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Insurance for IT and technology companies

Expect more from your insurer. Industry-specific cover and services designed for IT, technology and communications businesses.

Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds

24hr legal advice helpline included

No hidden fees or cancellations

Our specialist insurance for IT and technology companies combines industry-specific cover with professional and business support services to help your business with legal matters, growth and innovation.

Having insured IT and technology companies for over 25 years, we have in-depth knowledge of the sector. We understand that our policyholders operate in a highly competitive environment which is constantly evolving and supporting them is at the heart of what we do.

Our team of experts are on hand to assist and have worked extensively with all sizes of IT company, from self-employed IT contractors to large technology and communications organisations, offering services from application development, website design and project management through to hardware supply, system and network hosting and managed services.

Cover at a glance:

  • Professional indemnity cover up to £5m
  • Covers coding errors, system failures and data breaches
  • Legal expenses and cyber cover optional
  • Suitable for software firms, IT service providers and tech startups

What is IT and technology company business insurance?

IT and technology company business insurance is designed to protect businesses that build, support, or deliver digital products and services. It is not a single insurance product, but a range of covers you can choose from to build an insurance policy to meet your needs. Regardless of experience, mistakes can still happen.

As IT and technology companies work with complex systems and sensitive data, even small errors can lead to significant financial losses for your clients. Markel Direct's specialist cover enable you to select from a range of cover to meet your business requirements, so that you’re protected should the worst happen, and a claim is made against your business.

Cover starting from

£5 a month*
*Price based on an IT contractor requiring £100,000 legal expenses cover.
Feefo 4.8 of 5 rating
2026 Platinum Trusted Service Award

Why do I need IT and technology company business insurance?

Obtaining the appropriate level of IT and technology company business insurance is a worthwhile consideration. As IT and technology businesses handle sensitive data, critical systems, and complex client requirements, even small mistakes can lead to potential claims from clients. If a project is delayed, a system fails, or your work is alleged to be negligent resulting in a financial loss, clients may take legal action.

IT and technology company business insurance from Markel Direct is designed to protect you against such scenarios, so that if something doesn’t go to plan, you’ll be covered. It’s important to remember that IT and technology company business insurance is not just one product, but a choice of many forms of cover that you can choose from to exactly meet your business needs. From professional indemnity insurance to cover you against allegations of professional negligence through to office insurance, to ensure you’re not left out of pocket if your premises are burgled.

By ensuring you have the correct level of cover, you could be protected if a claim is made against your business.

Example policy documents

If you have an existing policy with us, please sign in to view your policy documents.

Below you will find examples of the documents provided.

Policy wording Policy wording

Summary of cover Summary of cover

Insurance cover for your IT business

  • Professional indemnity insurance

    Professional indemnity (PI) insurance for IT consultants and contractors covers the cost of defending your IT business against allegations of professional negligence (such as giving your client incorrect or wrongful advice, or providing sub-standard services) and if unsuccessful, the cost of damages awarded against you.

    Examples of claims include:

    Breach of contract: a client engages you as a project manager responsible for delivering a system to a specific deadline. The project overruns and you are held responsible for the additional costs the company incurs due to the delay.
    Negligence: a system you were contracted to design is deemed not fit for purpose after the project finishes.
    Intellectual property: one of your competitors alleges that you have copied content from their website and used it on your client's website. They take legal action against you seeking damages.

    In addition, our policy provides mitigation of loss cover, which pays the costs incurred to avoid a claim being made against you.

    This is essential insurance for IT contractors, consultants and businesses with limits ranging from £50,000 to £5m.

  • Public liability insurance

    Public liability insurance and product liability insurance covers the cost of defending your business (including damages awarded against you if unsuccessful) if someone is injured, or their property damaged, which arises from you going about your business or supplying products.
    Examples of claims include:

    • Property damage: you damage a client’s projector using the wrong adapter to plug in your laptop. They send you a bill for a new projector as the original is irreparable.
    • Personal injury: a client trips over a cable and injures themselves while visiting your workplace. They make a personal injury claim against you seeking compensation.

    Limits range from £1m to £5m.

  • Employer's liability insurance

    Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement if your business has employees. It covers your business against claims for injury or illness suffered by employees arising from their employment.

    An example of a claim would be:

    • An employee alleges they are suffering from a chronic bad back as a result of sitting in an unsupportive chair for too long. They make a personal injury claim against you seeking compensation.

    If your business employs other IT consultants, you need this cover. Cover for £10m.

  • Directors and officers insurance

    Directors and officers insurance can cover you, as a director or an officer of your company, against claims of negligence or wrongful working practices – and any damages awarded against you as a consequence.

