Understand what each cybersecurity service involves, what it costs, and how to evaluate providers.
These guides help you understand what each cybersecurity service involves, what it costs, and how to evaluate providers. Written for business leaders and IT directors who are buying these services for the first time or looking to improve their vendor selection process.
An external pen test simulates an attacker on the internet trying to break into your publicly accessible systems. Testers probe your firewalls, web servers, email servers, VPNs, and cloud infrastructure for weaknesses that could allow unauthorized access.
$5,000 to $30,000 for most small and midsize businesses. Enterprise environments with hundreds of external IPs can exceed $50,000.
An internal pen test simulates a threat actor who already has a foothold inside your network. This could be a malicious employee, a compromised workstation, or an attacker who bypassed perimeter defenses. Testers attempt to escalate privileges, move laterally, and access sensitive data.
$10,000 to $40,000 depending on network size and complexity. Active Directory environments with multiple domains are on the higher end.
A web app pen test targets your custom applications, APIs, and web portals. Testers look for vulnerabilities like SQL injection, authentication bypasses, access control flaws, and business logic errors that automated scanners routinely miss.
$8,000 to $50,000 per application. APIs with extensive endpoints and multi-role SaaS platforms are at the higher end. Simple informational sites are at the lower end.
Compliance testing evaluates whether your security controls meet the requirements of a specific regulatory framework. This is not the same as a pen test. It is a structured assessment against a checklist of controls, often required for certification or regulatory reporting.
$10,000 to $100,000+ depending on framework and scope. PCI DSS SAQ validation might be $10,000 to $25,000. Full SOC 2 audits range from $20,000 to $80,000. ISO 27001 certification from $15,000 to $50,000.
A cloud security assessment reviews your AWS, Azure, or GCP environment for misconfigurations, excessive permissions, insecure defaults, and architecture weaknesses. Cloud environments are complex and fast-moving, making them a frequent source of data breaches.
$10,000 to $40,000 for most assessments. Multi-cloud or very large environments (50+ accounts) can exceed $60,000.
A vCISO is a fractional Chief Information Security Officer who provides strategic security leadership on a part-time or retainer basis. They help you build a security program, manage compliance, respond to board-level questions, and make risk decisions without the cost of a full-time executive.
$3,000 to $15,000 per month depending on hours and seniority. Some providers offer project-based pricing for initial program development ($20,000 to $50,000).
Incident response services help you contain, investigate, and recover from an active security breach. This includes identifying what happened, stopping the attacker, preserving forensic evidence, understanding the impact, and helping you return to normal operations.
$25,000 to $200,000+ depending on severity and duration. Many IR firms offer retainer agreements ($5,000 to $15,000/month) that guarantee response times and reduce hourly rates during an incident. Hourly rates without a retainer range from $300 to $600/hour.