Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) and System Integrators (SIs) are increasingly looking for ways to expand their service offerings to stay competitive in the evolving cybersecurity landscape. One of the most lucrative opportunities available today is launching a CREST-approved Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) business model. By partnering with our select CREST-approved PTaaS vendors, MSSPs can now provide high-quality penetration testing services without any upfront investment while leveraging a fully white-labeled dashboard.
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Why MSSPs Should Offer PTaaS?
MSSPs and SIs typically offer SIEM, SOC as a Service, and MDR solutions, but penetration testing remains a crucial missing piece in many of their security portfolios. The legacy approach for MSSPs and SIs has been to provide SIEM, SOC, and MDR services, while Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) was traditionally a time-bound engagement with deliverables in PDF and CSV reports. This approach limited continuous visibility and governance of security posture.
With the CTEM (RBVM + PTaaS) component, MSSPs can now automate the entire VAPT lifecycle and provide rich dashboarding instead of static reports. Customers also gain access to the dashboard, allowing them to:
View real-time scan results from penetration tests.
Monitor their environment continuously with inbuilt vulnerability scanners that detect new assets and run delta scans for vulnerabilities.
Request rescans or add new assets directly to the PTaaS dashboard, improving governance and visibility over their VAPT programs.
Offering continuous security validation instead of periodic testing ensures customers have a more proactive approach to vulnerability management, making engagements more long-term and high-value
Beyond VAPT: Offering Offensive-Driven Red Teaming Exercises
MSSPs and SIs can go beyond traditional VAPT by offering offensive-driven red teaming exercises as part of their cybersecurity services. Red teaming involves simulating real-world adversarial attacks to test an organization’s defensive capabilities, response mechanisms, and overall resilience.
Key Benefits of Red Teaming for MSSPs and SIs:
Simulates real-world cyberattacks to assess security defenses more accurately.
Provides an adversary’s perspective to uncover gaps that traditional testing may miss.
Enhances SOC and SIEM effectiveness by validating alerting, detection, and response mechanisms.
Strengthens threat hunting programs by testing how well analysts can detect and respond to simulated attacks.
Demonstrates ROI on security investments by showing how well security controls hold up against real threats.
By integrating offensive-driven red teaming with PTaaS and CTEM, MSSPs can offer a holistic security validation approach that aligns with modern threat landscapes.
Benefits of CREST-Approved Penetration Testing vs. Non-CREST Testing
CREST (Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers) accreditation ensures that penetration testing services meet globally recognized quality standards. However, it is important to understand that while CREST-approved penetration testing provides certain advantages, non-CREST penetration testing can still be highly effective—especially if performed by recognized experts from the bug bounty and ethical hacking community.
1. Assurance of Quality and Methodology
CREST-approved penetration testers follow rigorous methodologies and frameworks, ensuring standardized testing approaches.
Reports are aligned with compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, PCI DSS, NIST, and SOC 2, making them more acceptable in regulatory audits.
The structured approach ensures repeatability and reliability of penetration testing results.
2. Credibility and Market Acceptance
Many organizations, especially those in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government), require CREST-certified testing for compliance purposes.
CREST accreditation builds trust with customers by assuring them of industry-recognized testing standards.
3. Flexibility of Non-CREST Testing for High-Skilled Teams
If an MSSP or SI already has a team of recognized bug bounty hunters and penetration testers, they can leverage their expertise directly without needing CREST accreditation.
Reconn’s CTEM platform allows such MSSPs to integrate their internal testing capabilities seamlessly, automating the testing lifecycle without the need for formal accreditation.
4. How MSSPs and SIs Can Leverage Reconn’s CREST-Approved PTaaS
For MSSPs and SIs without an in-house penetration testing team, Reconn’s CREST-approved PTaaS provides access to elite testers from our vendor network.
This enables high-quality penetration testing services without requiring internal expertise, allowing partners to offer CREST-compliant assessments under their own brand.
