Data Center Insurance Coverage Checklist
The coverages a data center business may carry — core, prevalent, and situational — why each matters, and the gap most often missed.
Pull out your current policy and check the box next to any coverage you can confirm is already in place — anything unchecked is worth a quick conversation with your advisor. Coverage checklist for data center owners and operators — colocation, hyperscale, enterprise, and edge. Priorities reflect typical exposure for this class; confirm against your actual sites and contracts.
Tick each coverage you can confirm you carry — anything left unticked is a good question for your next policy review.
| Have it? | Coverage | Why this business needs it | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Property | Covers buildings, power, and cooling plant — fire drives over half of data center loss value. | Core | |
| Business Income & Extra Expense | Replacement switchgear and transformers can take up to 80 weeks, stretching downtime. | Core | |
| Equipment Breakdown | Covers electrical and mechanical failure of UPS, generators, chillers, and switchgear. | Core | |
| Technology E&O | Covers customer claims and service-level failures after an outage. | Core | |
| Cyber Liability | Covers breaches and attacks, including on building management and power systems. | Core | |
| General Liability | Covers injuries to customers, contractors, and visitors on site. | Prevalent | |
| Customer Property / Bailee Coverage | Covers customer-owned servers and GPUs if you are responsible for them. | Prevalent | |
| Workers' Compensation | Covers technicians and facilities staff working on high-voltage equipment. | Prevalent | |
| Umbrella / Excess Liability | Adds limits over general liability and employer's liability. | Prevalent | |
| Builder's Risk / Delay in Start-Up | Covers construction, expansions, and commissioning — among the riskiest phases. | Situational | |
| Pollution Liability | Covers diesel fuel spills and fire runoff. | Situational |
The coverage gap most often missed
The gap most often missed by data center operators is revenue lost without physical damage. An outage from a utility failure, a software fault, or a cooling problem can trigger service-level credits and customer claims while the property policy pays nothing, because nothing was physically damaged. Review service-level terms alongside technology E&O, cyber, and utility service interruption coverage, and confirm who insures customer-owned equipment before a loss.
Send us the checklist and we'll review your data center coverage line by line, then market it across multiple carriers that compete for your account.
Related: Data Center & Colocation Insurance · Data Center Supplemental (apply) · All coverage checklists
Frequently asked questions
What insurance does a data center business need?
The core coverages for a data center business are Commercial Property, Business Income & Extra Expense, Equipment Breakdown, Technology E&O, Cyber Liability. This checklist also lists the prevalent and situational coverages worth considering, with a plain-English note on why each matters.
Is this checklist insurance advice?
No. It is a free educational tool to help you have a more informed conversation with a licensed professional. It affords no coverage and is not insurance, legal, or financial advice — only your actual policy language governs what is and isn't covered.
Can Cory Washington & Co. review my data center coverage?
Yes. Share your checklist and we'll review your program line by line, market your account across multiple carriers, and explain the trade-offs in plain English. Cory Washington & Co. LLC is licensed in all 50 states.
This checklist is a free educational tool from Cory Washington & Co. to help you review your own coverage and have a more informed conversation with a licensed insurance professional. It is general information only — not insurance, legal, or financial advice, and not a recommendation to buy, change, or cancel any policy. Coverage terms, availability, limits, and requirements vary by policy, carrier, and state, and only the language in your actual policy governs what is and isn’t covered. Checking or leaving blank any item above does not indicate that you are adequately insured or under-insured. Using this checklist does not create a client, agency, or fiduciary relationship. Always consult a licensed professional about your specific situation.