Enterprise Deal Teams Prioritize AI Governance and Full-Lifecycle Platforms — DATASITE LLC

Event summary

Enterprise deal teams now evaluate platforms on AI governance, data sovereignty, and full lifecycle coverage, not just document storage and access controls.
ISO 42001 for AI management has become an active procurement requirement, not a background credential vendors can cite without proof.
High-volume deal firms are consolidating onto single platforms to source, screen, and integrate, avoiding overhead and increasing speed.
In 2025, four of the world's top five M&A deals ran on platforms covering the full deal journey, from sourcing through post-close integration.
Datasite handled over 55,000 deals annually, with 1.8 billion documents securely uploaded and hosted.

The big picture

The shift in deal technology evaluation reflects a broader trend towards cross-functional procurement involving legal, IT security, and finance teams. This trend is driven by the need for advanced, purpose-built platforms that support every stage of the deal process, ensuring efficient and effective dealmaking with greater control and transparency. The consolidation onto single platforms is expected to increase speed and reduce overhead, making it a critical factor for high-volume deal firms.

What we're watching

AI Governance: How the shift towards ISO 42001 certification will affect vendor selection and procurement processes.
Platform Consolidation: The pace at which high-volume deal firms will consolidate onto single, full-lifecycle platforms.
Agentic AI: Whether agentic AI capabilities will become standard in deal technology platforms and their impact on workflow efficiency.