Table of Contents
Tl;dr
VDR features that genuinely speed up deals combine real-time tracking and page-level analytics with granular permissions, so you can see investor intent and control access. Prioritize intuitive design and responsive support, customizable branded rooms, secure yet frictionless sharing (watermarks, expiry dates, click-through NDAs), comprehensive audit trails and always-on, mobile-friendly access. Round it out with native integrations to tools your team already uses (CRM, e-signature, Gmail) to cut back-and-forth and move from first send to close faster.
Imagine you’ve just sent your financial model to a potential lead investor. Days pass with no response. You don’t know if they’ve opened it, how much time they spent reviewing it, or which sections caught their attention. Do you follow up now, or risk coming across as pushy?
This was the exact frustration one VC firm in California faced. Without meaningful insights, they were left guessing; and in dealmaking, guesswork slows everything down.
A Virtual Data Room (VDR) can help to remove this uncertainty. With the right features in your VDR, you can shave days or weeks off your deal timeline by removing friction, improving visibility, and enabling faster decisions.
Here are the 10 must-have VDR features that speed up dealmaking, backed by insights from leading businesses.
1. Real-Time Document Tracking
Knowing exactly when an investor or buyer engages with your materials lets you act while interest is high. Modern VDRs send immediate alerts the moment someone opens or spends time on a document. That visibility removes guesswork and helps teams prioritize their follow-ups.
As Tim Pullan, CEO & Founder of ThoughtRiver, an AI-powered platform specializing in automated contract review and analysis explains:
“It’s really valuable to know exactly which potential investor (is) spending time reviewing our documents and thus know whom to focus on.”
For Carrie Chan, Co-founder & CEO of Avant Meats, such visibility helps her gauge investor interest:
“When we see that potential investors and customers are not viewing our files over a period of time, we’re able to assume their level of interest in our company and get a better sense of how we can move forward from there.”
With these insights, deal teams can follow up right after a stakeholder reviews critical files, keeping the conversation alive instead of waiting days for a response.
2. Page-Level Analytics
File opens are only part of the story. Page-level analytics show which sections get the most attention. This helps deal teams anticipate investor questions and prepare sharper answers.
“We prefer using Digify because we’re able to control the access, see exactly who’s viewing, who’s able to download, and also get a detailed breakdown of the statistics.”
3. Granular User Permissions
Not all stakeholders need the same level of access. Granular permissions let you control who can view, download, or share files – and when.
For Samuel Ramos-Jones, Director for business development at PSA Philippines Consultancy, his VDR of choice, Digify, has allowed his team to:
4. Intuitive Use
Speed comes from tools people actually want to use. A VDR should feel intuitive from the first click, so internal teams and external stakeholders can get on with the work, not wrestle with the software. Clean layouts, straightforward search and easy upload functions reduce training time and cut avoidable errors.
When a platform is easy to use, it also means less need for customer support. Roman Herasymenko, in charge of Investors Relations & Finance at Efficient Energy, uses Digify for just this reason. As he explains:
“You do not have to call support to learn how it works because it's very easy to use.”
Likewise, an easy-to-use platform also reduces the need to explain to file recipients how it works. Bastiaan Malcorps, Coordinator for Theatrebib library, says:
“Because of the safety and comfort Digify delivers, we are now able to loan out digital texts. Intuitive design. We have hundreds of customers, and rarely need to explain to any of them how to use Digify.”
5. Solid Customer Support
While it’s great not to need support, when deadlines are tight, responsive customer service matters just as much as design. The best VDR providers, like Digify, back the product with fast, knowledgeable help that unblocks access issues, solves permission hiccups, and fixes setup questions in minutes, not days. Matt Stadolnik, Finance Manager at SiteSpect, says:
“The support and account management team at Digify is incredibly helpful... They proactively reach out to see if I have any questions or concerns.”
The result is less back-and-forth, quicker onboarding for investors and advisors, and a smoother path from first share to close. James Costa, Senior Product Manager at Wrapbook, who uses Digify, says:
“They respond to customer feedback, and their support team is on top of things... always open to creative solutions to unique problems.”
6. Customizable Data Rooms
As deals progress, requirements change – new stakeholders join, new files need to be shared, and the presentation must stay professional. A VDR that allows flexible permissions, additional folders and custom branding helps teams customize as needed.
