Virtual data rooms are often considered as simple data repositories for professionals, businesses, and government organizations. Data storage is just one element of data room software, but VDRs are much more than ordinary online data storage places.
A modern electronic data room is a secure virtual workspace, data repository, and digital deal room at the same time. Today, virtual data rooms are one of the most powerful and feature-rich business software. Whether it is data security, document management, communication, or deal-making, data rooms have an array of practical features that you may not have heard of.
Read on if you wish to explore untold features of virtual data room software.
Top virtual data room features in 2024
Digital data room features are classified into multiple categories; here are some of them.
1. Communication
- Private messaging. As a data room user, you can privately send and receive messages from other users. You can share documents, images, videos, audio notes, and other files. Private chats are end-to-end encrypted.
- Group discussion. Any user can start a communication thread by sharing a post or question in the data room. Other members can contribute by sharing their thoughts and opinions. Group discussions are very handy in brainstorming sessions.
- Online polls. Online polls are a great tool to get people’s opinions by voting. A member can create a poll and invite other users to record their responses. Polls are useful for approving or rejecting an idea or proposal.
- Live Q&As. Live Q&A sessions help answer queries of concerned parties in real-time. For example, if a user shares a proposal, other users can raise their queries in live Q&A sessions.
- Audio and video conferencing. Virtual data room users can discuss important or urgent business affairs via online meeting tools. Digital data room software allows you to conduct audio and video meetings. Depending on your VDR provider, you can add up to 100 users to the meeting.
2. Electronic data room accessibility features
- Multiple devices accessibility. Virtual data rooms are accessible from all commonly known devices, including desktops, laptops, mobile phones, and tablets.
- Multi operating systems support. Most of the well-known data rooms support different operating systems like Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android, and Blackberry.
- Multi-language support. Modern virtual data room vendors have lessened the language barriers. Data room services nowadays support multiple languages, including French, German, Chinese, English, etc.
- Dedicated mobile apps and user-interface. Modern-day consumers use mobile phones more than any other electronic device. That’s why service providers offer dedicated and easy-to-use mobile apps.
- No plug-ins required. High-quality virtual data rooms are complete business software that don’t need any additional plug-ins.
- Third-party apps integration. You can also integrate different third-party apps like Slack, Zoom, Microsoft products (PowerPoint, Word, and Excel), etc., into your virtual data room. However, integrating third-party apps may compromise your VDR security.
- Branded website. You can get your own customizable website for your business’s branding.
3. Document management and security features
- Document access control. Virtual data rooms allow the administrators to define roles, responsibilities, and authorities of users. Management can limit user access to certain files, documents, pages, or sections of the VDR. Administration and users can also restrict the downloading, editing, or printing of any document. Document intelligence capability.
- Bulk uploads. As VDRs are time-saving tools, you can upload numerous files to the virtual data room simultaneously.
- Drag-n-drop. Rather than searching a file from folders, you can simply drag the file and easily upload it in the data room software.
- Multi-format file support. You can upload audio, video, images, and documents in different file formats such as PDF, JPEG, PNG, Word file, etc.
- Secure document viewer. With virtual data rooms, you don’t have to install additional document viewer software. VDRs have built-in document viewers, while some data rooms convert any document format into PDF for your ease.
- “Fence view” mode. Fence View mode restricts screen recording, scanning, photography, or screenshots, helping ensure maximum document security.
- Digital watermarks. Digital watermarks are a great tool to trace any changes in a file or document. You can track who changed what and when; it ultimately helps avoid copyright issues.
- 256-bit AES SSL encryption. Modern high-end virtual data rooms employ 256-bit encryption (the highest standard data encryption) that provides protection during data sharing and storage.Learn about encrypted filesharing at https://www.globalscape.com/solutions/secure-file-transfer.
- Virus scanning. Data rooms employ the latest ant-virus software for protection against malicious files. Every file is scanned when uploaded in the VDR, and corrupted files are removed immediately.
- Self-destructing documents. Data room administrators or file creators can revoke document access at any moment with very short notice. Once the access is revoked, the document is automatically deleted from the device.
4. Virtual data room security features
- Multi-step authorization. Data rooms require users to go through multiple verification steps when they log in from a new device. This step makes sure that a device or user’s details are not hacked.
- Two-step verification. Two-step verification is like an entrance check post. Dataroom users are asked to use their passwords and temporarily generated codes (sent to their email addresses or mobile numbers) to log in.
- Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Non-disclosure agreements or commonly known as NDAs, are used during transactions with third parties or adding a new user to the data room. NDAs are legally enforceable documents, and if the user fails to comply with the conditions and terms mentioned in the NDA, they can be sued in a court of law. Virtual data rooms have built-in NDA templates (customizable).
Summing it up
The latest virtual data rooms are adequately equipped with very pragmatic features that make communication and data sharing safe and easy. The security features provide a highly secure environment to the data room users.
Want to know more about virtual data rooms? Discover at: virtual-data-room.org – data room providers, benefits, and features.
