Penetration Testing In Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach

Protecting your clients and enabling compliance are two of the key reasons often cited as benefits of vulnerability testing. Keep your business safe by proactive plugging any security leaks!  

While you know that your company is under attack on a daily basis, you might not realize the full spectrum of vulnerabilities that you should be investigating. Working with a vulnerability testing firm allows you to uncover any unexpected issues and schedule remediations — effectively reducing the avenues available for hackers to enter your business systems. The world of cybersecurity is increasingly complex and requires extensive research and regular deep dives into your network and infrastructure security to ensure you are not overlooking anywhere that your systems may be susceptible to attack. With regular penetration testing, you can manage risk and be more confident in the cybersecurity posture of your organization as well as providing your vendors and customers with added peace of mind when doing business with your organization.

How is a Vulnerability Scan Different from a Penetration Test?

The terms vulnerability assessment and penetration testing are often used interchangeably, penetration testing takes assessing your vulnerabilities to a deeper level to uncover true weaknesses in your security net. Vulnerability scans or assessments often utilize automated networking security scanning tools, and the output of the scan is an ordered list of recommended actions to take for remediation. With a full-scale penetration test, a white hat hacker will do their very best to break into your organization’s systems in any way possible — all in an effort to batten down the hatches and keep the bad guys out if they come knocking. Penetration tests are actual exploits of your system, with the expected outcome that the pen tester will be able to break through the walls and either install malicious software on your system or completely take down a server. With both types of security testing, the ultimate deliverable from your IT services testing or assessment partner should be an actionable and well-defined list of prioritized recommendations that will help bring your organization back into compliance and add a degree of safety.

How Often Do I Need to Perform Penetration Testing?

While the more automated vulnerability scans can safely be scheduled on a quarterly basis, penetration testing has a much broader scope and is often recommended on an annual basis. This type of testing requires a high level of expertise, and should only be performed by a trained professional. Many organizations will only work with external contractors or consultants to perform testing, as this provides an added layer of oversight for internal IT staff and can help identify anything that internal staff might have overlooked in their regular security reviews.

The costs associated with network or IT downtime are astronomical and continue to rise, topping $5,600 per minute according to Gartner. Whether your organization is storing sensitive patient data or simply wants to ensure that your order management platform is safe and secure, regular penetration testing is considered a valuable component of a proactive cybersecurity strategy. Contact the professionals at ECW Network & IT Solutions at {phone} for more information on penetration testing or cybersecurity. You can always fill out our quick online form, and our local South Florida security experts will be in contact to help you understand the various options available and to get started with a penetration testing schedule.