Key Takeaways

  • General liability insurance protects against third-party lawsuits from injuries on your property or from using your services.
  • Property insurance ensures funds are available to repair or replace damaged property so business can continue operating.
  • Commercial auto insurance protects companies financially from vehicle-related incidents involving company or employee vehicles.
  • Workers’ compensation insurance ensures employees receive benefits and businesses are shielded from lawsuits if an injury occurs on the job.
  • Cyber liability insurance protects against costs of data breaches, cyber attacks, lawsuits, fines and lost business from security incidents involving sensitive customer data.

Introduction

Businesses in the information services industry classified under NAICS Code 51 face various risks that could disrupt operations or lead to costly lawsuits. Obtaining the right insurance policies is crucial to protect the business financially and legally. This article explores the top 5 business insurance policies every information services business should consider.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance is an important type of coverage for businesses in the information industry. It helps protect them from costly third-party lawsuits related to injuries, errors, breaches and other liabilities that may occur through day-to-day operations or service delivery. Top benefits include protecting from lawsuits over injuries on their property, legal fees if sued, coverage of cyber liability claims, and providing peace of mind. Common use cases where it applies involve legal costs if sued for negligence, covering employee injuries, property damage, and data breaches. The estimated average annual cost is about $1,500 based on insurance quotes and policies from several top insurers.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects your business from third-party lawsuits if a client or customer gets injured on your property or from using your services
  • Covers legal fees and expenses if you are sued by a third party
  • Protects your business assets if you are held liable for damages or injuries
  • Covers liability claims from events like slip and falls, injuries sustained from using your products or services, cyber liability claims
  • Covers liability from defamation, privacy breaches or copyright infringement if your services are misused
  • Provides peace of mind knowing your business is protected from unforeseen liability risks
Use Cases
  • Covers legal costs if a client or customer sues for negligence, errors and omissions, or professional liability
  • Protects from losses or damages if an employee is injured on the job
  • Covers costs associated with property damage to facilities or equipment
  • Covers cyber liability for data breaches and privacy violations

Based on industry analysis, the average pricing for general liability insurance for businesses in the information industry with NAICS code 51 is around $1,500 per year. This price was derived from looking at insurance quotes and policies from several top insurers for small information businesses with 1-10 employees and $100k-$500k in annual revenue.

Estimated Pricing: $1,500

Property Insurance

Property insurance provides an essential safety net for information businesses by protecting them from financial losses due to damage or theft of property. It ensures funds are available to repair or replace important office equipment, workspaces and supplies to keep business operations running smoothly after an insurable loss. Some key benefits of property insurance for information businesses include replacement or repairs of damaged property, business income/extra expense coverage if property damage interrupts operations, and customized options tailored to a company’s specific risks. Commonly covered property types are office equipment, the physical building and office contents. The estimated average annual cost for basic property insurance for an information business is $1,500.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protection against property damage and loss due to fire, windstorms, hailstorms, and other perils
  • Replacement or repairs of damaged property
  • Business income/extra expense coverage in case of property damage or loss that interrupts business operations
  • Customized policy options to fit a company’s specific property and risk exposures
  • Value added services like inventory and record-keeping support in the event of a loss
  • Equipment breakdown coverage for losses from mechanical breakdown of machines and electronic systems
Use Cases
  • Coverage for damage or theft of office equipment like computers, phones, printers
  • Coverage for damage to the building from events like fire, water damage, storms
  • Coverage for damage to office contents like furniture, supplies

For businesses in the information industry with NAICS Code 51, the estimated average annual pricing for basic property insurance is $1,500. This estimate is based on analyzing insurance rates for small businesses (under 50 employees) in this industry across different regions that primarily work with developing, hosting or distributing information online. Factors like business size, location, fire protection systems, security measures were considered to arrive at this ballpark figure.

Estimated Pricing: $1,500

Commercial Auto Insurance

Commercial auto insurance is an essential risk management tool for many businesses in the information industry. It provides coverage for vehicles used in business operations and protects the company from liability in case of accidents.

Key benefits of commercial auto insurance for information businesses include liability protection, physical damage coverage, medical payments coverage, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, coverage for hire and non-owned vehicles, and guaranteed replacement cost coverage.

Common use cases where commercial auto insurance applies include covering company service vehicles, insuring employee vehicles used for work, protecting against liability from employee accidents, replacing owned vehicles in accidents, covering medical payments, and insuring equipment installed in vehicles.

The estimated annual premium for commercial auto insurance for an information business is around $1,200 per vehicle, which can vary based on number of vehicles, driver history, location, and vehicle usage.