For instance, some platforms allow you to set up branded landing pages that act like mini websites for LPs or buyers – complete with videos, descriptions, and tailored links. This turns what might otherwise be a flat list of files into a polished experience that guides stakeholders through the deal narrative.
For Antonia Korduba, Principal, Head of Investor Relations for G Squared, this was one of the key benefits of Digify. She says:
“The Digify platform is so well integrated with our brand from the very start of the investor experience, laying the foundation for a seamless and consistent experience.”
These features reduce friction for investors, keep the experience on-brand, and help maintain momentum through complex, high-stakes raises.
7. Secure but Accessible Sharing
The best VDRs balance airtight security with frictionless access. The goal isn’t to lock documents down but to give stakeholders confidence while keeping them engaged in the process. Some features that can help include:
- Watermarks: to protect against unauthorized sharing while still allowing investors to view or even print documents when necessary. According to Stacey Shanahan, Senior Controller at Aurora Insight, Digify’s watermarking feature has been a great time saver.
“Previously, I would have to manually add a watermark to every single file in various formats, but with Digify, the whole process is now more efficient.” - Expiry dates: that let you provide time-bound access, ensuring sensitive materials aren’t left open indefinitely and reducing the need for manual revocations later. As Will Klippgen, Managing Partner and Co-founder of Cocoon Capital says,
“We (can) easily use Digify to send confidential presentations with preset timeouts.”
He notes that this functionality provides an easy way to give and revoke access to individual documents as needed. - Click-through NDAs: that make it simple for new stakeholders to gain access quickly, without delaying the process of legal back-and-forth.
Together, these features keep information secure, but never at the expense of speed. Stakeholders get the access they need with minimal friction, and deal teams stay in control at every stage.
8. Audit Trails and Activity Logs
Audit logs are more than a compliance checkbox – they’re a detailed record of every action taken in the data room, such as who accessed which files, when, and for how long. As Stephen Grant, Founder and CEO of Kinetic Capital elaborates:
“(Recipients) can’t say that they didn’t receive something when it's all there. You get a great audit trail and an understanding of who is doing what with your documents.”
This visibility is also critical in regulated industries, where firms must be able to demonstrate control over sensitive information. This is because regulators such as the SEC require investment managers and financial institutions to prove not only that they safeguard confidential documents, but also that they can show an auditable history of who accessed them, when, and under what permissions. Without this, firms risk compliance breaches, reputational damage, and potential fines.
But it also gives deal teams a tactical advantage, helping them understand where stakeholders are in their review process.
9. Always-on, Convenient Access
Dealmaking doesn’t stop after office hours; investors and stakeholders need to be able to review documents whenever it suits them. That’s why the best VDR solutions are designed for ease of access across devices and systems, but without compromising security.
Grant, who uses Digify, says:
“If I thought, ‘Did I miss a folder or file?’ or if I wanted to look up something, I can do that very quickly on my phone, and it works very well.”
10. Integration with Existing Tools
Disconnected systems slow everyone and everything down. A VDR should connect seamlessly with CRMs, e-signature tools, and collaboration platforms so teams can keep momentum without context switching.
For Jonathan Agha, VP of Information Security at WeWork:
“Digify is a simple yet secure tool that provided the necessary integration with the infrastructure we already use. This made picking and using Digify for our internal teams an obvious decision.”
One example of such seamlessness is Digify’s Gmail integration, which allows you to manage your files directly in the inbox. After installing a chrome extension, simply attach trackable, encrypted files as you compose a new email. You can then decide who gets access, manage download/print permissions and set expiry, and send as usual with smart links.
You can also see who viewed and how many times, and even unsend attachments at any point via the ‘Track & Unsend Anytime’ control. Optional passkey protection and AES-256 encryption keep sensitive files locked down without pulling people out of their email workflow. User Elliot Bourne appreciates the time saved this way, stating:
"It's a lot easier to secure documents with this extension. A real time saver."
Turning Features into an Advantage
Speed in deals isn’t about cutting corners to try and push a prospect into buying; it’s about removing friction so they feel comfortable dealing with you.
The right VDR turns slow, manual steps into streamlined workflows. From alerts that guide timely follow-ups to integrations that eliminate repetitive work, a modern VDR helps teams keep momentum.
Digify brings all these capabilities together in one secure VDR platform built for speed. With Digify, you can gain visibility, stay organized, and move confidently toward a faster close.
