Not every virtual data room is similarly suitable for M&As. Using data room software for regular data storage or sharing is simply incomparable to the amount of data shared during mergers and acquisitions. An M&A transaction is an avalanche of voluminous data sharing, 24/7 communication, Q&A sessions, meetings, negotiation, and whatnot.
Data rooms like Google Workspace, Box, etc., are purposed for routine data management and online collaboration. An M&A data room is specifically designed to tackle the complexities mentioned above. In the text to follow, you will learn about the M&A data room, its benefits, and the top 5 M&A data rooms every company should consider.
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What is an M&A data room?
M&A data rooms are digital data storage platforms with advanced communication tools specifically developed to facilitate due diligence and post-integration phases in mergers, acquisitions, corporate consolidations, or joint ventures.
Generally, the security in virtual data rooms for mergers and acquisitions is much stronger than in less competitive vdrs. Many high-end data room vendors provide features like fence view mode, document access control, remote device purging, two-factor or multi-factor authorization, document shredding, and digital watermarks for due diligence.
Additionally, the collaboration tools in M&A online data room software are highly advanced. These vdrs have Q&A modules, voting tools, HD audio and video conferencing tools for meetings, dedicated email addresses, and chat messengers.
Top 5 M&A data rooms to consider
There is a long list of M&A data room services, but the following virtual data room providers are highly rated in the M&A industry.
1. DealRoom
DealRoom data room software is arguably one of the few virtual data rooms specifically built for M&As and project management. The company started its operations in 2012 and removed the inefficiencies in M&A due diligence to a great extent.
DealRoom specifically targets the corporate sector and large-scale M&As. Their strength lies in creating, executing, and managing projects with unparalleled efficiency. Notable features include strong data encryption, AI-backed analytics, and necessary compliance. Despite having ready-made features for successful due diligence, DealRoom’s price is lower than its competitors.
2. iDeals
iDeals is the industry leader when it comes to the electronic data room market. The company started operations in the early 2000s, and it is one of the most trusted data room vendors in every sector, let alone M&As.
iDeals’ strength lies in its unbeatable platform and document security, smooth data management, and second-to-none customer support service. You can share hundreds and thousands of files without any fear of data theft.
Another good thing about iDeals is that you can deploy these data rooms on Windows, Linux, Mac, and mobile phone operating systems such as iOS and Android.
iDeals enjoys excellent ratings at Capterra, Software Advice, and G2 and have won several awards from these websites. It is the only data room that is available in more than 10 international languages.
3. FirmRoom
An ISO-27001-certified VDR, FirmRoom was named the “best virtual data room” by Capterra in 2020. FimRoom provides a wide range of M&A solutions across various industries. The company’s client list includes some big names, such as J.P Morgan, Baird, and Pfizer.
FirmRoom is also well known for its clean and user-intuitive design. You can also integrate FirmRoom with Salesforce, Office 365, and Slack.
4. Intralinks
Intralinks is a well-suited online data room software for medium and large-sized businesses and M&A transactions. In fact, the company offers multiple AI-backed M&A solutions.
Intralinks is highly-enriched in data security and management features like digital watermarks, bulk uploads, drag-n-drop, detailed audit logs, and auto-indexing. You can deploy these vdrs on Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android. Also, Intralinks VDRs support German, French, and English.
5. Merrill Datasite
Merrill, just like iDeals, is a multi-purpose solution that you can use for corporate development, investment banking, private equity, portfolio management, and M&As.
Apart from all the mandatory features needed in an M&A data room, Merrill has some unique ones as well. For example, Merrill VDRs provide visual analytics for document activities. You can also upload a file up to 50GB.
Other notable features include contextual search, permission management features, drag-n-drop, and document access restrictions.
Benefits of virtual data rooms in mergers and acquisitions
Online data room software provides maximum automation during M&As. Here are some major benefits of VDRs in deal management:
- Secure and remotely accessible due diligence data
- Centralized data storage
- Fast, safe, and controlled data sharing
- Ability to create pre-due diligence rooms
- Safer, real-time communication
- Streamlined online meetings
- Better document access control
- Faster due diligence process
- Transparency and accountability
- Cost-effectiveness
Final words
Choosing a virtual data room specifically developed for M&As will give you additional security, better communication, and more automation. Some of the best M&A data room vendors include DealRoom, Merrill, FirmRoom, Intralinks, and iDeals.