Home // Insights // Five Risky Misconceptions about Cyber Insurance that are Detrimental to your Business

Five Risky Misconceptions about Cyber Insurance that are Detrimental to your Business

By Wesley Robinson, Risk Advisor

According to leading global insurer Allianz and their most recent risk barometer, cyber risk now ranks as the most important business risk globally, ahead of yearly top contender business interruption. Indeed, it seems that in the current environment where we are now more reliant on devices and the internet than ever before, everyone from IT managers to risk professionals to insurance companies all agree on one thing; that cyber risk poses a greater threat to their businesses than any other exposure.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), cybercrime costs the global economy approximately $600bn per year, with some experts estimating the annual cost will rise to over 1 trillion US dollars in 2021. When we compare this number to more traditional perils, the average economic loss from global natural catastrophes over the last ten years has been $208bn each year. This means that every tornado, hurricane, wildfire, tsunami, earthquake, and flood is being outpaced by cybercrime by three times. Next time you turn on the news and see an earthquake or tropical storm wreaking havoc, it might be helpful to picture a horde of hooded hackers running amok causing three times the damage to truly understand what we’re talking about.

With these kinds of numbers, surely companies must be buying cyber insurance in record numbers. This is where buying patterns start to diverge from the perceived and actual risk. According to a 2019 report from major London based insurer Hiscox, 41% of organizations now purchase cyber insurance and another 30% plan to purchase in the next 12 months. This begs the question, why aren’t more companies buying insurance coverage for a threat that is statistically similar to property coverage in many ways? There must be something else going on here.

Download the article to examine and debunk some of the misconceptions preventing companies from buying cyber insurance.

Iridium conducted an in-depth review and analysis of our company’s operations and risk management processes. It was an incredible value-add to our business and gave us insights as to how we could make our insurance program more effective, in addition to enhancing our overall risk management process. The team at Iridium was knowledgeable, detail oriented, and timely in responding to all our requests and requirements. There is no doubt in my mind that Iridium’s expertise enabled us to achieve favorable terms on our renewal while also helping to simplify and clarify some of the coverages. Their ability to explain complex coverage considerations and policy wordings provided us with a strong confidence level with their recommendations. Overall, we are very satisfied with Iridium’s service, which we feel is tailored to our business and we are confident our risk management needs are being addressed by the team.

—Shaun Gawryliuk, Chief Financial Officer, Terracon Geotechnique Ltd.

We have an expectation at Enerplus for accuracy and timely service. We also require our Broker have legal & policy expertise and the technical resources to enable us to fully manage our portfolio of risk exposures. Iridium has not only delivered and exceeded our expectations in each category, they have also shown a commitment to my team and to our organization that goes far beyond the standard scope of services.

—Marley Drainville
Manager Risk Management,
Enerplus

When TransCanada Turbines aligned our business with Iridium, you were dealing with a group of TCT people with very limited exposure to the Risk/Insurance industry. Your ability to articulate insurance matters and jargon into clear terms enabled us to feel comfortable with all of our insurance and contractual decisions. Your team’s willingness to support our business for everything from education and transformational activities to our frequent questions regarding our transactional business dealing has been over the top. We will tell you that TransCanada Turbines would not hesitate to recommend Iridium to anyone. Your team service is excellent, your approach is transparent and your willingness to help is tireless. We look forward to a long and symbiotic relationship with the entire Iridium Team. Well done!

—Tim Wilcox
Vice President,
TransCanada Turbines

Iridium earned our business through their fresh, consultative approach to helping us manage the risks faced by our business every day. Iridium was able to identify gaps in our insurance and risk management program and bring innovative, thoughtful solutions to the table while being cost conscious through the process. Iridium is indispensable to any oil and gas producer as their availability and expertise in risk management and insurance has us deem them as a partner versus a service provider.

—Craig W. Albert CGA
Controller,
Zargon Oil & Gas Ltd.

We engaged Iridium at the same time that we were completing a large asset acquisition and a corporate merger. In order to identify our exposures, the team at Iridium invested the time required to understand our existing business and the new acquisitions. In addition, they worked closely with our staff to compile the data requested by our insurance providers. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the exceptional level of service provided by Iridium and value them as a trusted business partner.

—Brent R, Bracken, CA
Sr. Vice President, Finance & CFO,
Caltex Resources Inc.

Through the last two companies I’ve been involved with, I have partnered with Iridium for the last 10+ years. They continue to impress me with their energy industry expertise and unique focus on managing the broad spectrum of enterprise risks that energy companies face. They currently provide Aureus with year-round prompt support and valuable risk advice integral to our fast-paced and geographically spread-out operations. Iridium has been a great advocate for Aureus in the insurance marketplace and has helped us navigate the challenges of our company’s growth, cost-effectively. They also routinely take time to meet and educate members of our team on insurance coverages and industry leading risk management practices. Aureus considers Iridium a valued risk management advisor and have integrated them into our team. We highly recommend them to any company.

—Ron Hozjan, VP Finance & CFO, Aureus Energy Services

The team at Iridium is professional, approachable and knowledgeable. Prior to the sale of our business, insurance was managed by an internal risk management corporate group. Iridium was engaged to establish insurance coverage within a short period of time for the standalone business. Iridium was intimately involved in proposing solutions to mitigate risk and brought significant cost savings to our business. Iridium is a true risk partner for our business; providing education and training, expert contract review and risk assessments, along with a strong understanding of our company’s exposures and insurance coverage.

—Wes Morningstar
Chief Executive Officer and Director,
Canlin Energy Corporation.

Read Testimonials