A one-size-fits-all approach never works when it comes to penetration testing. If a company is offering a standard solution, which they run on all companies, then you should definitely look elsewhere. 

When it comes to this type of security testing, not only do the professionals need to get to know your company and develop their strategy around that. But, before this even comes into consideration, there are actually a number of different types of penetration testing. 

Most companies will start off with an external network penetration test. This will essentially evaluate your systems that are Internet accessible in the same way that an attack would. There would be a scan using a vulnerability scanner, such as the one by Netsparker. You then have the likes of a wireless pen test, social engineering, web application security assessments and international network penetration tests to choose from as well. 

Social engineering involves using deceptive phone calls, emails and even physical entry to gain access to your systems. Web application security assessments are a review of your custom web application code, which finds any security vulnerabilities, such as cross-site scripting, SQL injection and access control issues. Internal network pen testing is a penetration test of your internal corporate network. An insider threat assessment is one of the most common features of an internal penetration test. Finally, wireless pen tests involved a detailed security assessment of wireless networks. The options are endless and they can all be adapted to suit the bespoke demands of the client.

Next we move onto the subject of penetration testing cost, which is a difficult topic. You can’t really say a pen test should cost ‘x’ amount. Why? Well, every business is different. Companies differ in terms of size, requirements and the systems they have in place. 

If your security system is not very effective, then the company you hire may need to spend an extortionate amount of time and resources when it comes to identifying the abundance of vulnerabilities and advising on how to resolve them. Therefore, you may be charged a higher amount than another company. 

When it comes to penetration testing cost, the best thing to do is ask for a quote from the outset, so you can establish a price range. However, don’t go for a business that charges all of their clients they same amount, as this indicates that they operate a one-size-fits-all approach. This is never advised when it comes to net security. You could end up experiencing a poor quality service as a result. 

Remember, the cost to your business is going to be much more if you are victim to a cyber attack than the cost of actually paying for a quality penetrating testing service. Never choose a company based on price alone. This should be the final determining factor.