The exchange of information can be disrupted, delayed, or interrupted.

If the technology used generates transmission errors, the transfer of information can be delayed, incomplete, or processed too slowly. Under certain circumstances, the exchange of information can come to a complete halt because interfaces or operating resources are not powerful enough or fail for some other reason.

Business processes can be significantly impaired if required deadlines for the delivery of information are not met. In extreme cases, contractually agreed deadlines can be violated if a data transmission fails due to technical outages or human error.