Our business operations are dependent on information technology systems, which manage crucial functions such as manufacturing, distribution, sales, accounting, and communications. Effective resource allocation and management are vital for building, sustaining, and safeguarding these systems. Failure to do so, including inadequate oversight of system upgrades or third-party service providers, could negatively impact our business and financial results. The failure of our information technology systems to perform as we anticipate could disrupt our business and could result in transaction or reporting errors, processing inefficiencies and the loss of sales and customers, causing our business and results of operations to suffer.
Furthermore, our information technology systems, and the systems of our customers, vendors, suppliers, and other third-party service providers, are subject to cyber-attacks or other security incidents including computer viruses or other malicious codes, phishing attacks, unauthorized access attempts, cyber extortion, business email compromise, social engineering schemes, denial of service attacks, hacking, ransomware, or other cyberattacks attempting to exploit vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals have increasingly demonstrated advanced capabilities, such as use of zero-day vulnerabilities, and rapid integration of new technology such as generative artificial intelligence. Such incidents could result in unauthorized access to information including customer, consumer or other company confidential data as well as disruptions to operations. To address the risks to our information technology systems and data, we maintain an information security program that includes updating technology, developing security policies and procedures, implementing and assessing the effectiveness of controls, monitoring and routine testing of our information systems, and designing business processes to mitigate the risk of such breaches. We believe that these preventative actions provide adequate measures of protection against security breaches and generally reduce our cybersecurity risks. However, cyber-threats are constantly evolving, are becoming more sophisticated and are being made by groups of individuals with a wide range of expertise and motives, which increases the difficulty of detecting and successfully defending against them. There can be no assurance that these measures will prevent or limit the impact of a future incident. Moreover, the development and maintenance of these measures requires continuous monitoring as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures evolve. Additionally, we rely on services provided by third-party vendors for certain information technology processes and functions, which makes our operations vulnerable to a failure by any one of these vendors to perform adequately or maintain effective internal controls. If they fail to deter, detect or report cyber incidents in a timely manner, we may suffer financial and other harm, including to our information, operations, performance, and reputation. We face additional cybersecurity risks due to our reliance on internet technology and hybrid work arrangements, which could strain our technology resources or create additional opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. We are also subject to increasing and evolving government, customer and other cyber and security requirements, including disclosure obligations. If we are unable to prevent or adequately respond to and resolve a cybersecurity incident, it may have a material, negative impact on our operations or business reputation, and we may experience other adverse consequences such as loss of assets, remediation costs, litigation, regulatory investigations, and the failure by us to retain or attract customers following such an event, any of which could adversely affect our reputation, operations, financial performance and condition.
Our information systems are also vulnerable to damage or interruption from computer system failures, software defects, natural disasters, power loss, human error, and network failures. Such incidents could adversely affect our company, including incurring unanticipated costs to remediate impacts and lost business. Our customers and suppliers face similar risks that, if realized, could also adversely impact our operations.
We have experienced in the past, and expect to continue to experience, cybersecurity threats and attacks, including an external cyber-attack in 2021 that resulted in a temporary suspension of services to our customers. To date these incidents have not had a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations; however, there can be no assurance that such impacts will not be material in the future. The occurrence and impact of these various risks are difficult to predict, but one or more of them could temporarily disrupt our ability to manage our operations, provide services to our customers and perform vital financial processes, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. While we have contingency plans and insurance coverage for potential liabilities of this nature, they may not be sufficient to cover all claims and liabilities and in some cases are subject to deductibles and layers of self-insured retention.