GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

In this digital age, our professional and personal lives have all begun to gravitate toward the internet. Unfortunately, due to this widespread phenomenon, we are now more exposed than ever before to invasions of privacy and fraud. Businesses are at a higher risk of cyber attacks than individuals.

Hackers are making the best use of their mischievous minds to discover and exploit vulnerabilities in the working infrastructure of several small and large businesses. As a result, tons of sensitive digital data of users, customers and organizations, including government agencies, are subjected to threat from cybercriminals.

It's more urgent to get a solid cyber security policy in place to safeguard your business from cyber-attacks. In this article, we'll go through some pointers that will help you understand the criticality of this issue and help you take the necessary actions to get it secured right away.

Let's take a look at some common cyber-attacks first.

1. Phishing:
Phishing is when a fraudster appears as somebody else to trick individuals into supplying personal information such as credit card details. Financial institutions, Banking, E-commerce sectors are at high risk from phishing.

2. Ransomware:
This type of malware attack affects a computer or server; it encrypts files and locks them down. The attacker then demands payment to restore the files to their original state. Both private and government sectors can be affected severely by ransomware.

3. Spyware:
This is when a cybercriminal installs malware on a victim's computer; it collects their internet history, credentials, bank account information, and other sensitive data.

4. Denial of Service Attack:
Also known as a DoS attack, a hacker attempts to take down a network by flooding it with traffic to avoid other people from utilizing the service.

Why should you think about getting cyber security?

• Ample resources are required to recover from a cyberattack, with the typical breach taking 55 days to resolve. This will hinder and divert time, money, and personnel resources away from the other operations of your company.

• If your company stores a lot of personal information about your consumers, you must maintain its security so that no data of even a single user gets compromised. Customers can lose trust in your company when their valuable information is at risk in a data breach, and you can face unfavourable lawsuits as a result. 41% of customers believe they will stop doing business with a firm if their data is compromised.

Statistical overview:

• Every 39 seconds, a cyber-attack occurs around the globe.

• Cybercrime will cost the globe $6 trillion by the end of 2021.

• 24,000 malicious applications are eliminated across the web every day.

• By the end of 2021, the average ransomware request will be more than $1000.

• Only 25% of businesses worldwide have their cyber security department.

The threat of cybercrime is gradually rising. Millions of records are affected each year by data breaches, and reports of violations are increasing at an alarming rate.

It's not only about data privacy or net neutrality that needs attention; a complete change in emphasis to internet security is concerning. In the long term, taking an extra step in cyber and email protection can help businesses increase their overall productivity. You can take an extra step today by getting public liability insurance in India. This will help you cover both first and third-party liabilities caused due to online attacks.

See the best public liability insurance in India HERE .

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

The current pandemic situation has undoubtedly left us feeling depressed and lethargic. Unlike before, being stuck at home, we do not have much to look forward to, which has affected our hormonal balance. Everyone is dealing with this situation in their own way, and some of us have a hard time adapting to this change. Especially people with an active lifestyle find this switch extremely challenging.

Before it starts to take a toll on your mental state, we must find ways to cope with it. One of the ways is to boost your happy hormones to keep yourself healthy.

What are happy hormones?
These neurotransmitters have a role in mood control, pleasure, bonding, and even pain reduction. These enzymes are essential for your health in areas such as growth and development, metabolism, and reproduction. Happy hormones mainly include Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Endorphin.

How to boost these hormones?

1. Dopamine – the “Reward Chemical”
Linked with pleasurable experiences and a motor system function, Dopamine is an essential element of your brain’s reward system. It is nicknamed the “feel-good” hormone.
To boost it: Get plenty of rest, eat nuts, try to achieve realistic goals and spend time practicing healthy hobbies or getting soaked in the sun. Musical therapy and meditation can also increase dopamine levels surprisingly.

2. Serotonin – the “Mood Stabilizer”
This hormone assists in the regulation of your mood, appetite, digestion, learning capacity, and memory. Low levels of serotonin can land you into depression.
To boost it: Work out, or participate in a sport, consume carbs, drink milk at night, and focus on incorporating omega-3-rich foods into your diet. Mood enhancement can also boost serotonin levels. Cheer yourself up by recalling all the beautiful memories of the past. You may open an old photo album or do an activity that excites you the most.

3. Oxytocin – the “Love Hormone”
The feeling of love, affection, and being valued boost the oxytocin level; hence it is nick-named as the “love hormone.” It also helps develop trust, empathy, and bonding in relationships through deeper connections and physical intimacy.
To boost it: Get a massage once a week, take up a new hobby, spend quality time with loved ones, help someone, have a pet, or practice yoga.

4. Endorphins – the “Pain Killer”
Your endorphin levels tend to rise when you engage in reward-producing activities like eating, working out, or having a fun time celebrating even small moments. It is also a natural pain reliever produced by your body in reaction to stress or suffering. Endorphins redefine our social attachments by promoting pleasure.
To boost it: Go out for a run, eat a protein-rich meal, plan out a romantic evening, take a hot shower.

