Mergers and Acquisition is a rather standard business process in the modern world. Hundreds of companies unite their forces to win the tough competition. And numerous firms get acquired by bigger businesses every day. But even though M&A is held frequently, it doesn’t get any simpler. Companies still need to gather and prepare all the documents, share them with potential partners or buyers, and review their proposals.

However, the toughest task here is to get the most out of the deal and set your own rules. Especially when you’re selling the business – you want the price to be as high as possible. Fortunately, technologies offer us a perfect solution – virtual data rooms. They make Mergers and Acquisitions as simple and transparent as possible, allowing the business to focus on the deal.

Data leaks are one of the biggest issues a business can face. They’re extremely expensive, highly stressful and can ruin not only the deal but the whole company as well. That’s why business owners have to protect the corporate data and make sure it won’t appear in the wrong hands.

But even though a lot of companies suffer from data leaks all the time, facing incredibly huge issues, many businesses still neglect the need to secure the information. They use generic cloud storages to keep the documents online and share them, and messengers to discuss details of the deal. Both tools are far from what we’d call safe.

Cloud repositories like Google Drive and Dropbox get hacked all the time, and users lose their valuable information. And messengers are not that hard to hack as well. So even discussing matters you expose your business to the potential threat.

Things are totally unlike that when it comes to VDR software. With a virtual data room, Mergers and Acquisitions become completely safe. This technology is protected by 265-bit encryption, which is the strongest one so far. And moreover, data room providers offer many security tools for additional protection.

One of them is two-factor authentication. With this feature enabled users will have to enter not only their login data but some additional information as well that will prove their identity. The most popular option is a unique code a user receives on their phone or email upon logging in. But also they can use fingerprints or some other method of identification to access the virtual repository.

Most virtual data room services also offer watermarks for additional protection. Placing them over documents companies can protect the information from the unauthorized use. And to give customers control over the deal room, vendors provide them with different levels of access users can have. Therefore, the manager can determine what actions can every user do. This feature protects the information and gives the business more flexibility during the deal.

Virtual data rooms for Mergers and Acquisitions offer several teamwork instruments to improve the communication between participants. Users can comment on documents and highlight certain information when needed. And others will receive notifications when files are altered, or someone uploads a new document. Thus, everyone can review the changes almost instantly and act accordingly.

Also, there is a Q&A section that the manager usually assembles in advance, gathering all the frequently asked questions and answering them. But as the deal develops and new questions arise, parties can add them to the Q&A section for the manager to answer them. That’s why for M&A a virtual data room is not simply useful but vital if the business wants to go through a deal quickly and efficiently.

Most data rooms can be connected to other teamwork instruments that the company is already using. We strongly advise always to ask your provider if the software is compatible with certain tools. Because the more tools are synchronized with each other, the smoother the workflow is.

One of the best parts of holding M&A in a virtual data room is that invited third-parties don’t know about each other. While the administrator of the deal room can see each action of every user. It can give many useful insights and hints that will help the business to make a data-driven decision.

Using a data room for M&A, you can customize the documents, the interface, invitation letters, and even sometimes the login screen, with your corporate colors and logo. While customization might seem like something insignificant, it can influence the deal a lot. It will help your company to look more credible and get more trust from potential partners and buyers.

Watermarks also bring a customized feel to your documents besides protecting them from unauthorized use. Therefore, with a virtual data room, you can create a unique and tailored experience.