Take Five with Merlin J Piscitelli, Regional Director, International, Merrill DataSite

NEW YORK, NY, February 13, 2011 (Press-News.org) NEE: For readers who aren't totally up to speed with the latest developments in financial services, could you illustrate what datarooms are, how long they've been around, and why they're important to modern international commerce...?

MP - A virtual data room streamlines the entire due diligence process by replacing the cumbersome paper deal room. In the virtual data room environment, relevant documents are captured, indexed and presented for online viewing. In turn, data and documents are accessible for review from any Internet browser, eliminating the need to physically bring potential buyers into a document room. Additionally, 'best practices' virtual data rooms provide advanced search and security as well as fine- grained audit functions and reporting. The data room can become operational within 24 hours or less, dramatically reducing deal cycle times and expenses. Virtual Data Rooms (VDR) have been around since the late 1990's and are essential tools in an efficient and legally defensible process for completing multiple types of financial transactions.

NEE: What benefits does your system have over the traditional paper-based method of deal making?

MP - Merrill DataSite streamlines the due diligence process by providing secure simultaneous access, full-text search capabilities and robust reporting tools. Thousands of users worldwide can securely access important due diligence data via the Merrill DataSite platform. Since 2001 no organization in the world has been selected to provide
virtual deal room services more often than Merrill DataSite.
As the verifiable leader in the Mergers and Acquisitions space, the following are some highlights that showcase our experience:
• More than 16,000 projects completed, with more than 325,000,000 pages of client
information securely processed and viewed;
• More than 1,600,000 individual users;
• More than 16,000 discrete daily logins;
• More than 90% of the world's 2,000 largest companies in revenue have used DataSite;
• More than 86% of all countries have DataSite users within their boundaries;
• Every major law firm and investment bank in the world has verifiable participants in a
DataSite project;
• We win 69% of the projects we propose and we win 90% of the projects where the buyer takes the time to see one or more live demonstrations.

NEE: International markets are still facing significant volatility. How does your service help harbor your clients from turmoil like bankruptcy for example.

MP - As bankruptcy regulations grow more complex and filing deadlines grow tighter, companies need a better, more efficient way to deal with the process. One of the biggest challenges lies in managing the paper storm unleashed by the proceedings. Companies quickly find themselves mired in a series of time - and labour-intensive paper-laden tasks related to gathering, reproducing and distributing information to all the parties involved. Increasingly, organizations are turning to virtual data rooms (VDRs) such as Merrill DataSite to save time, minimize risk and gain more proactive control over the process.
Virtual data rooms give companies complete control over the access to and delivery of all project information components.

NEE: Are datarooms restricted by location, or is the service available to companies wherever they are in the world?

MP - Virtual data room (VDR) solutions optimize the due diligence process by providing a
highly efficient and secure method for sharing key business information between multiple parties with unlimited access for users worldwide. With more than 5,000 people in over 70 domestic and 15 international locations, Merrill empowers the communications of the world's leading companies.

Facts:
The award-winning Merrill DataSite is a comprehensive virtual data room (VDR)
solution that accelerates the due diligence process by providing a secure online
document repository for confidential time sensitive documents. As a result, transaction
time and expense are dramatically reduced.

About Merrill DataSite
Merrill DataSite is a secure virtual data room (VDR) solution that optimizes the due diligence process by providing a highly efficient and secure method for sharing key business information between multiple parties. Merrill DataSite provides unlimited access for users worldwide, as well as real-time activity reports, site-wide search at the document level, enhanced communications through the Q&A feature and superior project management service - all of which help reduce transaction time and expense. Merrill DataSite's multilingual support staff is available from anywhere in the world, 24/7, and can have your VDR up and running with thousands of pages loaded within 24 hours or less.

With its deep roots in transaction and compliance services, Merrill Corporation has a cultural, organization-wide discipline in the management and processing of confidential content. Merrill DataSite is the first VDR provider to understand customer and industry needs by earning an ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certificate of registration - the highest standard for information security - and is currently the world's only VDR certified for operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Merrill DataSite's ISO certification is available for review at http://www.datasite.com/security.htm.

As the leading provider of VDR solutions, Merrill DataSite has empowered nearly 2 million unique visitors to perform electronic due diligence on thousands of transaction totaling trillions of dollars in asset value. Merrill DataSite VDR solution has become an essential tool in an efficient and legally defensible process for completing multiple types of financial transactions.
Learn more by visiting http://www.datasite.com today