St. Paul, Minn. – Merrill Corporation, a leading provider of technology-enabled services for the financial, real estate, legal and other corporate markets, today announced that it has been granted ISO 27001 certification for the development and maintenance of a comprehensive Information Security Management System (ISMS) for Merrill DataSite®, the premier virtual data room for mergers, acquisitions and other related business transactions used by the world’s leading deal makers.

Effective protection of information assets is the intention of ISO 27001, developed by the International Organization for Standards which establishes international requirements for information security and certification of ISMS. Merrill’s recent certification recognizes the company’s adoption of an effective information security system that complies with established international standards. ISO 27001 certification ensures that a company uses a systematic approach to managing sensitive corporate information and ensuring data security. The evaluation encompasses individuals, processes and policies and IT systems.

“As a global company and acknowledged leading provider of virtual data rooms (VDRs) for the financial services industry, Merrill Corporation has a longstanding commitment to applying best practices and technologies to safeguard the integrity, availability and confidentiality of our clients’ data,” said Ed Bifulk, president of Merrill DataSite®, “Achieving the ISO 27001 certification serves as confirmation that Merrill DataSite® continues to meet the industry’s most stringent standards for security.”

Merrill DataSite® is a virtual data room that is used for the organization and exchange of sensitive information between buyers and sellers during a merger or acquisition, as well as transactions such as IPOs, secondary offerings and bankruptcies. Virtual data rooms allow companies to quickly and efficiently review relevant information and facilitate business transactions across borders. It is believed that Merrill DataSite® is the first virtual data room to receive the ISO 27001 certification, a designation which is very important in foreign markets where ISO standards provide uniformity across national and regional boundaries.

Merrill worked closely with HotSkills, Inc., a Minneapolis-based company specializing in information security, to administer a security assessment, develop and implement an ISMS framework and prepare operations for ISO 27001 certification. HotSkills, Inc. regularly consults with companies offering products or services that require secure transactions and data privacy.

For more information about Merrill DataSite®, visit DataSite.