Penetration testing as a service: your questions answered

Penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) is a delivery model that provides ongoing, on-demand penetration testing through a managed programme and online platform, rather than as separate one-off engagements. It is not a new type of test - the testing itself is the same expert-led penetration testing, delivered as a year-round programme with findings managed centrally rather than handed over as a single annual report.

LRQA PTaaS is led by people. CREST-certified consultants carry out the testing, supported by LRQA's own AI penetration testing agent to start engagements quickly and cover more ground. The AI is a tool the consultants use, not a replacement for them - every engagement is led by certified specialists, not handed to automation alone.

Vulnerability scanning is automated discovery - tools check your environment against a database of known issues and report what they find. Penetration testing is people actively exploring, exploiting and chaining findings to show real-world impact. A scan might list hundreds of issues; a penetration test tells you which of them an attacker could actually use. PTaaS delivers that human-led testing as an ongoing programme.

A bug bounty programme crowdsources testing to a large, rotating pool of independent researchers who are paid per valid finding. PTaaS uses a small, named team that stays with your programme over time, learning your environment so each engagement builds on the last. Coverage is scoped and methodical rather than opportunistic, and findings flow into one platform with prioritised remediation guidance and retesting included.

Once your programme is set up, requesting a test is simple - no new procurement cycle and no long wait for a slot. Work begins quickly, with a clear delivery window and a guaranteed report date, so you know when testing happens and when results land. LRQA's AI penetration testing agent helps consultants start testing in days, not weeks.

Every package includes the MyLRQA portal, where findings are tracked as they are confirmed. From the Advanced tier, PTaaS adds Microsoft Teams and Slack integration for real-time communication. Elite adds Jira, ServiceNow and Azure DevOps integration so findings, ticketing and remediation tracking sit inside your engineering and ITSM workflows - no double-entry, no manual triage handoffs.

Yes. Unlimited retesting is included in every package - validate fixes the moment they ship, with no per-retest fee, no annual cap and no waiting for the next scheduled engagement. Developers collaborate with the testers on each fix, and retesting confirms it is closed.

Yes. PTaaS outputs feed directly into audit and compliance evidence, with LRQA sign-off that adds credibility for internal stakeholders, auditors and cyber insurers. Year-round, on-demand testing supports both fixed annual compliance needs and the ongoing assurance that boards and regulators increasingly expect, rather than a single once-a-year certificate. LRQA holds a complete suite of CREST accreditations alongside other recognised standards.

Most compliance frameworks recommend testing at least annually and after any significant change. In practice, organisations whose estates change weekly need testing more often - which is why PTaaS exists. The base programme is year-round, on-demand, with flexible sprint delivery aligned to your release cycle, so testing keeps pace with how you build rather than waiting for a single annual date.

PTaaS is an annual subscription across three tiers - Core, Advanced and Elite - differing by testing volume, workflow integration and review cadence. Each test is sized on the complexity of the target, and additional testing beyond your package allowance can be commissioned during your contract without opening a new procurement cycle. Whether it costs less than separate one-off tests depends on how often you test; the value is in continuity, unlimited retesting and predictable access rather than per-test pricing.

Findings surface in the MyLRQA portal in real time as they are confirmed, aligned to CVE, CWE and CVSS with prioritised remediation guidance. Outputs feed directly into audit and compliance evidence with LRQA sign-off, and findings are translated into business language for the board and technical detail for engineering - designed to support auditors, not just to be filed once a year.

Look for genuine human expertise (CREST-certified testers who publish their own vulnerability research), a dedicated team that stays with your programme rather than rotating, on-demand access without repeated procurement, unlimited retesting, a platform that manages findings in real time, and a clear upgrade path towards continuous assurance. The provider should also hold relevant accreditations and be able to support your compliance obligations.