Merrill Datasite Virtual Data Room

Merrill Datasite is a secure software for keeping and sharing confidential data. Companies like KKR, Carlyle, and Deutsche Bank trust it to manage their high-stakes deals.

Is Merrill Data site the right choice for your company? The answer depends on your goals, budget, and features you need. This overview covers all you need to know about Datasite virtual data room (VDR) before making the decision, including:

• Security measures
• Unique features
• User experience
• Customer support
• Pricing plans
• Document management functionalities
• Case studies, and more

Discover how Datasite data room can help businesses store and organize documents for complex transactions.

What is Datasite?

Merrill Corporation Datasite is a recognized data room provider with outsourcing practices for data management and business communication. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Minnesota, USA. In addition to US locations, Datasite has branch departments in England, Sweden, Netherlands, Paris, Germany, Italy, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia, and Colombia.

The company was known as Merrill Corporation until it was rebranded to Datasite in 2020. Apart from a new name, the provider announced a digital transformation from a financial printer to SaaS-based technology for M&A participants.

As for clients, the data room is in demand among small, medium, and large businesses across the world. The most significant segments are financial institutions, legal services, law firms, accounting, oil and energy, banking, healthcare, and industrials.

Datasite security features

Merrill virtual data room is built to meet the rigorous security demands of global institutions. The platform employs a defense-in-depth strategy. It covers physical, network, application, and data security measures. Together, they create a trusted environment for sensitive transactions of any kind, whether it is a financial due diligence or post-merger integration.

The virtual data room infrastructure is hosted on secure and redundant cloud services. This guarantees constant availability and resilience against threats. Here are some key security measures that Datasite provides for its customers:

Infrastructure & physical security

• Hosted on secure, compliant Microsoft Azure data centers with built-in redundancy.
• Strict physical security protocols at all operations locations, including key card access and escorted visitor policies.

Data & network protection

• TLS 1.2 encryption for data in transit and AES256 encryption for data at rest.
• Protected by a reverse proxy and multi-layered network perimeter defense.
• Customer data is logically separated and includes automated purging of documents after a project concludes.

Access & application control

• Mandatory two-factor/multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) and support for Single Sign-On (SSO).
• Granular user permissions and word-level access control, including built-in secure redaction tools.
• Dynamic watermarking and Information Rights Management (IRM) to deter and prevent unauthorized sharing.
• Comprehensive logging and real-time analysis of all user activities within the data room.

Compliance & certifications

• SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27017 (cloud security), and ISO 27018 (cloud privacy) certifications.
• Compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and Australian Privacy Principles (APP).
• Option to choose data hosting regions (USA, Germany, Australia) to meet jurisdictional requirements.

1. Datasite Outreach

Datasite dataroom pricing 

Datasite does not publish a standard price list on its official website. Instead, Merrill Datasite pricing is tailored to each deal’s specific characteristics. The total cost is typically a combination of fixed fees for core platform access and variable fees based on usage and services required.

The final price is influenced by factors such as:

• Deal size and complexity. A multi-billion-dollar M&A deal will cost significantly more than a small fundraising round.
• Project duration. Costs increase the longer the virtual data room is active.
• Amount of data. The number of pages/document megabytes uploaded.
• Number of users. Particularly, the number of third-party users, such as bidders, advisors, lawyers, etc.
• Required features and services. Add-ons like advanced analytics, printing, or security services.

When considering Datasite virtual data room, request a detailed, custom quote from a Datasite sales representative. They can offer discounts for law firms, investment banks, and private equity firms that promise high volume or strategic relationships. Before committing, understand exactly what is included in each line item of the quote to avoid unexpected variable fees. 

It is also worth noting that the Datasite virtual data room does not offer a traditional free trial period. Instead, they provide free demos on demand. Request this free demo to explore how the data room works, its core features, and user experience.

Unique features

Datasite data room positions itself as more than just a secure VDR. DR. Its advanced features are tailored for M&A, due diligence, and other high-stakes transactions. Here are the key things that set it apart from other data rooms:

• AI-powered redaction tool automatically detects and removes sensitive information such as names, numbers, and confidential terms across thousands of pages. This helps to cut hours of manual work.
• Bulk upload and auto-categorization feature allows teams to drag and drop large document sets. The system intelligently indexes and organizes them into the right folders.
• Advanced Q&A workflows centralize and simplify communication between buyers, sellers, and advisors with role-based controls, threaded discussions, and bulk answering.
• Real-time analytics and tracking help dealmakers monitor user activity, track document views, and see engagement patterns that reveal genuine buyer interest.
• Integrated buyer management tools are used to manage buyer lists, track outreach efforts, and centralize communication during a deal.
• Multilingual and global support enhances cross-border transactions. 24/7 help from experts who know the deal process.
• Project inbox innovation enables sending documents directly from a user’s mobile phone. Thus, having received project files, users can send them to the project email. Admins, in turn, can see all the received data in the inbox on one screen.
• A search engine allows users to search data in 16 languages and get accurate results with built-in OCR.

Customer support

Datasite offers comprehensive, round the clock multilingual support tailored to the needs of high-stakes M&A transactions. Key customer support features include:

24/7 multilingual support

Datasite Assist® offers round-the-clock support in over 20 languages. Phone, chat, and email channels are available at all times. Support centers operate in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, covering all time zones.

Dedicated project manager

Large deals receive an assigned project manager who guides the setup process. The manager shares best practice advice and monitors project progress throughout the transaction lifecycle.

Proactive monitoring and outreach

The support team actively monitors data room activity. Alerts are sent to administrators if unusual activity or potential configuration issues appear.

