The greater the role that computers, the Internet, and e-commerce play in your business, the more exposure you have to both property and liability risks involving information technology.

Digitally stored information is subject to many of the same risks as any other property (fire, flood, tornado, etc.) as well as special risks (computer viruses, malicious hackers, etc.). To prevent the loss of your accounts receivables, customer orders, client records, or other such data, you should back up the data regularly and often and store the backup copies in a separate, secure location. Prevent data loss or corruption by viruses and hackers by keeping up-to-date antivirus software and firewalls on all your business computers.

If you rely on a Web site, either you or your Web site host should back up all critical material at least daily. To assure your Web site doesn't go down, a real-time mirror image of all your site data should be maintained so that it can be transferred immediately if the original site crashes for any reason.

Digital technology also presents liability risks. You could be sued if there is a breach of your security and sensitive information about others is exposed or stolen. Make sure you use reputable vendors. You could face a lawsuit claiming that your Web site uses another's copyrighted material or slanders someone. Some measures that could help control these risks include the following.

• Using a "security seal" from a reputable security certification organization to encrypt data
• Posting a formal privacy policy
• Having your legal counsel approve your Web site content and your privacy statement