Virtual Data Room vs Physical Data Room

A physical data room (PDR) and a virtual data room (VDR) are both places to keep and share important documents securely, especially during business mergers, legal work, and other important deals. But they’re different in terms of what they are, how you can access them, how safe they are, and how easy they are to use. 

Every part of the financial field, including due diligence, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and investment banking, deals with a huge amount of data and documents. A lot of this information is private and belongs to the company. Financial companies have always stored these materials securely and shared them when needed. In the past, they usually used file cabinets for confidential data storage and servers in their offices for storage.

An Overview Of Data Room

What Is A Physical Data Room ?

The traditional data room is a designated place set up by the seller to store sensitive information crucial for business transactions. This room is a key part of the due diligence workflow and directly affects it. It allows potential buyers and their attorneys to review documents before finalizing the deal.

Before completing the transaction, the buyer often seeks detailed information about the company they are acquiring. In response, the seller compiles essential documents in a centralized, closely monitored, and secure location to restrict access to authorized individuals. Typically, access is granted to one bidder or buyer at a time, along with their team of experts, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of the documents.

In significant M&A deals involving multiple bidders, sellers may require buyers to travel to a specific location and be present throughout the process. However, managing a physical data room for such deals can be costly due to the need to accommodate numerous high-level buyers and experts.

To address this, many sellers opt for virtual data rooms, allowing buyers and their experts to access documents remotely. In terms of both time and expenses, virtual data rooms offer a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional data rooms.

What Is A Virtual Data Room (VDR)?

The virtual data room provides a secure online file-sharing and storage environment. It helps with data management and evaluating a company for a business deal or investment. Virtual data rooms typically store large volumes of documents. Possible buyers can log in securely over the Internet to see the information they need and share sensitive data safely. People are switching to virtual data rooms because they are cheaper, easy to use, and safe.

Some common features of virtual data rooms are tools for Q&A, notes, extra security steps, and data access control. Because of concerns about online safety, the people who create virtual data rooms ensure they have even better security features to protect the information.

Physical Vvs Virtual Data Rooms (VDRs) Comparision

These are some key distinctions between Physical and Virtual Data Rooms:

Features	Physical Data Rooms	Virtual Data Room
Accessibility	A specific place is required to access physical data rooms. This can be inconvenient, especially when dealing with people in different parts of the world.	Allow users to access documents and work together from anywhere, anytime. This is great for international deals or when many people need to look at documents at the same time.
Security	Use things like locked doors, security guards, cameras, or having a lawyer around for security. But these measures can still be risky for breaches.	Strong digital security features, such as encryption, access controls, two-factor authentication, watermarks, and activity tracking, give a higher level of security and control over who can see and handle documents.
Cost and Convenience	Physical data rooms are expensive to set up and maintain because of rent, security, infrastructure, and other logistical factors. They also require more time and effort to manage and organize documents physically.	They usually have a subscription or usage fee, but they are generally more cost-effective than physical versions because they don’t have the same infrastructure costs. They also make it easier to organize and find documents, and are user-friendly.
Document Management and Collaboration	Documents can be challenging to find and organize; you can only review them in the physical data room. Working together with others might be difficult because everyone needs to be physically present.	Easy to organize documents with features like indexing and advanced search options. They also let authorized users collaborate in real time, where they can comment, make notes, and communicate within the platform.

What Are The Risks Of Using Physical Data Room?

Limited Control

A company needs strict security rules for accessing stored files. This includes permissions not just for the server or storage area but also for individual folders, files, and documents. Enforcing these rules can be challenging in a physical storage setup, raising the risk of unexpected access to sensitive information.

Unauthorized Entry

Physical storage systems are at risk of unauthorized access, either due to lax staff security practices or theft.

No Encryption

Unlike digital data, physical storage lacks encryption, leaving it vulnerable to unauthorized access, especially in case of theft.

Physical Hazards

Devices storing physical data can be damaged by fire, floods, power surges, or mishandling. This damage can corrupt or lead to loss of documents and data.

Theft And Loss

Criminals can steal data files or documents from a physical storage area, leading to potential ransom demands and legal issues for the biotech company.

The Corruption Of Data

Physical storage media may suffer data corruption over time due to environmental conditions or manufacturing defects. This can make data unreadable or altered.

Limited Backup

Physical storage systems might need more proper backups for critical files, making data recovery challenging or even impossible.

Scalability Challenges

Expanding the capacity of a physical storage area can be difficult and expensive, limiting the scalability of data storage.

