The types of business insurance you should consider if you run an IT business include:
Professional indemnity insurance
Professional indemnity insurance covers you against claims that the advice, recommendations or service you provided were either incorrect or negligent. It’s an important type of insurance to have for anyone who offers advice or services in the IT industry because there are so many moving parts, many of which may be out of your control (such as network outages or the failure of satellite or telecommunication services). Cover is available starting from $250,000 up to $10 million or more.
What it covers
- Payment of compensation if there’s a successful claim against you
- Payment of court-awarded damages to the litigant
- Cover for your legal defence costs
- Cover for the cost of disciplinary proceedings or investigations
Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance is essential for anyone who deals with members of the public, including your customers or clients. It will cover you against claims that your business activity caused injury to a member of the public or damaged their property. Because this insurance involves cover for personal damages allegedly caused by your business activity, there can sometimes be an overlap with professional indemnity insurance arising from the work of an IT professional. This insurance can offer between $5 million and $20 million worth of coverage.
What it covers:
- Third-party personal injury claims
- Damage to a third party’s property
- Legal fees to defend yourself
Cyber liability insurance
As an IT professional, you know the risks posed by various forms of cybercrime. For this reason, cyber liability insurance is also a very important form of insurance for all IT consultants and IT contractors, as well as those who run their own IT business.
What it covers
- Data breaches including theft of client information
- The cost of a forensic investigation into the cause of the breach
- Data recovery costs
- Cyber extortion and denial of service threats
- Crisis management costs
- Advertising and communicating with customers
- Legal costs including any fines and penalties imposed
General business insurance
General small business insurance may also be worthwhile if you run your own office or have portable equipment such as laptops which you wish to insure. Commercial vehicles aren’t included, so you may need separate commercial vehicle protection for your work vehicle.
What it covers:
- Fire, storms, theft, vandalism and collision which cause damage to your business assets
- Specialist cover for electronic equipment and other portable equipment
- Limited business interruption insurance