Diligent
4.5/5
4.7/5
4.7/5
About Diligent Data Room
The Diligent data room is part of Diligent Corporation’s broader suite of GRC products. Founded in 2001, Diligent has grown to become a market leader in modern board oversight tools, serving over 1 million users and 700,000 board directors across 25,000 organizations worldwide, including more than 70% of the Fortune 1000.
The company’s product ecosystem goes well beyond secure data rooms, encompassing tools for board management, entity and subsidiary oversight, ESG audits, board evaluations, and risk management.
The Diligent software was developed to support highly sensitive documents sharing in mergers and acquisitions, IPO preparation, fundraising, and other due diligence workflows. While the company doesn’t market its VDR as a standalone product like legacy players, its acquisition of Brainloop in 2018 significantly expanded its secure service capabilities for confidential communication and document oversight.
Diligent was co-founded by Brian Henry, who played a pivotal role in its early development and led the company through its initial public offering on the New Zealand Exchange in 2007. Following the IPO, Henry stepped down as CEO but remained on the board, contributing to the company’s strategic direction.
In 2022, under the leadership of its new CEO Brian Stafford, Diligent expanded its GRC offering with integrations between Diligent Boards and the Brainloop Secure Dataroom, offering seamless workflows between board-level collaboration and transaction-level document sharing.
The Diligent VDR is now part of the Diligent One Platform, aligning board-level communication, document control, governance practices, and audit workflows into a unified solution trusted by industry leaders, including those backed by Insight Partners.
Although Diligent positions itself primarily as a GRC platform provider, its virtual data room functionality is robust enough to compete with specialist vendors. Below, we break down the core features that define the Diligent Dataroom.
Alternatives to consider
Features of Diligent’s board management suite
The Diligent VDR delivers best in class security, governance, and management functionality designed for executive-level workflows.
Best in class security
- Encryption (AES-256) for data at rest and in transit, ensuring data protection.
- Granular permissions down to the user level, reducing risk of human error.
- Dynamic watermarking to discourage leaks
- Single Sign-On (SSO), Multifactor Authentication, and access control.
- Full audit trails for tracking progress, user behavior, and documents access.
Governance practices:
- Compliance with ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA.
- Customizable document retention policies and remote access revocation.
- Integration with governance intel modules, facilitating strategic oversight and board composition analysis.
Collaboration and accessibility:
- Built-in Q&A, private/public annotations.
- Mobile access via Digital app and native iOS/Android apps.
- Integration with Diligent ESG, board materials, and policy control modules.
These features align with Diligent’s philosophy of empowering leaders, executives, and directors with trusted resources to stay ahead in high-stakes governance environments.
Unlike standalone VDR providers, Diligent blends protected data sharing with governance workflows, making it particularly strong for companies requiring both transaction management and executive oversight.
Pricing plans
According to industry benchmarks, the average annual cost for Diligent software is approximately $43,000, with a median contract value around $22,641. Diligent pricing follows a customized, quote-based model rather than a published pricing schedule. Costs are tailored to each client’s needs, reflecting variables such as project size, number of users and administrators, storage requirements, compliance demands, and contract duration. As part of the broader Diligent suite, pricing considerations may also account for bundled tools.
Diligent Corporation positions itself firmly within the enterprise segment. Pricing will vary depending on whether companies license only the Diligent VDR or combine it with broader Governance Cloud modules such as risk and board management or ESG audits.
Key factors influencing pricing include:
- Number of active users and administrators
- Volume of information storage and projected information transfer
- Required certifications and regulatory audit support
- Contract duration (short-term project vs. multi-year deployment)
- Bundled licensing of additional Diligent products
Companies can often secure better pricing by bundling the security of the data room with other essential functionalities during enterprise negotiations. Multi-year agreements and broader platform adoption typically unlock volume discounts and customized onboarding support, offering a strategic advantage to enterprise customers.