White-glove document processing

Specialists handle document upload, indexing, and numbering. This service saves time and maintains accuracy in the data room.

Comprehensive training and resources

Datasite offers data security training for administrators and end-users at launch. Their detailed online knowledge base and step-by-step guides are designed to support self-service troubleshooting.

Also, Datasite offers a complete VDR training and certification program. The VDR certification program teaches how data rooms work, how to use them efficiently, and how to handle data securely. The program suits graduates, interns, new hires, and teams onboarding employees. After finishing the training, participants receive a certificate to show their skills.

AI-powered support

Merrill VDR uses AI tools like Agentforce to answer about 70% of daily chat questions, around the clock. This lets the customer success team spend more time on complex issues that need a human touch. Combining smart AI with expert support helps clients get fast, reliable help whenever they need it during deals.

Document management & user experience features

Datasite platform gives administrators strong backend tools and provides a simple, user-friendly interface. It reduces friction and speeds up the due diligence process. Datasite virtual data room offers:

Pros and cons

Merrill Datasite strengths are deeply tied to its enterprise-grade features, but these come with a cost structure and complexity that may not suit all users. Here are some pros and cons of this data room software, based on user reviews on G2, Capterra, and other independent software review platforms:

Datasite pros

In their reviews, users mention the following benefits:

• Enterprise-grade security. Datasite provides secure data room access and offers industry-leading security certifications and granular permission controls. These features make this data room a trusted choice for highly sensitive deals.
• Advanced analytics and intelligence. Merrill Datasite provides deep, real-time insights into bidder engagement and document activity. This gives dealmakers a strategic advantage in negotiations.
• Comprehensive deal tools. Features like Datasite Prepare and Outreach create a seamless, end-to-end platform that manages the entire deal lifecycle, not just document storage.
• High-touch, expert support. Users praise their 24/7 global support, a dedicated project manager and proactive monitoring. They mention that all the issues are resolved quickly by knowledgeable personnel.
• Powerful document management. AI-assisted processing, robust bulk operations, and intelligent search functionality streamline administration for large, complex data sets.

Here are the key highlights from users:

I like the ease of use, good user experience, advanced tools for AI categorisation and redaction.

The drag-and-drop upload, easy folder structuring, and permission-based access make it ideal for collaborating during complex due diligence processes.

Great experience and the support team were very responsive and helpful when needed.

Merrill Datasite cons

There are also several disadvantages to be aware of:

• Premium pricing. Merrill Datasite is considered as one of the most expensive options on the market. Costs that can be prohibitive for smaller transactions, startups, or infrequent users.
• Complex pricing model. The lack of transparent pricing and the reliance on variable fees (per-page, per-user) can make final costs difficult to predict and budget for.
• Potential for feature overkill. The extensive feature set can be overwhelming and unnecessarily complex for simple use cases like basic document sharing or small fundraises.

Users point out the following drawbacks:

I needed external help to get started, and I think more guidance could be beneficial.

Occasional lag during high-volume usage. Limited customization options for user interface.

Datasite customers and case studies

Datasite serves major global firms. Key clients include top investment banks, law firms, and private equity groups. Here is a brief overview of Datasite clients and case studies.

Major Datasite clients

Datasite does not publish its client list. However, in their marketing and case studies they often feature big names from the Fortune 500 and the global financial and legal community. In fact, the official website states that dealmakers in 180+ countries rely on Datasite.

Datasite data room supports 74 of the top 100 law firms and all top 20 global financial advisory firms. Also, through its Grata acquisition, Datasite’s combined client list includes big names like KKR, Carlyle, Deutsche Bank, Rothschild & Co., Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Shell.

Case studies

Here are a few examples of how companies use Merrill data room for secure file sharing during business activities. These are case studies mentioned on the Datasite website:

Sertifi used Datasite when it was acquired by Flywire

Sertifi used Datasite during its sale to Flywire for $330m. This case study shows how Datasite supported due diligence and managed documents for a large deal.

Flywire, a global payments enablement and software company, acquired Sertifi to add to its travel business by integrating Sertifi’s SaaS platform. Sertifi provides hospitality specific workflows and payment solutions with integrations to major hotel brands like Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt as well as luxury independent hotels like Sage Hospitality Group and Corinthia Hotel in London.

Datasite handled this major deal and showed it can manage complex transactions in hospitality and tech with secure, efficient document management.

High Traffic Media used Datasite when it was acquired by JCDecaux Top Media

High Traffic Media was acquired by JCDecaux Top Media in February 2025. The deal strengthened JCDecaux’s advertising presence in Panama.

High Traffic Media used Datasite to handle all confidential documents securely. Teams uploaded contracts, financial reports, and other sensitive files to the platform.

Datasite tracked activity and managed permissions groups for all users. The platform simplified the review and collaboration process during due diligence. It helped keep the transaction organized and transparent throughout.

FAQs

What is a Datasite?

Datasite is a cloud platform that is used for complex financial transactions. Teams can share documents securely, collaborate efficiently, and manage workflows in one place. The key Datasite clients are investment banks, law firms, and corporations. They use Datasite during mergers& acquisitions,  fundraising projects, and more.

What is Datasite VDR?

Datasite VDR is a secure online space to store, share, and manage sensitive deal documents. It uses AI to organize files, lets teams set detailed permissions and has tools like redaction and analytics. Deal teams use it to speed up due diligence, protect confidential information, upload multiple files at once, and keep transactions on track.

Summing up

Datasite is a premium virtual data room built for high-stakes deals. Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect: