Starting and sustaining a business is costly, and the costs continue even after your firm is profitable. You must consider materials, labour prices, facilities, and equipment, to name a few of the numerous costs you must pay. Another important investment you should make is for your company’s cybersecurity.
Even if your company only has a simple website or an internal communication system, hiring educated cybersecurity specialists like those at Detox Technologies can ensure that you save money by avoiding hefty fines, data breaches, and client loss.
The cost of penetration testing is one of the factors you may be considering. One of the most difficult aspects of running any business is establishing the cost-to-value ratio whether making purchases, hiring people, installing software, or purchasing new gear.
Questions to Consider
You must prioritise projects or purchases in your business based on their worth and timeliness. It might be difficult to explain prices or determine whether a costly service is worth the purchase once you’ve concluded that putting in place a robust cybersecurity team is vital to your company’s success.
Before you explore a few questions to ask when calculating cost-to-value ratios, it’s critical to understand why information security for small businesses, or network security for large firms, is a purchase you can justify. Detox Technologies offers a team dedicated to solving any problem, regardless of how big or little your company is.
When considering penetration testing charges, or any other business expense, ask yourself the following questions:
- How much money would I lose if I didn’t put this system in place? Customer trust, money, and certifications are examples of potential losses. Some purchases, such as conducting regular penetration tests, may be required to meet HIPAA, PCI DSS, or NIST certification standards.
- Will the penetration testing I pay a low amount for match the quality of excellence I’m searching for? Everyone wants to save money, but cutting corners could result in costly mistakes or additional charges that cost more than the initial process.
- Does a high price tag imply that I will receive superior service? Certainly not. Take into account what the service comprises. Questions like, “What is the scope of your service?” should be followed up with. Do you offer any guarantees?
- Has the company been providing these services for a long time? As a company running a penetration test might demonstrate their capacity to do it more quickly and efficiently, time can naturally affect the pricing of a service.
Finding Goldilocks’ ideal bowl of porridge isn’t easy; an intruding family of bears may break into your computer system before you’ve properly defended yourself, and the cost of penetration testing is the last thing on your mind.
Take a look at what penetration testing is and the various potential aspects of the procedure before going into the expenses.
What is a Penetration Test?
A penetration test, sometimes known as a “Pen Test,” is a simulated attack used to assess the security of your computer system. A group of qualified professionals will conduct a series of attacks against your system, examining both its strengths and weaknesses. To properly examine the security of your computer system, they will use a number of penetration testing techniques.
Types of Penetration Tests
Pen tests come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Internal and external testing, including covert, black box, white box, grey box, and grey box testing. Depending on the outcome you want, keep in mind that this test will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses in your computer system; each sort of exam will give you a different perspective on your system. If you work for a major corporation, you may have an internal team that does penetration tests. If you’re a smaller company, you may need to hire a service and have an outside team come in to conduct a pen test. Having an external team, even if you have the IT expertise to conduct a pen test, maybe worthwhile because an outsider’s perspective on your computer system may reveal faults that your own team may overlook.
While having a pen test performed by an internal team is a less expensive option, they may be oblivious to vulnerabilities because they built the system in the first place. Furthermore, an external team may have specialised hacking or testing expertise that your internal team lacks. Alternatively, they may have established systems that run more thorough pen tests than your own team.
White Box Penetration Test
A white box pen test supplies the hacker with system and background information. The hacker knows exactly what to test since he or she has a clear scope of the test, possibly a list of possible weaknesses, and particular areas that require improvement.
Black Box Penetration Test
The hacker receives little to no information from a black box pen test. A “blind test” is a term used to describe this type of test. The hacker will be instructed to do his best to infiltrate the present system and note its strengths and flaws.
Gray Box Penetration Test
A gray box pen test combines black and white pen tests to provide more information than a black box test while delivering less information than a white box test.
External Penetration Test
In an external pen test, the hacker must launch his assault on a computer system that is physically separated from the building or site where it is located. He might use apps, websites, or external servers to accomplish this. This enables you to better assess the potential impact of malicious hackers on your business amid random security breaches or large-scale, global, remote incidents.
