CREST-Accredited or Standard — Testing Scoped to Your Needs
Our ethical hackers test your systems the way a real attacker would — manually, methodically and safely — so you know exactly where you stand.
Choose a CREST-accredited engagement when compliance, insurers or clients demand it, or a standard penetration test when you simply want honest answers at a lower cost.
Every engagement ends with a plain-English report — risk-ranked findings, proof of exploitation and step-by-step remediation guidance your team can actually action.
We provide penetration testing services designed for small and medium-sized businesses that need genuine security assurance without enterprise-level complexity or cost. Whether you need an external infrastructure test, a web application assessment or a full CREST-accredited engagement for compliance, our flexible scoping delivers exactly the level of testing your business, your insurers and your clients require.
External and internal infrastructure penetration testing covering your internet-facing systems, firewalls, VPNs, servers and internal networks. We identify exposed services, misconfigurations, weak credentials and privilege escalation paths — then demonstrate the real-world impact of each finding so you can prioritise remediation with confidence.
Web application, API and cloud penetration testing aligned to the OWASP methodology. We test authentication, access control, injection flaws, business logic and your Microsoft 365 and Azure configuration — the platforms where most modern UK businesses actually keep their data and where most modern breaches begin.
We scope every penetration test around your actual risk — not a one-size-fits-all package. As a managed IT provider, we understand SMB environments inside out: Microsoft 365 tenants, hybrid networks, remote workers and the real-world constraints of a growing business.
You choose the level of accreditation you need. When a contract, insurer or framework requires CREST-accredited testing, we deliver a fully accredited engagement. When you simply want to know where your weaknesses are, our standard penetration testing gives you the same rigour at a more accessible price point.
Our reports are written for two audiences at once: a management summary your board can read in five minutes, and detailed technical findings with reproduction steps and remediation guidance for whoever fixes them.
Unlike test-and-disappear firms, we can also fix what we find. Our engineers can remediate the findings, harden your environment and retest to verify closure — one accountable partner from first scope to clean report.
Whilst under our wing, a dedicated account manager is allocated to you — so scoping, scheduling, reporting and remediation are coordinated by one person who knows your business.
Understanding the difference between automated vulnerability scanning and a real penetration test — and what CREST accreditation actually means.
A penetration test is a controlled, authorised attack on your systems carried out by skilled ethical hackers. Where an automated scanner lists possible weaknesses, a penetration tester chains them together, exploits them safely and shows you the genuine business impact — what an attacker could actually reach, read or take.
CREST is the internationally recognised accreditation body for penetration testing. A CREST-accredited test is often required by regulated industries, enterprise clients, insurers and frameworks. If nothing mandates it, a standard penetration test delivers the same methodology and reporting quality at a lower cost — we'll advise honestly on which you actually need.
Any business that holds customer data, takes payments, bids for contracts or carries cyber insurance. Penetration testing is no longer an enterprise-only exercise — supplier questionnaires and insurance renewals now routinely ask UK SMBs for evidence of independent security testing.
From initial scoping to verified remediation — a clear, structured process with no disruption to your business.
We discuss what you need tested and why — compliance requirement, client demand or peace of mind. You receive a fixed-price proposal defining scope, methodology, accreditation level and timescales. No open-ended billing.
Testing runs in an agreed window with full authorisation in place. Our testers work carefully and safely — critical findings are flagged to you immediately, not saved for the report, and your systems stay operational throughout.
You receive your full report with risk-ranked findings, evidence and remediation guidance, followed by a debrief call where we walk your team through what we found, what matters most and what to fix first.
Fix the findings with your own team or ours, then we retest to verify closure and issue an updated report — clean evidence of your security posture for clients, insurers and auditors.
Every engagement is quoted as a fixed price after a short scoping call. Already certified with Cyber Essentials Plus? A penetration test is the natural next step to validate your controls against a real-world attack.
Manual-Led Testing on Every Engagement
Industries Served
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From CREST accreditation to costs and compliance — what UK businesses need to know before booking a pen test.
Penetration testing is no longer an enterprise-only exercise. UK small businesses are now routinely asked for evidence of security testing by enterprise clients, cyber insurers and supplier questionnaires. Our penetration testing services are scoped and priced for SMBs — a focused external test for a small office environment costs a fraction of an enterprise engagement, and pairs naturally with our Cyber Essentials Plus certification and managed IT support to give you a complete security story.
CREST is the internationally recognised accreditation body for the technical security industry. A CREST penetration test is carried out under accredited methodologies by certified testers — often mandated by regulated industries, government supply chains, enterprise procurement and some cyber insurance policies. If nothing in your contracts or compliance obligations requires CREST, a standard penetration test delivers the same practical findings at a lower cost. We offer both and will tell you honestly which one you need.