Your body remains active and energetic if your mind is refreshed and active. Therefore, boosting your happy hormones is crucial for a healthy lifestyle. Besides the suggested ways to improve productivity, you can figure out your methods to develop and boost these hormones. Find what makes you genuinely happy and pursue it often to lead a healthy lifestyle. While you are at it, do not forget to back up your physical health with insurance. Browse through our online health insurance plans to seek the best one that makes your dopamine level go high, to feel good and safe!

To find online health insurance plans, click HERE .

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

Unlike old times, almost all car manufacturing companies are now producing new vehicles with both petrol and diesel variants. With it, the common misbelief of a petrol car being superior is also burning to the ground. The way diesel engines have advanced significantly poses a severe threat to their petrol rivals by being more efficient and economical.

But the debate remains as to whether to go for a petrol or diesel model. Allow us to clear it out for you quickly. Here are the 5 major aspects to compare both the options, and let’s view the results.

1. Performance:
If you are a power enthusiast looking deeply into car performance other than anything, remember that a car’s performance is mainly affected by the amount of weight it carries. However, both petrol and diesel cars offer specific power. For example, if you like instant pick up, a petrol car will impress you better. On the other hand, a diesel car will amaze you with the sudden thrust despite the slow start. So, out of the two variants, decide what suits you better.

2. Prices:
Diesel models are generally more expensive than their petrol rivals, and so is their maintenance cost. Do not let the fuel prices confuse you with the car prices. Although diesel as a fuel is cheaper than petrol in our country, the cars sell at a higher price. It's on you to decide whether to pay more for your car one time or more for your fuel every time.

3. Maintenance expenses:
Do diesel models require a higher maintenance cost? That no longer stands true for every case. Although maintaining a diesel vehicle is still more expensive than a petrol vehicle, it has become comparatively affordable than earlier. It even varies between the different classes of the car and the brand.

4. Fuel-efficiency:
This is something to consider later in all the aspects mentioned earlier. Mileage for diesel vehicles is one of the sole reasons for people to choose them over petrol vehicles. A diesel car will run more kilometres in the same litres of fuel than a petrol car. So, in terms of fuel efficiency, diesel cars are clearly the prize winner.

5. Fuel costs:
India has always had diesel at a reduced price than petrol owing to the subsidies. Although the price gap has reduced continuously in almost all states, this is still a fact. Hence, diesel is cheaper than petrol, with diesel vehicles having a better mileage than the latter. Therefore, despite the initial higher charges, it is proved that a diesel car is affordable after all.

Owning a car is a luxury in itself; hence ensure to get the one most suited to your expectations. Regardless of what type of car you buy, decide it after assessing the running cost, the duration you want to retain it and resell value it brings to you. And when you finally make a purchase, do not forget to buy new car insurance as made mandatory by the laws. Apart from choosing the best vehicle variant, you also need to buy new car insurance for a financial safety net if the unexpected occurs.

To buy new car insurance for your car, click HERE .

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

No one likes to think about the possibility of their vehicle being in an accident, but knowing what to do when it happens, helps you a lot. According to a survey, almost 77% of drivers have been in at least one accident during their lifetime. Thus, as per the facts, your chances of getting into a car accident during a 1,000-mile trip are 1 in 366.

After a car crash, your immediate response is to ensure everyone's safety and get medical attention even if the injuries seem minor to you. The immediate aftermath of an accident is quite stressful, and not knowing what should be your next step only adds to the stress.

Therefore, it is time you learn what to do when your car gets totaled post an accident.

After the accident, when you inform your insurance company about the incident to claim your insurance, the company may deem your car to be 'totaled'.

But, first, what exactly does 'a totaled car' mean?

• If the value of repairing the vehicle is more than the value of the car, pre-accident.

• If it can be dangerous to use the car again after the repair work.

Some companies cover the cost of towing the car. Few look after your rental car bills only for three days, whereas some might cover for an extended period. Different companies have different policies for the drivers. Therefore, it is better to be familiar with your private car insurance policy.

Now follow the given steps to claim your insurance settlement.

Step 1
Give your insurance company a call. Many companies have mobile applications where you can click images of the damage and post them, and an inspector will survey the specifics. But, when you think your car is totaled, it will take much more than a basic inspection to verify the damage.
Sometimes, there is not much visible damage, but some damaged parts of the car can cost much more than you anticipate. For this, you will have to trust your inspector to do a thorough inspection of your vehicle.

Step 2
Submit your application, policy details, and police report. Now, all companies have different documentation processes, and you must be sure to understand what papers you will need to submit precisely. Your settlement request would not proceed further unless the company has received all that it needs.

Step 3
Whether you own the vehicle or are leasing it, the insurance company will write a check to you, your lender, or the lease company. The amount of your total loss settlement will be the AVC, average cash value of your car, which depends on the following

• the current market value of your vehicle

• the condition of your car pre-accident as well as its mileage

• other features of the car such as leather seats, power windows etc.

Sometimes fortune turns harsh on us, and it becomes tough to accept the reality. Accidents can happen anytime, and it is rightly quoted that 'Accidents hurt, but not safety.' The recovery post a severe accident is never a peaceful process. Seeing your beloved car turn into crushed pieces of metal is an awful feeling. Don't wait for the worst to happen. Be prepared by buying private car insurance that assures you the complete assistance and compensation you expect during the tough times.

Need private car insurance? Click HERE to get the best insurance quotes.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.