Computer data errors come in all shapes and sizes. One causes a minor mishap, like a 1-cent difference in the price of a gallon of milk because a scanner misread the bar code. Another triggers an error avalanche, like the glitch . . .
Computer data errors come in all shapes and sizes. One causes a minor mishap, like a 1-cent difference in the price of a gallon of milk because a scanner misread the bar code. Another triggers an error avalanche, like the glitch by an East Coast credit reporting company whose system mislabeled a file of names as "deadbeat," thus eroding the credit rating of 1,400 upstanding citizens of Norwich, Vt. Most are merely irritating, but some are catastrophic enough to deep-six a company's valuation, erode its profits and bury its public credibility. Companies weigh bottom-line benefit against prevention cost, but those who have been bitten by a big mistake now wish they'd spent enough to prevent these beauties:

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