Internal Penetration Test
The hacker is allowed access to the building and particular permissions to the computer system during an internal pen test. You can assess your company’s ability to prevent internal security breaches caused by a disgruntled or careless employee. This test can be used to assess a system’s capacity to preserve order when one or more of its components are compromised.
Which Type of Penetration Test Should I Choose?
Web penetration testing is incredibly important and helps verify that your cybersecurity initiatives are effective, regardless of the sort of pen test you choose. This is especially true when there are so many computers connected by a single huge network. Because applications and devices that share a single system might be exploited from the weakest point, comprehensive testing is essential.
A free consultation with a cybersecurity expert from Detox Technologies may be beneficial in determining what type of penetration test is ideal for your firm. Being upfront and honest about your system’s potential limitations is similar to telling a therapist about all of your fears, future aspirations, and strengths; all of these small facts create a comprehensive perspective on the tools utilised to help your business develop.
Penetration Testing Cost
You might merely want to know how much it will cost to conduct a pen test at this stage. To make an informed decision on the cost of penetration testing, you must first understand what it is and the many types of penetration testing available. As annoying as the response “it depends” may sound, penetration testing charges are determined by a number of factors.
The cost of penetration testing can range from $500 to $100,000. A high-quality, professional pen test might cost anything from $1000-$30,000. Many of these expenses are influenced by factors such as:
- Size: A smaller, less sophisticated company will undoubtedly cost less than a large corporation.
- Complexity: A pen test will cost more if a hacker has to test more applications, devices, and systems. Companies with mobile apps, internal and external servers, and other complicated computer systems will have to boost their budgets for penetration testing. The complexity of the test is determined by the number of networks, applications, IP addresses, parties, facilities, and other factors.
- Scope: The scope of the test you want to run is closely related to complexity. You may be particularly concerned about certain aspects and want the cybersecurity specialist to spend more time testing them. Having a clear scope is still a good criteria to set before a test to guarantee that costs don’t spiral out of control.
- Methodology: This can increase the cost of a pen test depending on the tools and procedures used by a hacker. However, a more expensive tool or a slower process can be an effective strategy to get better results. For the first time you do a pen test, a more thorough test may be beneficial.
- Experience: A cybersecurity expert with more experience will be more expensive than one with fewer years of experience. Consider the previous pricing criteria when deciding whether to hire a more or less experienced cybersecurity professional. If you have a tiny business with a modest network system, you might want to hire a less expensive, less experienced individual to conduct the test.
- External/Internal Testing: While the majority of penetration testing in network security assessments is done offshore, the cost of penetration testing can rise if you need an onsite or interior test. This is especially true if you opt to use a company that is located outside of your state and must include travel and accommodation expenses.
- Remediation: Finally, and probably most significantly, would the cybersecurity expert simply deliver a report with no additional recommendations for action? The penetration testing expense may not be worth your money or effort if the professional simply gives the test results without demonstrating how to improve your system or prevent breaches; this is especially true if you do not have a strong or present internal cybersecurity team. When calculating prices, consider whether the provider will provide remediation services or a retest after you adopt suggestions/feedback.
What to look for in a pentesting service/solution provider?
Consider the following factors when selecting a reputable third-party penetration testing service provider:
- Customer reviews
- Security person’s accreditations
- Detailed plans and methodology
- Vulnerability management dashboard
- Retesting after remediation facilities
- Warranty possibilities
- Certifications
- Turn around time
- Team and communication, are among the very first things.
- Besides, you can also ask for a case study, known companies they worked with, customer reviews & testimonials, etc.
Conclusion
With all of these considerations in mind, the conclusion is that penetration testing is well worth the investment. If penetration testing appears to be expensive, keep in mind that the cost of a data breach is much, much higher. Furthermore, most customers will cut ties with a company that has had a data breach, thinking that they will no longer be able to conduct business securely. To begin defending your application, network, and system security, schedule a free consultation now.