If your business runs a customer portal, e-commerce site or web application, web application penetration testing is where to start — web apps are the most commonly attacked asset class for SMBs. Our OWASP-aligned testing covers authentication, access control, injection, session handling and business logic flaws, testing both what an anonymous attacker and a malicious logged-in user could achieve.
Penetration testing cost in the UK depends on scope: the number of external IP addresses, applications, internal hosts and whether CREST accreditation is required. Rather than publishing a misleading one-size-fits-all price, we scope every engagement in a short call and quote a fixed price — no day-rate creep, no surprise extras. For most SMB engagements the investment is comparable to a single month of what a breach-related outage would cost.
ISO 27001, PCI DSS, government frameworks and an increasing number of cyber insurance policies expect regular penetration testing. Our compliance-ready reports are structured to satisfy auditors and insurers, and our verification retest gives you documented evidence that findings were remediated — the piece most auditors actually ask for. Combined with Cyber Essentials Plus, an annual pen test forms the backbone of a credible SMB security programme.
External penetration testing assesses what an attacker on the internet can reach — your firewalls, VPNs and exposed services. Internal penetration testing assumes the attacker is already inside, via a phished user or compromised laptop, and tests how far they can go: privilege escalation, lateral movement and access to your most sensitive data. Mature security programmes need both; if you're starting out, external testing is the priority and we'll help you build from there.
Penetration testing works best alongside certification, monitoring and resilient backups. These services complete the picture.
Government-backed certification that proves your baseline controls — the natural companion to an annual penetration test.
Proactive monitoring, patching and EDR endpoint protection — the day-to-day defence that keeps pen test findings from reappearing.
Encrypted, immutable backups and disaster recovery — your safety net if the worst happens despite every control.
Strategic technology leadership to turn pen test findings into a prioritised, budgeted security roadmap.
Segmented, centrally managed networks that close many of the internal-network findings a pen test typically uncovers.
Free calculators and assessments — including cybersecurity self-assessments — to benchmark where you stand today.
Common questions about our penetration testing services for UK businesses. If you need more detail, get in touch and we'll be happy to help.
Penetration testing cost depends entirely on scope — the number of external IPs, applications, internal hosts and whether CREST accreditation is required. A focused external test for a small business sits at the accessible end of the market, while a full CREST-accredited infrastructure and application engagement costs more. We quote every engagement as a fixed price after a short scoping call, so you know the exact cost before anything begins.
Only sometimes. CREST accreditation is typically required when a compliance framework, government contract, enterprise client or cyber insurance policy specifically mandates it. If none of those apply, a standard penetration test gives you the same practical security value at a lower cost. During scoping we'll ask what's driving the test and advise honestly — we offer both, so we have no incentive to oversell the accredited option.
Annually is the accepted baseline for most UK businesses, and many compliance frameworks and insurers expect it. You should also test after significant changes — a new web application, an office move, a cloud migration or a major infrastructure change. Between annual tests, continuous vulnerability scanning through our managed IT support keeps watch for newly disclosed weaknesses.
A vulnerability scan is an automated tool that lists potential weaknesses — useful, but full of false positives and blind to context. A penetration test is performed by skilled ethical hackers who verify findings, chain weaknesses together and safely demonstrate real business impact. Scanners can't test business logic, chained attacks or social engineering. We use scanning as one input to a test, never as a substitute for it.
No. Testing is carefully controlled and carried out within an agreed window under full authorisation. Our testers avoid denial-of-service techniques, coordinate with your team throughout and flag anything critical immediately rather than waiting for the report. Your systems and your staff carry on working as normal — most clients don't notice testing is happening at all.
A full written report containing a plain-English management summary, risk-ranked technical findings with evidence and reproduction steps, and prioritised remediation guidance. We then walk your team through everything on a debrief call. If you take the verification retest, you also receive an updated report evidencing that findings were fixed — the document clients, insurers and auditors actually want to see.
Cyber Essentials Plus includes hands-on technical verification of your controls, but it is not a full penetration test — it checks a defined baseline rather than actively attacking your systems. The two are complementary: Cyber Essentials Plus proves your foundations are in place, and a penetration test validates them against real-world attack techniques. Many of our clients run both on an annual cycle.
Yes — and this is where we differ from test-only security firms. As a managed IT provider, our engineers can remediate the findings directly: patching, reconfiguration, Microsoft 365 hardening, network segmentation and more. We then retest to verify every issue is closed. One accountable partner from first scoping call to clean final report, with no finger-pointing between your tester and your IT provider.
No obligation, no jargon, no day-rate surprises
Tell us what's driving the test — a client request, an insurance renewal or simple peace of mind — and we'll recommend the right scope and accreditation level for your business.
Submit your details and one of our friendly team members will be in touch with you shortly
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