Merrill Datasite

Merrill Datasite review

Datasite, formerly known as Merrill Corporation, is a software solution provider for managing financial transactions. It has been serving mergers and acquisitions specialists and providing them with a safe and user-friendly environment for managing deal processes since 1968. Though headquartered in the United States, they work globally and have offices in South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. 

Datasite designed solutions for those who work with large volumes of deals daily, such as M&A professionals, investment bankers, or  those in legal services or private equity sectors. The company offers clients custom solutions by combining unique expertise, the latest technology, robust security, and top-notch service. 

M&A professionals need a safe environment to conduct due diligence. As one may have guessed, plenty of other providers offer those services. However, what makes Datasite stand out is that it manages the whole deal’s lifecycle, from  marketing through due diligence to the closing. The solution helps customers automate their workflows, collaborate with their teams, and save time on repetitive and manual tasks. Subscribers also benefit from a bunch of extra features and functionality, such as fundraising, asset marketing, and board reporting. 

Potential customers are encouraged to request quotes for specific products and services. Datasite, at its core, is very customer-oriented — its team offers support and advice every step of the way.

Deployment

Like most modern software solutions, Datasite data room is a cloud-based tool that additionally offers access through mobile apps — available for iOS and Android. The company also has an application programming interface (API) that quickly and easily integrates the existing tools and solutions into the platform.

Clients can manage deals from a single command center with just a few clicks. For instance, there’s drag-and-drop functionality for uploading files and buttons in documents for control and additional features. Also, personalizing invitations to the platform for new users is a cinch.

Because Datasite is AI-based, they use artificial intelligence to automate tedious and routine tasks, such as categorizing files and building indexes. These features save clients countless hours of valuable work time. Meanwhile, an intelligent dashboard allows for tracking and reviewing all user activity.

Merrill Datasite customer service is available for business hours or 24/7 depending on your agreement. To avoid steep learning curves, Merrill data room offers an integrated Q&A function. Customers can create teams and categories, answer questions online, or attach information from other sources. At the same time, users can review necessary data and ask and answer questions within a thread.

Support

Datasite boasts several forms of user assistance. The customer support team is available 24/7 via phone, email, or online chat, offering help in 20 languages. In addition, each region has a local phone number for quick and easy connection. 

Additionally, there’s an FAQ section on their site with loads of key information. This section includes general information about virtual data rooms and the Datasite VDR in particular, plus security features and setup process, etc. 

Datasite also has an online support portal with articles, videos, and training classes. Clients can learn how to set up a Datasite data room, what to do if the client has forgotten a password, or where to review invoices. 

With this wide range of reference materials, the company provides its customers with full support for proper installation, setup, and software usage.

Security

Datasite prides itself on providing industry-leading security for its clients. But how exactly does Datasite promise top-level security? 

• User permissions. Document owners control which users access  data and perform actions. They also maintain full control over the documents even after user edits. 
• Watermarking. No user can copy the data without proper authorization. 
• Multi-factor authentication. The system requires two-factor authentication for users, but they can also add an extra layer of security if they wish. 
• Automatic password resets. When working with various users on multiple deals, mandating periodic a password reset helps avoid data leaks. 
• Back-up and file encryption. Datasite helps to prevent information from being lost or compromised. 

Datasite runs on Microsoft Azure, which is ISO 27001 compliant. The company’s products are also ISO 27017 and 27018 compliant, meaning that they offer both cloud security and secure personal data processing. Also, Datasite’s infrastructure providers have earned ISO 27001 and SOC2 Type II compliance and FedRAMP certification. This means that Datasite meets the needs of clients who are subject to strict regulations regarding data processing and safety. 

Datasite’s clients don’t have to worry about security no matter where they are located. The company complies with GDPR (applicable in the EU) as well as the Australian Privacy Principles and the California Consumer Privacy Act. As for other countries, all the data is hosted either in centers in the US, Germany, or Australia.

FAQ

Is Merrill owned by Datasite?

No. Merrill Corporation, the technology provider for global M&A professionals, changed its name to Datasite in 2020. They rebranded to better reflect its shift to virtual data room services.

How much does Merrill cost?

To get a quote, prospects need to contact the Merrill dataroom sales team, as the provider doesn’t share its prices publicly.

What is Datasite Prepare?

Datasite Prepare is a Datasite product that simplifies and accelerates deal preparation with the help of AI indexing, smart categorization, redaction, and VDR integration. It’s most suitable for large or complex deals.

Can I download files from Datasite?

Download rights can be granted or restricted by document. That’s why a user may not be able to download every document within a data room.

What is a “sandbox” feature?

Merrill Datasite offers a solution for smaller and less complex deals — Datasite Diligence. It includes a “sandbox” that lets users prepare Office files, PDFs, and videos for a transaction and start due diligence with only a few clicks. The product includes most of the features of Datasite Prepare.