Virtual data rooms are a fairly old invention that came to us more than 20 years ago, but since then they have been improved in their features to become today one of the most reliable ways to store important company documents. Market demand grows and so does supply, but to stand out in the market among competitors you need to offer really powerful software, and in this article, we will tell you how a quality data room for modern companies should look like.
Overview of the main features of a virtual data room
The standard set of features in all data rooms is the same, but that doesn’t mean they are all identical. Different developers include different additional features that make them distinctive. But the initial set of functions looks like this:
- Watermarks- helps avoid data leaks
- Self-destructing documents – the administrator can revoke access to the document as he sees fit
- 56-bit AES SSL encryption – a high-quality level of security to keep your documents safe at all times
- Document Access Restrictions – allows the administrator to select document security levels and disable printing, transferring, and copying functions
- Data Backup – Serves as a Plan B to help recover your document in case it is damaged, accidentally deleted, etc.
- Check for viruses – when information is uploaded to file storage, a viral document might get in, but VDR will detect and remove it quickly
- Save/open encryption -open encryption encrypts your documents when you open them, but when you save them, the documents remain encrypted for prying eyes
Additional security features
So, in addition to this set of features, a data room provider who wants to create a powerful online space should also think about access security features:
- Access from mobile devices – provides the flexibility of the program and allows you to access it whenever and wherever you want
- Multi-step verification – when logging in from an unknown device, the user will have to go through several verification steps to eliminate the possibility of hacking
- Granular access – allows the administrator to decide the rights of employees to have access to a document
- Two-factor authentication – besides regular login and password entering, users are obliged to keep an additional code, which should come to their cell phone
Modern features of powerful VDRs
Additional features that developers can and should include in their product are:
- Audit logs -saves all actions that ever occurred in VDR
- Detailed Data Room Reports – Records all actions and sends you a detailed report at the end of the week/month (as you customize)
- Multiple levels of user rights – let you decide who has higher access to what, when, and where
- Branded site -some vendors can help you showcase your company brand and include a data room look and feel in their VDRs
- Advanced text search – Search for relevant documents quickly and efficiently by typing only keywords into the search engine
- Accessibility features -accessibility to all OS and gadgets, quality mobile app interface, and multilingual support
- Task Management System -Give tasks to users in the VDR for more effective teamwork
- Integrated Excel Viewer -view Excel files without leaving the VDR
- Advanced analytics – heat maps help you keep track of the amount of time a particular user spends on a particular document