At the end of a deal we are frequently asked to provide a copy of the data on DVD or USB drive. What's involved?
Typically at the end of an M&A transaction, we will be asked to prepare a copy of the data and to send this to selected individuals. This involves downloading the complete data set and preparing DVDs or USB data drives ready to be sent out by special delivery.
As a matter of procedure, we will carry out quality control on the data, making sure that all document files are present and that they contain data. In the case of DVDs, we will then add them to a password-protected zip file and then write this information to the disk. In the case of USB drives, we will always use an encrypted data drive. In both cases, you will be sent the encryption key on confirming you have received the physical devices.
It is worth noting that before taking the backup of the live data room content, we will lock the data room for updates, so that the downloaded data set is the final one and can not be modified.
After you have confirmed receipt of the disks and confirmed that all the data is present, we will then ask your permission to delete the data room together with all copies of the data including backups.