    Legal cost cover extends to additional claims such as disqualification as a director or extradition proceedings, as well as general investigations.

    Limits range from £100,000 to £5 million.

  • Office insurance

    Protect your business against theft or accidental damage with office insurance. Cover secures yo against damage of:

    • Office contets
    • Office buildings
    • IT equipment and computer hardware

    If you travel frequently for client work, this insurance also offers optional worldwide cover for business equipment, such as mobile phones and laptops.

    Our cover also give you the option to insure against any resulting loss of income or addtional trading expnses that aris as a result of damage or theft.

  • Occupational personal accident insurance

    Occupational personal accident insurance provides a weekly payment if you are unable to work due to temporary total disablement (subject to a 14-day deferment period) due to an accident at work, or when travelling to and from work. In the event of loss of limbs, sight, speech, hearing, permanent total disablement or death, a lump sum would be paid out. You should consider this cover if you would struggle to maintain an income following an accident that left you unable to work. Limits from £100/week to £500/week for temporary total disablement (£25k lump sum to £100k lump sum for permanent total disablement).

  • Legal expenses insurance

    Commercial legal expenses insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Cover is also provided for the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.

  • Cyber and data risks insurance

    Cyber insurance pays the costs of restoring data and equipment, informing clients, meeting ransom demands and loss of your net profit following a cyber-attack. It also pays your legal defence costs and damages you are legally liable to pay to other parties. If you hold confidential information about your clients and their projects on computers and other internet connected devices, you should consider to this cover.

How it works

Choose the cover you require
Get a quote you need in minutes
Buy online or contact one of our advisors
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How much does IT and technology company business insurance cost?

At Markel Direct, we offer IT and technology company business insurance from £5 a month for £1 million worth of public liability cover. When it comes to insurance, the cost varies from business to business depending on;

  • The size of your business - your turnover and whether you have any employees
  • The level of cover you choose
  • The nature of your business

To get a clearer idea of how much you’ll pay, simply get a quote online.

Ready to build your quote?
Our simple quote process will help you to find the right business insurance for your individual needs.

Frequently asked questions

These frequently asked questions are designed to help you and include questions relating to policy cover, pricing and ‘technical’ terms. 

  • I need professional indemnity insurance to secure a contract - do you provide proof of cover?

    Yes. If you purchase your policy with us, your documents are emailed to you instantly and include a dedicated 'Confirmation of Liability Insurance' document (detailing the cover you have with us) which you can present to agencies and clients as proof of cover.

  • Is my past work covered?

    We cover past work if you have held professional indemnity insurance uninterrupted prior to arranging your policy with us.

    If there was a period of time where you did not have professional indemnity insurance in force (for example, you have never arranged professional indemnity insurance before, you chose not to renew a previous policy or you cancelled a previous policy at the end of a contract) we are unable to cover past work.

    If you require further clarification, don't hesitate to call us on 0800 640 6600.

  • What limit of cover should I choose?

    Many clients and industry bodies with regulatory requirements will require you to have a minimum level of cover for you to undertake a contract, so it's worth checking this before you arrange cover. If you're unsure, give some thought to a worst-case scenario and the likely costs involved in putting your mistake right. We offer a range of limits on insurance, so you're sure to find the right cover for your business.

  • What's the difference between professional indemnity and public liability?

    Professional indemnity insurance covers against allegations of professional negligence - which means it would cover you if you were to make an error or mistake in a piece of work (such as a project or report) for a client.

    Public liability insurance covers against allegations of injury or illness caused to third parties by your negligence. This includes many of the slips, trips and falls that are associated with personal injury claims. In addition, public liability insurance covers against damage to third party property - for example, if you were to damage a client-owned laptop or smartphone.

    As they insure against different scenarios, it's important you consider arranging both types of cover to ensure you are properly protected.

  • Why should I choose Markel Direct's Insurance

    Markel Direct has over 25 years of experience insuring contractors, consultants and self-employed professionals. We insure over 200,000 micro businesses and are highly rated by our customers at Feefo.com.

    We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s of London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £2.4bn in 2023

    To talk about your insurance requirements and better understand our cover, call us on 0800 640 6600 or get a quick quote online.

Can't find the answer you are looking for? - Contact our experts

Access specialist business services as part of your policy cover.

As a specialist insurer of accountants and bookkeepers, we provide a range of useful services for you to access, included as standard with certain covers.

What is included:

  • 24/7 legal advice helpline manned by qualified solicitors
  • Access to our fee-dispute service to assist with unpaid invoices
  • A specialist cyber response helpline for help in the event of a cyber attack
  • Legal templates and resources with Markel's Business Hub
  • Discounted IR35 contract reviews with your policy
  • Expert management of public relations crises with The Counsel House