What Are Factors To Consider When Choosing Pen Testing Companies?

There’s so much at risk when a company’s data network system has been breached or compromised. Not only can this result in damages to your data systems but also data losses, as well as clients losing their trust in your services. That said, the best thing you can do is to get the services of pen testing companies to bolster your network and application’s security features and structure. However, since this can easily get technical, it can be hard to determine which service provider to hire for the job.

You might be thinking about how you can effectively choose which data security specialists to hire, but aren’t sure of where to start. If that is the case, make sure to read the following sections.

Background Checks

One of the many things you should do is to inquire regarding the mechanisms pen testing companies have in place to ensure the trustworthiness of their teams and representatives. Are background checks performed at hiring? Does a company have a program for continuous security recertification? Pen testers will have access to the company’s inner infrastructure secrets and some type of screening and vetting is a minimum requirement.

A clear statement of work involved

When outsourcing to a penetration testing services provider, organisations need to assure the chosen company follows an industry-accepted penetration testing methodology. The team needs to provide a clear statement of work that highlights testing limits, time of engagement, tools and methods employed, privacy concerns, procedures related to data access, along with reporting expectations and requirements. That said, make sure that the services of penetration testing companies meet the needs of your organisation.

Clear timetable

Define a clear period when the company will do the testing of your network or application while also mentioning what systems will be declared “off-limits” during testing. Make sure to specify a turnaround time for each test to choose which among the penetration testing companies in question can meet your on-demand needs.  Use rules of engagement document to be signed by the penetration testing company and the client to ensure clarity on test expectations.

Attentiveness

How attentive is the company to your needs? How many questions do they ask? Good penetration testing companies UK care about excellence of the service they provide will most likely ask you follow-up questions about your business, the expected outcome of the pen test, and your larger security plan.

Passion

One of the easiest and best criteria of success for a penetration test is establishing how passionate the service provider is about it. 99 times out of 100, a person who loves what they do is going to do a better job than someone who doesn’t. However, this is easier said than done. How do you “see” passion? Meet with representatives from penetration testing companies UK and ask as much as possible. You’ll know if they love what they do, based on how detailed their questions are and their eagerness to answer all of your questions and meeting your needs.

Industry oversight

When talking about industry oversight, it means the governing body that holds pentesting companies to a predefined minimum standard; and respected pentest companies that hold each other to a high level of standard. The industry does not yet have a good governing body. There have been several providers who have attempted to do so with some level of success, but they all have shortcomings. The industry is still trying to work itself out and agree upon how pentest quality should be measured. You should certainly ask if company certifications or certified testers, but it shouldn’t be your defining factor.

There is a very real need among businesses, clients, as well as end-users to ensure data security because the alternative would be extremely damaging for all parties involved. That said, you can’t do any better than hiring pen testing companies for the job. They are the experts at identifying vulnerabilities among and with a data network and application systems, which many businesses use nowadays. Using the data they gather, they will then provide a security report highlighting the security problems discovered and then recommend methods on how to address and prevent such issues. Just make sure to use the guide above to determine the best security provider for the job.