Chips with everything.

Computers have changed radically since they were first insured, along with machinery, under engineering policies. However, 21st-century technology has spawned a whole range of new cyberissues for the insurer to contend with, says Simon Threadgold.

When insurers began covering computers, they did not know which
pigeon-hole to stick them in. The main risks appeared to be accidental
damage and breakdown. So computers were lumped together with other bits of
machinery in the engineering division. And there, for the most part, they
have stayed.


Meanwhile, the nature of the risks covered has changed considerably.


Computers used to consist of large, heavy mainframes which held zero
attraction for thieves. Mainframes are still used, but many