You should consider outsourcing Penetration-Testing-as-a-Service (PTaaS) when your organization requires specialized cybersecurity expertise and advanced testing tools that are beyond the scope of your in-house security team.
PTaaS is not just for organizations in highly regulated industries like healthcare, financial services, pharma/BioTech, energy, oil & gas, etc. It’s also for any organization that wants to improve their return on investment (ROI).
| “Even if you have in-house pen testers, seeking assistance from advanced, outsourced experts can help you strengthen your defenses further. The purpose of testing should be to validate your security controls consistently and have metrics and scoring to track your progress over time.” – Tab Bradshaw, Chief Operating Officer, Redpoint Cybersecurity |
Choosing to outsource penetration testing brings several advantages. PTaaS experts use a variety of sophisticated tools, techniques, and advanced threat intelligence to conduct comprehensive security evaluations. Their services save your internal team time and effort, and provide insights and innovations that you may not have considered before.
In this blog, we will explore PTaaS in greater detail. We’ll discuss what PTaaS involves, how it works, and what to look for in a provider. This information will help you make informed decisions about enhancing your cybersecurity defenses with the right outsourced pen testing service.
What is Penetration-Testing-as-a-Service (PTaaS)?
Penetration-testing-as-a-service (PTaaS) is a security testing service that offers regular, cost-effective penetration tests. Unlike traditional contract-based penetration testing, a PTaaS provider allows organizations to conduct tests more frequently, even weekly or after each code change.
PTaaS involves ethical hackers who manually test networks to uncover security vulnerabilities, leverage automated tools to cover more ground faster, or, ideally, a strategic combination of both. The service is focused both on identifying vulnerabilities and evaluating organizational responses to potential threats.
Penetration testers simulate real-world cyber attacks to expose weaknesses in an organization’s networks and response protocols. The goal is to detect and remediate these weaknesses proactively before a threat actor has a chance to exploit them.
They may also simulate insider threats that could have been inadvertently caused by someone on your team. This type of testing is crucial as 67% of organizations experience 40 or more insider threats annually. Knowing how one could happen at yours reduces your risk.
What Does a Penetration-Testing-as-a-Service Provider Do?
A PTaaS provider performs several key functions to enhance an organization’s security posture. Here’s a breakdown of a PTaaS company’s key functions.
| Automated & On-Demand Pen Testing |
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| Real-Time Vulnerability Assessments |
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| Integration With Development Cycles |
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| Enhances Speed & Efficiency in Development Cycles |
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| Remediation Support |
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| Comprehensive Data Reporting |
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| Compliance Assurance |
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What You Need to Look For in a Pen-Test-as-a-Service Company
Blended Methodology
Look for a PTaaS service that combines human-led expertise with AI and automation.This approach ensures comprehensive coverage. Automation can cover the most ground the fastest while the human element brings in-depth analysis to prevent false positives.
Experienced Experts
The quality of a PTaaS provider is defined by its experts. Favor providers with a stable team of experienced professionals. Advanced certifications like OSCP, OSCE, and OSWE are even better. Avoid providers that change testers very frequently, as consistent relationships lead to better understanding and protection of your digital assets.
Non-Disruptive Testing Approach
Select a PTaaS provider whose testing methods are thorough yet non-disruptive. They should have established tactics to prevent network slowdowns, server crashes, and data corruption during tests. Ask your potential provider if and how they ensure this during your discovery process.
Compliance & Full Stack Testing
Make sure your PTaaS partner can provide testing for all compliance regulations and technologies relevant to your organization. Ask about their compliance pen testing processes for key regulations such as PCI DSS, FFIEC, and HIPAA.
| What Else Should You Add to Your Security Program? |
You should also be aware that there are multiple types of pen tests. A good PTaaS should be able to perform more than one kind of test. Types of pen tests include the following.
- Application security testing
- API penetration testing
- Web penetration testing
- Red team simulations
- Adversary emulation
- Phishing simulations
- Mobile application penetration testing
- Internal and external network testing
DevSecOps Integration
Your PTaaS should align with your DevSecOps strategy. Look for providers who offer solutions that enable security testing at initial development stages, so that security is embedded into the software lifecycle from the outset. This approach allows DevSecOps teams to address security issues promptly, which reduces the risk of costly late-stage fixes.
Clear Reporting
Choose a PTaaS provider that offers clear, actionable reports. These should include an executive summary, detailed technical insights, and prioritized remediation paths. All reports must be technical enough to cover all key details while being understandable for non-technical stakeholders, such as members of the executive leadership team.
Trust Military-Grade Security Experts to Provide Your Pen Testing Service
If you work in a highly regulated industry, regular pen testing may be a requirement. However, to ensure optimal protection, it’s important to aim higher than what’s required. That’s how you can benefit from outsourcing an advanced PTaaS, even if you have full-time cybersecurity employees.
Redpoint Cybersecurity offers a military-grade PTaaS platform. 92% of our experts have advanced cybersecurity certifications and we have extensive experience with highly regulated industries including healthcare, finance, law, and defense. We’re confident that we can offer rigorous, non-disruptive, compliance-focus pen testing services to your organization.
Reach out to us today to find out what we can offer.