4 Reasons Pen Testing Should Be In Your Cybersecurity Plan

Businesses today are abandoning traditional brick-and-mortar stores in favor of more modern digital e-commerce websites.

The advantages of this transition are vast and varied, and it’s a smart move in terms of expanding your reach and increasing your profile.

Of course, not everything related to digitizing your business is good news. While it’s relatively easy to defend traditional stores from theft using vaults and security guards, the reverse is true regarding e-commerce websites.

Hackers in the online world don’t have to leave the comfort of their homes to steal money and private information from their accounts.

In fact, because of the Internet’s borderless quality, even if you manage to identify them, it’s almost impossible to jail them because they could be living on another continent.

No one is immune to online hacking, even major companies. You’ll hear of another famous corporation getting in hot water almost every month because of system leaks and infiltrations.

So what should an entrepreneur like you do? Give up?

Of course not, but neither should you be complacent. Beefing up your security system is of prime importance, and the best way to do this is through penetration testing.

Here are 4 key reasons why pen testing should be part of your cybersecurity plan.

Reason 1: Think like a criminal to prevent a crime

Penetration testing is an ethical way of hacking into your online security system. A hired engineer or a specialized penetration testing company will attempt to break into your e-commerce website using various methods and sources.

The intention is not to steal data, of course, but rather to expose flaws and vulnerabilities. If a breach is successful, it will not only reveal the problem but also shed light on possible solutions so that your cybersecurity becomes more robust.

Therefore, penetration testing is controlled testing of criminal activities on your store to bolster it so that when the real criminals come, their methods are already rendered invalid.

So if you want to improve the security of your small business, penetration testing is one of the best ways to go about it.

Reason 2: Save your money and your reputation

In the past three years, a study has indicated that a business recovering from a security breach costs a little less than $4 million. This means each company has had to spend that much cash just to get back on track.

Of course, it depends on how small or large your e-commerce empire is, but regardless of where you are along the totem pole, you’ll need to protect your assets if you want to have the chance of climbing up the ranks.

It’s hard enough to save money and grow your business organically – succumbing to a hacking attack is a headache you can’t risk.

Moreover, in this highly public world where everyone posts photos of what they had for breakfast, a significant break-in would become news within minutes.

Your reputation will not survive if your customers discover that their credit card or private details are unsafe in your company’s hands, and your business will soon go belly up.

Penetration testing prevents this calamity from occurring for a fraction of the cost.

Reason 3: Exude confidence by complying with standards

Governments mandate that every online business complies with certain cybersecurity standards in some parts of the world.

Even if you’re living in a part of the globe that doesn’t have these regulations, you’ll still benefit from the heightened defense that your website will demonstrate.

This is one of the reasons why understanding the concerns of online payments is crucial for your business.

Customers love feeling safe. No one ever goes to a store built on the wrong side of town where robberies are common. On the other hand, they will become loyal clients if you can prove that they can trust you with their money and data.

When penetration testing has been successfully implemented on your website, you are often given a badge or certificate from the governing body or the penetration testing service involved to prove your regulations’ fulfillment.

This badge or certificate can be displayed on your landing page to assuage your clients’ fears.

Never underestimate how a professionally certified website can induce more business. Your visitors will skyrocket once they realize you’ve put that much effort into making their shopping experience as safe as possible.

Reason 4: Build a durable business that will stand the test of time

You are in this for the long run; otherwise, you wouldn’t even dream of starting an e-commerce website. It is therefore incumbent upon you to build your business on a solid foundation, and that includes security.

Having a basic firewall and antimalware suite installed is simply not enough.

Free or nearly-free software that comes off the shelf is suitable for private individuals. Still, they are disastrously incompetent in protecting a business that will soon deal with clients’ banking information.

Penetration testing is the number one way to ensure you keep everyone safe.

It’s obviously a little more expensive than generic cybersecurity software. Still, the extra cost is quickly offset once you reap the efficiency that naturally arises when a website is safe from attacks.

The good night’s sleep it will bring when you don’t have to worry about potential threats is also worth mentioning.

Some of the things that you can look forward to when you employ penetration testing include:

• Personalized diagnosis of problems specific to your system
• protection from malicious software
• detailed logs of known vulnerabilities
• recommended solutions
• Increased speed and organization of the network
• scheduled future testing and updates.

Once you have this in place, you only need to focus on growing your business. As far as security is concerned, you’ll have more than enough to make sure that you can outlast your competitors.

Conclusion

Penetration testing is an ethical way of proving your cybersecurity’s effectiveness to ensure that your e-commerce website is up to the task of serving customers.

It identifies threats early on and inspires confidence in your patrons that it’s safe to do business with you.

In this way, getting your online store tested is crucial.

Don’t plan to fail. Instead, plan to succeed. The rest will fall into place.