Diligent also provides personalized demos, consultations, and implementation roadmaps during the procurement process, reflecting the complexity of its typical use cases — high-value transactions, regulatory oversight, and ongoing governance operations.
❗Note: Companies evaluating VDR solutions should anticipate a higher investment compared to standalone providers.
Pros & cons
Diligent is recognized for its robust security features and seamless integration within the Diligent Governance Cloud. However, potential users should consider both its strengths and limitations:
Pros
- Robust security: Diligent offers best in class encryption, granular access controls, and comprehensive audit trails, aligning with standards like ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II. These features are particularly beneficial for companies in regulated industries seeking top-tier data protection.
- Seamless integration: The data room integrates smoothly with other Diligent offerings, such as Diligent Boards and Diligent Messenger, facilitating efficient board collaboration and communication for board members and executives.
- User-friendly interface: Users appreciate the intuitive design, which simplifies the management of board materials and enhances collaboration with other members.
- Exceptional customer support: Diligent is noted for its responsive and knowledgeable support team, providing assistance through various channels, ensuring less time spent troubleshooting.
Cons
- Higher cost: Compared to some competitors, Diligent’s pricing is on the higher end, which may be a consideration for smaller companies or those with limited budgets.
- Limited mobile functionality: While mobile access is available, some users have reported that the mobile app lacks certain features present in the desktop version, potentially affecting on-the-go productivity for board meetings and urgent transactions.
- Learning curve for new users: New members and administrators may require time to become fully proficient with the platform, especially given its comprehensive feature set that spans board portal workflows, audit management, and ESG activities.
Integrations and compatibility
Diligent is designed to integrate seamlessly within Diligent One, offering a unified platform for board oversight, risk and compliance management. This integration ensures that companies can manage sensitive documents and collaborate effectively without leaving the broader Diligent ecosystem.
Key Integrations:
- Microsoft 365: Users can upload and edit documents directly within Diligent from Microsoft applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This integration streamlines the preparation and distribution of board materials, facilitating collaboration and coordination.
- Microsoft Teams: Diligent integrates with Microsoft Teams, allowing for video conferencing and real-time updates during board meetings and due diligence processes.
- DocuSign: The integration with DocuSign enables users to obtain electronic signatures securely, an essential feature for compliance, contracts, and board evaluations.
- APIs and custom integrations: Diligent Corporation offers APIs that allow for custom integrations with other enterprise systems, ensuring that organizations can tailor the platform to their specific business needs.
Compatibility:
- Operating systems: Diligent is compatible with major systems including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, supporting remote collaboration and mobile decision making.
- Web browsers: Users can access the data room through all modern browsers, without requiring additional plugins, providing convenient flexibility.
By integrating advisory services, e-signature tools, analytics resources, and mobile access, Diligent ensures customers benefit from a powerful, unified platform that strengthens management practices and facilitates efficient oversight.
Diligent is designed to integrate seamlessly within the Diligent Governance Cloud. This integration ensures that users can manage sensitive documents and collaborate effectively within the Diligent ecosystem.
Customer support
Diligent provides comprehensive, around-the-clock support to ensure users can effectively utilize the Data Room and other Diligent One Platform tools. Their services are tailored for enterprises where risk, governance, and security are critical to daily operations.
Support channels:
- 24/7/365 global assistance: Diligent offers nonstop support via live chat, email, and phone, helping customers with urgent needs in document sharing, collaboration, and audit preparation.
- Dedicated account management: Enterprise clients are assigned personal account managers, enhancing responsiveness and strengthening progress in implementation and adoption phases.
- Comprehensive training resources: Users have access to live webinars, knowledge bases, and recorded sessions to master everything from board evaluations to secure Q&A facilitation.
Users consistently praise Diligent’s support teams for rapid resolution times, proactive coordination, and attention to critical issues impacting management workflows. The intuitive design of the platform, combined with effective training, enables faster onboarding and less time spent troubleshooting.
