OUR SERVICES: Penetration Testing for Brighton Businesses
Business penetration testing: Find out if your cyber security holds up before attackers do
Penetration testing simulates a real-world cyber attack on your business to find the weaknesses your existing defences might not catch. The results show you where to focus your cyber security efforts to better protect your business.
AJT Managed IT Services delivers expert-led, CREST-accredited penetration testing through our specialist security partner, Adversify. Through Adversify, we give Brighton and Sussex businesses clear, actionable findings without the jargon or unpredictable costs.
Business penetration testing services from AJT
- External perimeter penetration testing to find the vulnerabilities attackers see first, e.g. exposed login pages, unpatched software or misconfigured cloud services
- Internal enterprise penetration testing to reveal how far an attacker could move through your internal systems, staff accounts and data before being stopped
- Web application penetration testing to identify weaknesses on your website or web-based tools that could allow unauthorised access, data theft or service disruption
- Mobile application penetration testing to uncover flaws in your iOS or Android apps that could expose customer data or allow attackers to bypass security controls
- Assumed breach testing to test whether your team and tools would detect, contain and stop an attacker already inside your business
- Purple teaming to validate your existing security tools are working as they should be through real attack scenarios
- System configuration assurance to check the configuration of your servers, devices and cloud platforms to ensure their setup isn’t creating unnecessary risk
- AI systems and integrations penetration testing to find weaknesses in the AI tools, assistants and connected services your business relies on, such as prompt injection, exposure of sensitive data, or an AI system being manipulated into actions or access it shouldn’t have
What is penetration testing?
Penetration testing – often called pen testing – is when qualified cyber security specialists attempt to break into your business’ IT systems the same way a real attacker would. You find any problems before attackers do, in a safe and controlled way.
Unlike ‘always on’ security tools that run in the background, a penetration test is a deliberate and human-led project. By looking at your business from an attacker’s point of view, you learn where attackers can get in and how far they can go. This knowledge helps Brighton and Sussex businesses focus their defences where it matters most.
How Brighton business penetration testing works with AJT Managed IT Services
Penetration testing is a structured, controlled process that doesn’t disrupt your business. Our penetration tests are delivered by Adversify, a specialist consultancy accredited by CREST (the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers and the internationally recognised standard for penetration testing), working alongside AJT to serve businesses across Brighton and Sussex. The Adversify team also hold Cyber Essentials certification. Many engagements complete in around 3 weeks from kick-off to debrief.
What sets these tests apart is the approach. Rather than running the same checklist against every business, Adversify treats each attack surface on its own terms and builds the engagement penetration test around objectives that reflect what an attacker would actually be trying to achieve against your business.
Penetration Testing Process
Penetration testing designed around your Brighton business, step-by-step.
01. Engagement Design
The first step is to understand your business, priorities and sector-specific risks. Every attack surface is different, so Adversify avoids a fixed checklist and instead sets clear objectives that matter to your business. For example, testing if attackers can reach sensitive customer data, compromise a critical system, or escalate from a standard user account to full control. These objectives mirror what a real attacker would be trying to achieve and they shape everything that follows.
02. Agreement & Onboarding
The full scope, objectives, timeline and deliverables of the pen test are agreed, and access and compliance requirements are confirmed so there aren’t any surprises.
03. Execution
Adversify’s certified specialists carry out the testing the way a real attacker would. They look at your whole attack surface, mapping what an attacker can see. Alongside identifying vulnerabilities, they work towards agreed objectives, chaining weaknesses together to establish how far an attacker could really get. Evidence is collected throughout to validate every finding and demonstrate the genuine impact on your business.
04. Reporting & Evaluation
Once testing is complete, you’ll receive a detailed report that goes beyond a list of vulnerabilities. It tells you whether each objective was achieved, exactly how, and which weaknesses made it possible. This shows you the real-world risk behind a finding rather than its technical severity alone, so you understand how an attacker could use it against your business. You’ll also get clear, actionable guidance and recommendations to help you prioritise what to fix first.
05. Debrief
We can arrange debrief sessions for all stakeholders, from the technical team who will act on the findings to the leadership who need to understand the business risk. It’s your opportunity to walk through the results with Adversify, ask questions and make sure everyone is clear on what the findings mean and what to prioritise.
06. Post-Engagement Support
The engagement doesn’t end at the report. Once you’ve had the chance to address the findings, Adversify can retest to confirm the fixes are effective and the vulnerabilities are genuinely closed. We’ll also be on hand to help you interpret the results and plan your next steps, so you can act on them with confidence.
Why penetration testing matters for your Brighton business
Good cyber security is essential to reduce the risk and damage caused by cyber attacks, especially for Brighton and Sussex businesses operating in competitive, and/or regulated sectors. Penetration testing helps you understand how effective those measures really are, by answering the question: how far would an attacker get if they came for your business today?
Unlike ‘always on’ security tools that run in the background, a penetration test is a deliberate and human-led project. By looking at your business from an attacker’s point of view, you learn where attackers can get in and how far they can go. This knowledge helps Brighton and Sussex businesses focus their defences where it matters most.
