Due diligence can be a major undertaking, and a critical project toward a successful deal. The average transaction takes hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars in professional fees. In the uncertain economic climate of COVID-19, the completion of a thorough legal due diligence exercise to the buyer’s satisfaction is more important than ever.
Travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic have changed the way deals are done. Increasingly, due diligence takes place online with attorneys and other professionals all working from home. But how do the parties know that the highly sensitive information they’ve provided for due diligence is truly locked down and will not become public? Virtual data room providers offer some level of security, but their capabilities rarely reach into the private homes where people are working on their own personal computers.
Choose an independent information security solution with state of the art technology and white-glove service. Keep confidential documents in front of the right people, at the right time so that only authorized users gain access, and isolate your data from unmanaged personal computers.
Be sure your due diligence technology solution includes facial verification at registration and log-in, a project-specific isolated email system, monitoring and audit reports of all user activity, and 24/7 support. Pick fintech solutions like Intralinks or Merrill as your VDR provider — but then, for less than a few hours of your counsel, make sure the documents stay safe within an encrypted platform in our WFH world.