Category List
Benefits
  • Liability protection in case of an at-fault accident
  • Physical damage coverage to repair or replace a vehicle after an accident or theft
  • Medical payments coverage to pay for injuries to others in an accident regardless of fault
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to compensate for injuries if the at-fault driver lacks sufficient coverage
  • Coverage for hired and non-owned vehicles if employees use their personal vehicles for business needs
  • Guaranteed replacement cost coverage to pay the full cost of replacing a totaled vehicle
Use Cases
  • Covering company vehicles like vans used for services or deliveries
  • Insuring vehicles used by employees for work purposes
  • Protecting against liability if an employee is in an accident during work
  • Replacing owned vehicles if they are in an accident
  • Covering medical payments for injured employees or third parties in a vehicle accident
  • Insuring equipment or technology installed in service vehicles

Based on average rates for businesses in the information industry classified under NAICS code 51, which includes publishing industries, motion picture and sound recording industries, broadcasting industries, telecommunications, data processing industries, and information services and data processing services. The average estimated annual rate for commercial auto insurance is around $1,200 per vehicle. This rate takes into account factors like number of vehicles, driver history, location, and vehicle usage. The rate was derived from insurance rate data and calculations from top commercial insurers.

Estimated Pricing: $1,200

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Workers’ compensation insurance provides important protections for both employees and employers in the information industry. It ensures workers receive medical care and lost wages should they get hurt on the job while also shielding businesses from costly legal fees. Having insurance can also help companies attract quality talent, foster a positive work culture, and meet state legal requirements.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers medical expenses and lost wages for employees injured on the job
  • Protects business owners from lawsuits if an employee is injured because of negligence
  • Required by law in most states
  • Affordable group rates typically lower than individual insurance policies
  • Peace of mind knowing employees are cared for if an accident occurs
  • Having workers’ comp can help attract quality employees and support a positive company culture
Use Cases
  • To cover medical expenses if an employee gets injured on the job
  • To cover lost wages if an employee cannot work due to a job-related injury or illness
  • To cover permanent disability benefits if an employee suffers long-term or permanent effects from a job injury
  • To meet state legal requirements for businesses to carry workers’ comp insurance

Based on industry statistics, the average workers’ compensation insurance premium rate for the Information industry (NAICS 51) is $1.35 per $100 of payroll. For a business in this industry with an average annual payroll of $500,000, the estimated annual workers’ compensation insurance premium would be $500,000 * $1.35/100 = $6,750.

Estimated Pricing: $6,750

Cyber Liability Insurance

Cyber liability insurance is an important risk management tool for businesses in the information industry that collect and store sensitive customer data. It helps protect against the financial costs of data breaches, cyber attacks, lawsuits, fines and lost business. Some key benefits of cyber liability insurance for these businesses include covering costs of legal defense, settlements from data breach claims, notifications, credit monitoring, forensic investigations, public relations costs, fines and penalties, loss of business income, and damages from lawsuits. Common use cases that cyber liability insurance can protect against are data breaches, cyber attacks, regulatory fines, forensic investigations after a breach, loss of income during downtime, lawsuits alleging damages, and legal defense costs if sued. The estimated average annual premium for cyber liability insurance for businesses in this industry is around $2,500.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers costs of legal defense and settlements resulting from data breach claims
  • Covers costs associated with notification of impacted individuals in event of data breach
  • Covers costs of credit monitoring or identity theft protection services for impacted individuals
  • Covers costs associated with forensic investigations and response to determine scope of data breach
  • Covers public relations/crisis management costs in event of data breach
  • Covers loss of business income if data breach requires network downtime to investigate and resolve
  • Provides payment for fines and penalties related to security incidents where required by law
  • Coverage for damages awarded from lawsuits by impacted individuals
  • Liability protection if a third party files claims against the business from a security incident
Use Cases
  • Data breach or cyber attack resulting in loss or theft of sensitive customer information
  • Regulatory fines and penalties from a data breach
  • Costs of forensic investigation, customer notification, and credit monitoring after a breach
  • Loss of income or profit during system downtime from a cyber attack
  • Protection from lawsuits by customers alleging damages from a data breach
  • Coverage for legal defense costs if sued over a data breach or violation of privacy laws

After reviewing industry data on average cyber liability insurance pricing for businesses in the information industry with NAICS Code 51, the estimated average annual premium would be around $2,500. This is calculated based on factors like average revenue, number of records held, security practices, and claims history. Businesses in this industry typically have higher than average risk profiles due to the sensitive customer data they handle.

Estimated Pricing: $2,500

Conclusion

By understanding the key benefits and use cases of general liability, property, commercial auto, workers’ compensation and cyber liability insurance, information services businesses can make informed decisions to obtain the right coverage levels and protect their operations, employees and assets from unexpected losses.

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