor the interest levels and decide if they want to continue negotiations or move ahead. Data room reports also aid teams in staying organized by providing a summary of group activities. who has registered, who looked at and/or edited which files and when).
A virtual dataroom allows users to quickly filter through thousands of files by providing powerful search engines. This includes full-text search, Optical Character Recognition, filtering by label, a wide range of logical operators and much more. The ability to automatically number and index documents and folders also makes it easy to locate and organize large amounts of data.