Imagine your client's business is a fortress. External pen testing is like hiring a team of security experts to check every door, window, and crack in the outer walls to find a way inside. It's a simulated cyberattack focused on their internet-facing systems, such as websites, servers, and cloud applications.
This isn't just about running an automated scanner and checking a box. A proper external pentest is a manual, human-led effort to not only find security weaknesses but to try and exploit them, just like a real attacker would. For MSPs, vCISOs, and GRC companies, this is the only way to get a true risk assessment of a client's security.
Of course, a locked front door doesn't mean much if the back door is wide open. While this guide is about external threats, a complete security strategy must also consider what happens if an attacker is already inside.
Choosing an Affordable Penetration Testing Partner
As an MSP or vCISO, you know you need to offer security services. Picking the wrong penetration testing partner, however, can hurt your margins and, even worse, your reputation. The industry has a problem: many security firms have inflated prices and long lead times, making it tough to serve your clients well.
A single test can easily cost between $5,000 to $20,000, which is a difficult price for many clients to approve. This is why we built our channel-only model. We never compete with you; we are a reseller partner here to make you look like the hero.
Our focus is on delivering affordable, fast, and thorough manual pentesting. All our work is performed by certified experts holding top certifications like OSCP, CEH, and CREST. This approach makes us the perfect white label pentesting partner for your business. To better understand these costs, check out our guide on how much a penetration test costs.
What Are the Phases of an External Pentest?
An external penetration test isn't a mystery. It's a structured, methodical process that we’ve broken down into four clear phases. You can trust the process because you will understand exactly what our pentesters are doing every step of the way.
Think of it like a professional crew scouting a building before a heist, but for the good guys. It all starts with careful planning and ends with a clear, actionable report. You won't get confusing data dumps, just straightforward results you can use to make your clients safer. Let's walk through what each of those phases looks like.
To give you a clearer picture, here’s a breakdown of our entire process from start to finish. This is the same framework our certified pentesters follow for every engagement, ensuring nothing is missed.
This structured approach is what separates a true manual pentest from a simple scan. It’s thorough, methodical, and designed to uncover critical risks that automated tools almost always miss. You can dig deeper into how to perform penetration testing in our detailed guide.
As you can see, our process is built to deliver maximum value for our MSP partners. It’s all about providing affordable, fast, and high-quality results at every single step.
How External Pen Testing Meets Compliance Needs
For your clients, compliance isn't just a suggestion it's a requirement. Frameworks like SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and ISO 27001 often require regular security testing. An external pen testing engagement is the most direct way to check that box and satisfy auditors.
This testing gives auditors exactly what they’re looking for: proof that your clients are actively finding and fixing security holes. Suddenly, a complex audit becomes a much simpler conversation.
This isn't a niche activity. In regulated industries like finance and healthcare, adoption rates for this kind of testing are already over 70%. These sectors face strict mandates and huge penalties for breaches, making proactive security essential.
When you partner with us, you can confidently guide your clients through these requirements. You're not just selling a service; you're providing them with proof that they've done their due diligence. If you need a refresher on the basics, check out our guide on what is penetration testing.
The Growing Business Opportunity for MSPs
If you're an MSP or vCISO, adding penetration testing to your services is a massive business opportunity. The market is growing quickly because of increasing cyber threats and tougher compliance rules hitting your clients from all sides. This creates a huge demand for the kind of real-world risk assessment that only manual pentesting can deliver.
Let's look at the numbers. The global market was valued at $2.35 billion and is expected to nearly double to $4.83 billion by 2030. (Mordor Intelligence has some great insights on this growth).
We built our channel-only model so you can meet this demand without the headache and high cost of building your own pentesting team. It’s a straightforward way to give your clients the external pen testing they need and are already looking for.
Think of us as a natural extension of your team. We handle the heavy lifting of external pen testing so you can focus on building strong client relationships and growing your business.
Ready to see how it works? Reach out today to learn more about our white label pentesting program and get a quote for your next client project.
Your Top External Pen Testing Questions Answered
If you're an MSP or vCISO, we know you have questions about adding external pen testing to your services. Let's tackle the big ones.
A vulnerability scan is an automated tool that looks for known issues. It’s a good starting point, but it's noisy and can't think creatively. A true manual penetration test is completely different. A certified human expert actively tries to break into a system, using creativity to find complex flaws that scanners will always miss.
Scoping a project correctly is key to getting accurate, affordable pricing. The cost depends on the size and complexity of the environment we're testing. We look at the number of IP addresses, the size of web applications, and the overall complexity to provide a clear and transparent price with no surprises.
Our white label pentesting process is simple. It's designed to protect your most important asset: your client relationship. We do the work behind the scenes and deliver a comprehensive report that you can brand as your own. Your client sees you as the hero providing a top-tier security solution.
Ready to give your clients the high-end, affordable security they need?
Contact MSP Pentesting today. Let's talk about how our channel-only partnership can help you grow your business and lock down your clients. Learn more at https://msppenting.com.
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