If an MSSP is already a CREST-approved penetration testing partner, they can simply subscribe to our CTEM platform and automate their existing processes, integrating vulnerability management and penetration testing into a unified dashboard.
By offering both CREST and non-CREST testing options, Reconn enables MSSPs and SIs to choose the approach that best aligns with their business model and customer needs.
How Reconn Assists MSSPs and SIs with CTEM and PTaaS
At Reconn, we provide RECONN OFFENSE, the only CTEM-driven offensive security practice in the Middle East and Africa region. Our core team has over 20 years of experience in running VAPT and red teaming programs. Since we operate with a channel-first approach, we deeply understand how to channelize and solutionize this service for MSSPs and SIs.
Through Reconn Offense, we assist MSSPs and SIs in:
Seamlessly integrating CTEM into their existing SOC, SIEM, and MDR offerings.
Providing CREST-approved penetration testing services with access to elite pentesters.
Building a fully automated VAPT lifecycle, enabling real-time vulnerability management.
Ensuring compliance with local and global cybersecurity regulations.
Offering expert guidance on selling and operationalizing PTaaS as part of their security stack.
By leveraging Reconn’s deep expertise in offensive security and strong understanding of the MSSP/SI ecosystem, our partners can accelerate their penetration testing business with minimal effort and maximum value.
Why Reconn is the Ideal CTEM and PtaaS Distribution Partner for MSSPs and SIs
With Reconn Offense, MSSPs can now seamlessly expand their portfolio and differentiate themselves in the market by integrating PTaaS and CTEM into their cybersecurity stack. As the only CTEM-driven offensive security practice in the Middle East and Africa region, Reconn brings a unique blend of deep cybersecurity expertise and a strong channel-first approach to enable MSSPs to succeed in penetration testing services.
1. Proven Expertise in Offensive Security
Reconn’s core team has over 20 years of experience running VAPT, red teaming, and adversary emulation programs for enterprises, governments, and MSSPs. We understand the technical, operational, and business challenges associated with penetration testing services and help MSSPs navigate them efficiently.
2. Enabling MSSPs to Monetize Penetration Testing Effectively
Unlike traditional penetration testing engagements that are time-bound, Reconn Offense helps MSSPs move towards a continuous security validation model. Our channel-first approach ensures that:
MSSPs can sell, package, and position PTaaS effectively as a recurring service.
They can bundle penetration testing with existing SOC, SIEM, and MDR services.
MSSPs can differentiate their service offerings with a fully automated VAPT lifecycle.
3. Complete Support for MSSP Enablement
Reconn Offense provides:
White-labeled penetration testing solutions, allowing MSSPs to offer PTaaS under their brand.
Training and onboarding support to ensure MSSP teams can market, sell, and execute penetration testing services confidently.
Go-to-market strategies and sales enablement to help MSSPs scale their penetration testing business quickly.
By integrating Reconn Offense with their existing cybersecurity stack, MSSPs can move beyond traditional SOC monitoring and become leaders in continuous threat exposure management (CTEM), offering customers a proactive and automated security validation framework.
Conclusion: A Game-Changer for MSSPs
By launching PTaaS and integrating it into a CTEM-driven SOC model, MSSPs can:
Offer premium CREST-approved penetration testing services without upfront investment.
Increase customer retention with continuous security validation.
Build credibility by leveraging top penetration testers from the bug bounty and hacker communities.
Stay ahead of competition by offering next-gen security services beyond traditional SIEM, SOC, and MDR.
Stay Ahead or Stay Hacked: The CTEM Advantage
Cyber threats don’t wait, so why should you? reconn’s Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) keeps you ahead with:
EASM – Find what’s exposed before attackers do.
RBVM – Fix what actually matters, not just what’s loud.
ASPM – Secure apps at every stage, not just before release.
CSPM – Cloud misconfigs? Not on our watch.
PTaaS – Real-world attack simulations, on demand.
