User:Kmcphee/Merrill DataSite

Merrill DataSite http://www.datasite.com

Merrill DataSite was created in 2002 to streamline the exchange of information in the Mergers & Acquisitions market to reduce the time required for due diligence exercises by offering a combination of service and technology that could replace the cost and experience associated with traditional paper deal rooms.

In January of 2003, Merrill Corporation http://www.merrillcorp.com, a diversified global communications and document services provider, publicly launched DataSite, its Virtual Deal Room also known as a Virtual Data Room (VDR) solution. Starting in 2002, select clients had the opportunity to use and test Merrill DataSite for more than a year, which served as a proving ground for this secure technology that is closely aligned with the parent company’s document services culture.

Merrill DataSite VDR introduced a folder-based graphical user interface (GUI), along with client-driven tools to enhance the user experience and effectiveness of due diligence. In the Virtual Data Room (VDR) environment, paper documents are rendered in a fully searchable electronic format and are viewable via a secure website. Users securely access documents online, providing an added level of convenience and eliminating the need for travel.

Due diligence delivered via Merrill DataSite VDR has been used in a wide variety of ways such as: • Mergers, acquisitions and divestitures • Private placements • Leveraged buyouts • Bankruptcy/reorganization transactions • Financial restructuring transactions • Initial public offerings (IPOs) /dual-track processes • Communications with limited partners of venture capital/private equity firms • Asset purchases and liquidations • Post-merger integration • Bio Tech Licensing • Document Warehousing

Since its launch, Merrill DataSite has empowered nearly one and a half million unique visitors to perform electronic due diligence on thousands of transactions totaling trillions of dollars in value. Merrill Corporation has been providing services to the financial and legal industries for more than 40 years. Its employees execute letters of confidentiality and the company is audited annually (internal and third-party) to make certain the IT infrastructure and processes remain sound.