Why Real-World Testing Is Essential To Strengthen Your Cybersecurity

As the recent ransomware attack on UK retail giant Marks and Spencer has demonstrated, becoming a victim of cybercrime can have serious financial effects for businesses. Unfortunately, cyberattacks continue to increase, with experts predicting that, by the end of the decade, the global cost will have soared to more than US$15tn. It’s a problem that all organisations, irrespective of their size, need to take seriously.

Having a cybersecurity plan in place is a strong start, but how confident are you that it will withstand a real attack? Many businesses have detailed policies and incident response plans yet never put them to the test. In contrast, mature organisations understand that no single approach is enough. To properly assess and improve your cyber resilience, it’s essential to combine strategic reviews with real-world testing.

The Importance Of Simulation Exercises

Strategic security reviews provide a clear view of your organisation’s current posture and help to ensure your team is prepared to react should the unthinkable occur. This includes tabletop exercises, where managers and IT staff simulate a cyber incident and walk through how they would respond. Often, these exercises reveal weaknesses in communication, decision-making, or escalation procedures which can be quickly addressed through strategic rethinking.

Security assessments offer a broader review of your policies and controls, while a well-crafted incident response plan outlines exactly what to do if systems are compromised. However, even the best plans can fail if they’re not tested under pressure. That’s why hands-on testing is just as important:

• Penetration testing (pen testing) involves ethical hackers simulating real-world attacks to uncover technical vulnerabilities in your network, applications, or cloud infrastructure. This testing can expose risks that internal teams may overlook, such as outdated systems, misconfigurations, or weak access controls.
• Red teaming takes this a step further. A comprehensive, stealth-based assessment in which attackers attempt to breach your systems without detection, this approach tests both your defences and your detection and response capabilities, providing invaluable insights into how your team performs under realistic attack conditions.
• Additional methods, such as bug bounty programs, engage trusted security researchers to report vulnerabilities all year-round, while attack surface management tools offer continuous monitoring of exposed assets, such as websites, forgotten servers, or open ports. Because these tools alert you in real-time, you can respond to threats before attackers exploit them.

By combining strategic planning with real-world testing, you will gain a far more insightful view of your business’s true security posture. Strategic exercises train your people and refine your processes, while practical testing proves whether your systems can withstand a genuine threat.

How Vantage It Can Help

At Vantage IT, we help our customers to take a proactive and balanced approach to their cybersecurity. Whether you need to conduct tabletop exercises, carry out technical testing, or improve your ongoing threat visibility, we can tailor the right solution for your business.

Instead of waiting for a genuine cyberattack to expose your business’s security flaws, contact Vantage IT today to find out how we can help to protect your organisation.

Image source: Canva

20/10/2025