Dependent customer business interruption
When a customer's cyber incident affects your client’s income.
Business interruption cover for cyber incidents affecting key customers.
The scenario
A vehicle service and repair business relies on a major customer for a steady stream of work.
One day, that customer suffers a cyber incident which disrupts its systems and operations. The repair business hasn't been attacked directly, but the impact is felt almost immediately.
Work slows down. Bookings are delayed. Orders are interrupted and expected revenue begins to fall.
The business's own systems remain fully operational, yet disruption elsewhere is affecting its ability to trade.
The disruption isn't happening inside the business – but the financial impact is.
The risks to consider
Cyber disruption doesn't stop at organisational boundaries.
Many businesses depend on key customers, partners, and commercial relationships to generate revenue. When one of those organisations experiences a cyber incident, the financial consequences can quickly spread beyond the original target.
Even if a business's own systems remain secure, a significant interruption affecting a major customer can have a direct impact on income.
Many businesses focus on protecting their own systems, but cyber disruption can also arise through the organisations they depend on. A major interruption affecting a key customer can have a direct impact on revenue, even when a business's own systems remain secure.
The Markel difference
Markel's cyber cover can help protect businesses against interruption resulting from an actual and measurable interruption to a dependent customer's computer system following a security failure.
This means businesses may be protected against lost income caused by cyber incidents affecting organisations they rely on, even when their own systems have not been compromised.
Conversation starter
“What would happen to your business if one of your key customers was unable to operate following a cyber incident?”