In fact, electrostatic discharges from a person can produce peak voltages up to 15 kV with currents of tens of Amperes in less than 20 microseconds. The factory environment with process control is particularly susceptible to such surges because of the presence of motors and other high voltage equipment. The essential point to remember is, the effects of surges due to these other sources are no different then those due to lightning. Hence, protection from one will also protect from another. When a lightning-induced power surge is coupled into your computer equipment, any one of a number of harmful events may occur.
Semiconductors are prevalent in such equipment.
A lightning-induced surge will almost always surpass the voltage rating of these devices causing them to fail. Specifically, lighting induced surges usually alter the electrical characteristics of semiconductor devices so that they no longer function effectively. In a few cases, a surge may destroy the semiconductor device. Computer equipment having a hard failure will no longer function at all. In several instances, a lightning-derived surge may destroy the printed traces on the printed circuit boards of the computer equipment also resulting in hard failures.