Security Guide

How to choose a pentest provider

A strong pentest delivers reliable technical insights, clear priorities, and actionable recommendations. This guide shows how to recognize quality - and how to compare providers without trusting marketing promises.

Quick summary

How to recognize quality (experience)

In practice, providers differ less in promises and more in the actual depth of analysis:

• Findings are reproducible, prioritized, and technically backed
• Scope, assumptions, and exclusions are clearly documented
• There is a clearly named lead tester with accountability
• Communication is proactive, not only reactive

From the field: proposal comparisons

In real-world proposal comparisons, the same patterns keep showing up:

• identical scope, but massive differences in depth and time allocation
• same tooling - yet very different levels of manual analysis
• reports that are technically correct but operationally unusable
• certifications present, but no clear technical accountability

A low price or well-known logos say little about actual quality.

Methodology and approach (expertise)

A reputable pentest follows a traceable methodology:

• joint scoping incl. target systems, exclusions, and risks
• rules of engagement and defined communication paths
• manual testing complements automated checks
• evidence (PoC) for every finding

Many professional providers align with established guides such as the OWASP Testing Guide, PTES, or NIST SP 800-115.

Competence and experience

Certifications are useful - but not the only decisive factor. Look for:

• relevant technical certifications (e.g., OSCP, OSCE/OSWE, GXPN, GPEN)
• incident response and forensics experience (e.g., GCIH, GCFA, GREM)
• management and GRC competence (e.g., CISSP, CISM, CRISC)

• quality assurance at the ISMS level (e.g., ISO 27001 Lead Implementer/Auditor)

More important than acronyms is proven project experience.

Report quality and value

A good pentest report is usable:

• clear prioritization (technical and business-relevant)
• reproducible steps and concrete fix recommendations
• clean separation of findings, hypotheses, and observations

Legal and compliance

A professional provider defines clear boundaries:

• NDA, data processing, and privacy
• clear handling of sensitive data and logs
• defined rules for testing in production environments

Process and communication

Pentests are collaborative:

• kickoff and interim calls for critical findings
• clear point of contact and defined escalation paths
• optional: retest to verify fixes

Price vs. value

The cheapest provider is rarely the best:

• price depends heavily on scope and depth
• less time usually means less analysis
• ”all-inclusive” without clear boundaries is a risk

Red flags (trust)

• no clear scoping, no rules of engagement
• no PoCs, scanner output only
• no clear technical accountability
• deflecting questions about methodology or report samples

Comparing pentest providers (quick view)

Selection checklist

• Is there a clear scope and RoE?
• Who leads the test technically?
• What does a sample report look like?
• How are critical findings handled?
• Is a retest possible?

Conclusion

A strong pentest provider delivers not just findings, but reliable decision inputs.
If methodology, experience, and communication are solid, you should compare providers by quality and value - not by price.

This guide was created by security engineers with experience on both the client and provider side, as well as in pentest and incident response engagements. It is deliberately vendor-neutral and does not replace individual legal advice.