The businesses that stay most secure regularly test
According to the UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/26, 43% of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach in the last 12 months but only 13% carry out penetration testing – a significant gap.
In an open letter from the NCSC Annual Review 2025, Shirine Khoury-Haq, CEO of the Co-op Group, explains how important testing is in the aftermath of the high profile 2025 Co-op and M&S cyber attacks:
… nothing truly prepares you for the moment a real cyber event unfolds. The intensity, the urgency and the unpredictability of a live attack is unlike anything you can rehearse. That said, those drills are invaluable – they build muscle memory, sharpen instincts and expose vulnerabilities in your systems.”
Penetration testing is exactly the kind of drill Khoury-Haq is speaking about here – structured, expert-led and designed to expose weaknesses before a real attacker does. Regular security testing isn’t a large-enterprise luxury. It is an essential part of what cyber-resilient businesses of all sizes do.
Even well-protected businesses develop blind spots
Every time you add a new tool, onboard a new member of staff or change a system, your IT environment – and your attack surface – shifts. Your business doesn’t stand still, and neither do attackers. Even if you take cyber security seriously, the complexity and constant changing of modern IT environments can create risks that compound over time into weaknesses waiting for attackers to exploit.
Penetration testing steps outside routine monitoring and looks at your IT environment the way a real attacker would, finding risks that protection tools haven’t necessarily been configured to catch.
Finding weaknesses the hard way costs far more than pen testing
According to Gov.uk’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/26, the top 10% of cases among small businesses that experienced a breach with a material financial impact cost £12,500 or more. And that’s without considering lost productivity, reputational damage and time spent recovering, all of which place significant downward pressure on small businesses.
Compared to the cost of a breach, penetration testing is a solid investment in finding weaknesses before attackers do. This matters if you consider that more than half (59%) of businesses experienced at least one cyber attack last year, with many targeted multiple times, as revealed by the Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report 2025. For many Brighton and Sussex businesses operating on tight margins, it’s not a case of if they will be breached, but when.
Clients, insurers and regulators may expect penetration testing evidence
Some cyber insurance underwriters require penetration testing to be carried out by accredited providers. CREST-accredited penetration testing is routinely specified as a minimum requirement in enterprise and public sector procurement. If your business is in a regulated sector – like financial services, healthcare, legal or professional services – CREST-accredited testing supports compliance with regulatory frameworks including ISO 27001 and PCI DSS.
So, whether you’re renewing your insurance, working on compliance, or proving your credentials to a client, our pen testing gives you the evidence you need to show you take cyber security seriously.
If you already have MDR, XDR or a full suite of cyber security measures, pen tests validate your investment
If you’ve already got MDR, XDR or an SOC in place, you’re already doing a lot to give your business its best chance against a cyber attack. However, even the best cyber security setup benefits from independent verification.
Purple Teaming specifically tests whether your cyber security detection and response tools are firing the right alerts and triggering the right responses when it counts. Independent and evidence-based, these tests provide confirmation that your measures can catch a real attack.
Why choose penetration testing with AJT Managed IT Services
Honest assessments, not sales exercises
The goal of our penetration tests is to give you an accurate, independent picture of your cyber security. If your existing defences are doing what they should, you’ll get documented evidence you can put in front of clients, insurers and regulators with confidence, as well as some solid peace of mind.
If, however, your pen test identifies gaps, we’ll talk you through what they mean in practice and what your options are. There may be things you can address internally without our help but if you do need additional tools or services to make a meaningful difference, we’ll be on hand to help you find the most cost-effective solution.
Penetration tests you can rely on, carried out by CREST-accredited specialists
Our penetration tests are delivered by Adversify, whose consultants are assessed to CREST (the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers) standards. CREST is the international accreditation standard that confirms penetration testing is carried out by independently assessed and practically examined professionals. Adversify’s experts also hold Cyber Essentials, the UK government-backed certification for baseline security.
We look at your whole attack surface
Adversify’s consultants examine your entire attack surface and map it the way a real attacker would see it. This includes the connections between your infrastructure, applications, cloud services and user accounts. Reflecting how attackers actually move through a business results in fewer blind spots and more accurate findings.
Objective-led testing, not a tick-box exercise
A lot of penetration testing stops at producing a list of vulnerabilities. We go further. At the start of every engagement, objectives are agreed based on your industry and your real risks. Adversify then tests whether an attacker could succeed. Your report tells you what was achieved, how, and what it means for your business. You come away with a real-world understanding of the risk behind each finding, rather than just a checklist.
Fixed-price engagements
We’ll agree a fixed price for your penetration test before we begin, so you know exactly what you’re getting and how much it’ll cost. No open-ended day rates or unexpected bills.
A local partner who understands your business
AJT Managed IT Services is a Brighton-based IT partner for businesses based in Brighton and Sussex. We’re proud of our personal approach to IT, and we’re here to help you get what you need from your penetration testing project.
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