Transition From A Physical To A Virtual Data Room: A Step-by-Step Guide

Most companies use virtual data rooms as document storage to streamline their business transactions. However, some users are confused about transitioning from a physical to a virtual data room. Let’s examine how to transfer data from a physical to a virtual data room. 

• Check How You Store Data 

Now, look at your current physical storage systems, such as servers and hard drives. Understand how much they can hold, how well they perform, and what limits they have.

• Find The Best Virtual Storage 

Look for virtual storage options that match your organization’s needs. Many VDR providers offer free trials, which you can use to make your decision.

• Make A Plan To Move

Outline the steps, time, and resources you’ll need to makefor the switch. Consider data security, downtime, data integrity, and whether it works with your existing systems. Also, consider how the move might affect ongoing projects.

• Back-Up Your Data

Before you switch, ensure you have backups of all your data files and documents. This way, if anything unexpected happens during the move, you’re covered.

• Set Up Virtual Storage

Create an account for cloud storage. LockRoom provides a support team familiar with biotech to help you. They’ll guide you in setting up folders, uploading files, and letting team members access them. Since many biotech companies want a quick transition, LockRoom support is available 24/7.

• Move Your Data

Shift your data from your physical storage to the virtual one. With LockRoom, moving electronic data is as easy as dragging and dropping. The transfer is protected by LockRoom encryption. Files in transit use HTTPS over Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) with AES-256 encryption. LockRoom’s features speed things up, like bulk upload and linking with file-sharing apps.

Organize Data Storage

LockRoom has tools to speed up the move to virtual storage. Like a hashtag, the hierarchical tag lets a document appear in different folders without duplicating files.

• Bring In Users

The biotech company’s VDR administrator invites users. Users create passwords, and their device’s IP address is registered. Each user has specific permissions for each document, such as read-only, copy/paste, print, or download. If participants change, the VDR administrator can change or stop authorization at any time.

• Update Inside

Systems and Ways of Working Adjust your company’s IT systems, apps, and ways of working to fit the new virtual storage. This might mean changing backup and recovery processes, updating data management rules, and teaching employees how to use the virtual data room and LockRoom’s features.

• Watch And Improve

Keep an eye on how your team uses the VDR. Talk to your LockRoom support rep with questions and to ensure everyone is using it well.

• Say Goodbye Tto Physical Storage

Once you’ve successfully moved everything to the virtual data room, shut down and retire any physical storage systems you no longer need.

Best Practices For Physical Data Rooms To Virtual Data Rooms Transition

Switching from physical to virtual data rooms is a common trend as technology evolves. Virtual data rooms offer better security, more accessible access, and improved collaboration. To make this transition successful, follow these best practices:

1. Understand Your Needs and Goals
   
   • Evaluate what data and documents need storage, access, and sharing.
   • Consider security and compliance requirements.
2. Choose the Right VDR Provider
   
   • Research providers based on security, user interface, ease of use, collaboration features, and customer support.
3. Prioritize Security
   
   • Work with the VDR provider to implement robust security protocols, including encryption and access controls.
4. Organize Your Data
   
   • Properly index and categorize documents for easy access.
   • Use folders, tags, and metadata to help users quickly find information.
5. Train Users Effectively
   
   • Provide thorough onboarding and training sessions for users unfamiliar with VDRs.
   • Use tutorials, user guides, and live demonstrations to make them comfortable.
6. Control Access and Permissions
   
   • Set strict permission levels to limit access to authorized individuals only.
   • Regularly review and update access permissions to ensure data security.
7. Monitor and Audit Regularly
   
   • Continuously monitor user activity logs and access history for any unusual or unauthorized activities.
   • This proactive approach enhances security and ensures compliance.
8. Enhance Collaboration and Communication
   
   • Leverage VDR features like real-time commenting, annotations, and version control to improve communication and workflow efficiency.
9. Backup Data and Plan for Contingencies
   
   • Have a data backup strategy in place despite VDRs’ robust security measures.
   • Regularly back up data to ensure its safety in case of technical glitches or data loss.
10. Adapt and Improve Constantly
    
    • Gather feedback from users and stakeholders regularly.
    • Identify areas for improvement to evolve the VDR system based on changing needs and technological advancements.

Remember, transitioning to a virtual data room is a significant change, and ongoing adaptation and improvement are crucial for its success.

Best Virtual Data Room Providers

1. LockRoom
2. ShareVault
3. Intralinks
4. Datasite
5. Digify