Why Backups Don’t Keep Your Business Running
Backups protect your data. Redundancy keeps your business running. They are not the same thing.
June 29, 2026
Penetration testing is a proactive cybersecurity service designed to identify weaknesses in your systems before they can be exploited by cybercriminals.
Often referred to as a penetration test, this process answers a critical question for many organisations: what is penetration testing, and how secure is our business?
By simulating real-world attacks across your network, web applications, or software, penetration testing provides a clear, practical view of your current security posture and highlights where improvements are needed to protect sensitive data, systems, and operations.
As cyber threats become more sophisticated and data breaches increasingly common, penetration testing services are more important than ever. Many organisations do not realise vulnerabilities exist until an incident occurs.
Understanding what a penetration test is and conducting one regularly helps businesses stay ahead of evolving threats, reduce risk, and demonstrate a strong commitment to security, compliance, and resilience.
From standard penetration tests to more advanced assessments, proactive testing supports long-term business continuity and confidence.
Stay informed with clear notifications at the start and end of your test, so you always know what is happening.
Receive detailed, easy-to-understand reports that explain findings, compare your security against industry benchmarks, and help track improvements.
Gain insight into attacker behaviour during a network penetration test, track all activities performed, and refine your security controls for faster threat detection and response.
Using Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and proven penetration testing tools, we simulate attacks from an external perspective. This network penetration test highlights how exposed your organisation is to real-world threats targeting internet-facing systems and infrastructure.
Our internal assessments uncover weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious insiders or attackers who have already gained access. This helps you understand potential impact, privilege escalation risks, and lateral movement within your environment.
Where required, we also conduct web application penetration testing and software penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities in custom-built or third-party applications that could be exploited to gain unauthorised access or compromise data.
Any company that holds valuable or sensitive data should regularly conduct penetration testing across its systems to maintain high security and protect its data from breaches.
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Penetration testing is a controlled cybersecurity assessment that simulates real-world cyber attacks to identify weaknesses in your systems, networks, applications or infrastructure. Unlike automated vulnerability scans, penetration testing is carried out by experienced security professionals who actively attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in the same way a malicious attacker would. The findings help you understand your security risks and prioritise the improvements that will have the biggest impact.
Most organisations should carry out penetration testing at least once a year. However, additional testing is recommended whenever significant changes are made to your infrastructure, such as launching a new website, migrating systems to the cloud, implementing new software, or following a major security incident. Businesses operating in highly regulated industries may require more frequent testing to maintain compliance.
A network penetration test evaluates the security of your internal or external network infrastructure. It assesses firewalls, servers, routers, wireless networks, user permissions and other connected systems to identify vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorised access. The assessment helps uncover weaknesses before they become an opportunity for attackers.
A vulnerability scan is an automated process that identifies known security weaknesses, whereas a penetration test goes much further by attempting to exploit those weaknesses to determine the real level of risk. Penetration testing provides deeper insight into how vulnerabilities could be chained together, the potential business impact and the most effective remediation steps.
Yes. We provide web application penetration testing to assess websites, customer portals, web applications and cloud-based platforms for security vulnerabilities. Our testing helps identify issues such as authentication weaknesses, insecure configurations, input validation flaws and other vulnerabilities that could expose sensitive business or customer data.
Absolutely. Our software penetration testing services are suitable for both bespoke applications and third-party software. We assess how securely your applications have been developed and identify vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to gain unauthorised access, manipulate data or disrupt business operations.
Following your penetration test, you’ll receive a comprehensive report detailing every vulnerability identified, its severity, the potential business impact and practical recommendations for remediation. We explain our findings in clear, non-technical language where appropriate, allowing both technical teams and business leaders to understand the risks and prioritise improvements.
Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) combines regular penetration testing with ongoing access to security experts and reporting. Rather than relying on a single annual assessment, PTaaS provides continuous visibility into your security posture, making it easier to identify new vulnerabilities as your systems evolve and helping you stay ahead of emerging cyber threats.
Affirm IT provides professional penetration testing services for organisations throughout Derbyshire and the surrounding areas. We combine experienced security specialists, recognised testing methodologies and clear, actionable reporting to help businesses strengthen their cyber security with confidence. Whether you need a one-off standard penetration test or ongoing penetration testing as a service, we tailor our approach to your business, systems and objectives.
If you’re looking for reliable Penetration Testing in Derbyshire, we’re here to help.
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Backups protect your data. Redundancy keeps your business running. They are not the same thing.
For manufacturing businesses, IT is no longer simply about fixing computers when something goes wrong. Technology now underpins almost every part of the operation, from ERP systems and production equipment to inventory management, communications, cybersecurity, and business continuity. In fact, according to IT Pro, 78% of UK manufacturers experienced a cybersecurity incident in the last 12 months, with 53% reporting revenue loss as a result. As a result, when it comes to IT for manufacturing, the manufacturers may find themselves asking an important question: Should industrial IT services be outsourced, managed internally, or a combination of both? For manufacturers with
The question isn’t outsourced vs internal IT—it’s whether your current setup gives you enough resilience and capacity to grow.
