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A penetration test shows how a real attacker could get into your business, before one tries. You get a clear report, a ranked fix list and a retest to confirm the holes are closed.
Get a Free IT AssessmentA penetration test is a controlled attack on your own systems. A trained tester acts like a criminal would. They look for weak passwords, exposed services, unpatched software and mistakes in how your accounts are set up. Then they try to use those weaknesses to reach data. The difference from a real attack is simple. You agree to it in advance, and you get a full report afterward.
Most business owners ask for one for a practical reason. A bank, an insurer, a partner or a big customer wants proof that your security has been tested. Others ask after a scare, such as a staff member clicking a bad link or a vendor getting breached. Some simply want to know where they stand before spending more money. In each case the test answers one question: if someone really tried, what would they find?
The work is not a scan you run once and forget. A good test combines tools with human judgment. Tools find the obvious gaps quickly. A person finds the chains of small problems that tools miss, like a forgotten test account that leads to a file server. You receive findings in plain English, sorted by how much each one could hurt your business, with steps your team or your IT provider can follow to fix them.
San Diego has a dense mix of businesses that attackers like. Biotech and life science firms on the Torrey Pines mesa hold research data. Defense suppliers around Kearny Mesa and Point Loma handle contracts with security strings attached. Medical groups, wealth managers, law firms and port-related companies all keep information that is worth stealing or locking up. Many of these offices are small, with a handful of people and no dedicated security staff.
That combination is why testing matters. A small team usually has a few quiet gaps: a remote access tool left open, shared passwords, an old server nobody remembers. You do not need a huge budget to find them. You need someone who looks at your setup the way an outsider would. The result is a short, honest list of what to fix first, so your money goes to the problems most likely to hurt you.
Everything below is part of one monthly plan. Pick a topic to see what is handled for you and how it works in a San Diego office.
This test looks at everything your business exposes online. That includes your firewall, remote access tools, email systems, VPN and any server reachable from outside. The tester probes each one the way an attacker would, looking for open doors and weak logins.
External testing is the most common starting point because it matches how most break-ins begin. Attackers scan the internet for easy targets all day. A test shows whether your office would show up on their list, and which exposed items should be closed or locked down first.
Here the tester starts as if they already have a foothold, such as a stolen password or an infected laptop. The goal is to see how far they could travel. Can they reach file servers, read payroll data or take over admin accounts?
Many offices are wide open once a person is inside. Shared passwords, flat networks and old servers make it easy to move around. This test shows where to add walls, so one bad click stays a small problem instead of a business-wide one.
If you run a customer portal, booking system, online store or custom web tool, it can be attacked directly. The tester checks login pages, forms and data handling for flaws that let outsiders view or change information they should not.
This matters for software companies, clinics with patient portals and any firm that takes orders or documents online. Findings are tied to the exact page or feature affected, so your developer or vendor knows what to change and can check it quickly.
Wi-Fi reaches past your walls, into hallways, lobbies and parking lots. The tester checks whether staff and guest networks are separated, whether passwords are strong and whether an outsider could connect. Cloud accounts get a review of settings and access rules.
In shared buildings in places like Mission Valley and Little Italy, your signal is easy to reach. A quick look at Microsoft 365 or other cloud settings often turns up easy wins, like accounts with no second sign-in step or sharing links left open to anyone.
Most real attacks start with a person, not a machine. A phishing test sends safe, fake messages to your staff to see who clicks or enters a password. Nobody is shamed. The point is to learn where training would help most.
Results show up as simple numbers and examples, such as which kinds of messages worked best. You can use them to plan short training sessions and tighten email filtering. Many offices see a clear improvement after one round of focused coaching.
Plenty of shops can fix a laptop. These are the reasons San Diego businesses give for choosing Giga San Diego and staying.
Our team knows which Downtown buildings need paperwork before anyone touches the riser room, how Santa Ana winds and wildfire power shutoffs affect server closets and how long it really takes to get from Carlsbad to Chula Vista on a Friday. That local knowledge means faster, calmer fixes.
Your network, devices and backups are watched day and night. Most issues are resolved before anyone notices, and when something needs your attention you get a plain explanation.
After a free assessment you get a per-user quote listing every included service. No hourly surprises, no unexpected after-hours charges and no fine print about what counts as extra.
Testing is planned around how your office actually works. Each neighborhood has its own mix of buildings, industries and risks.
Downtown towers and East Village lofts house law firms, port-related companies and tech teams. Managed IT here means coordinating with building management, keeping Wi-Fi strong in glass-heavy offices and keeping remote access stable for staff commuting on the trolley.
Architects, design studios and agencies in Little Italy work in converted buildings with uneven wiring. Managed IT plans access points carefully, separates guest and staff networks and protects large project files.
Hospitality groups, event companies and professional offices in the Gaslamp share dense buildings and busy evenings. Managed IT protects point-of-sale and booking systems and schedules maintenance around late hours.
Distributors, engineering firms and medical groups around Kearny Mesa rely on dependable networks and on-site help close to the freeways. Managed IT adds monitoring and a clear process for new equipment.
Research groups, wealth managers and tech companies near UTC handle valuable data and expect strong security. Managed IT adds device management, documented controls and fast support for demanding teams.
Biotech and life science companies here protect research data and prepare for partner audits. Managed IT supplies monitoring, access control and the documentation investors and collaborators ask to see.
Hotels, media companies and regional offices in Mission Valley connect many sites and locations. Managed IT monitors those links and gives each office the same help desk and standards.
Technology, golf-industry and manufacturing companies in Carlsbad often run a mix of office and light-industrial networks. Managed IT keeps production and office systems separate and supports growing teams.
Logistics firms, clinics and cross-border businesses in the South Bay depend on reliable systems and bilingual teams. Managed IT keeps shipping, billing and patient systems running and protected.
These choices answer different questions. A scan lists known weaknesses. A test shows which ones an attacker could really use.
| Topic | Giga San Diego | Automated Vulnerability Scan | No Testing |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Skilled testers try real attacks, with tools & manual work | Software checks for known flaws | Nothing is checked until a problem appears |
| Depth of results | Shows which gaps can be chained into real access | Long list, many items that may not matter | No visibility at all |
| Report quality | Plain English, ranked by business risk | Raw technical output | None |
| Typical cost | Fixed price agreed after scoping | Low, often a few hundred dollars | Free now, costly after an incident |
| Proof for partners & insurers | Strong, a signed report with retest | Limited, often not accepted alone | None to show |
| Fix support | Steps to fix & a retest to confirm | Usually left to you | Not applicable |
| Best for | Firms that must prove or truly know their security | Routine checks between tests | Nobody who handles sensitive data |
You leave with facts, not guesses, and a plan you can act on right away.
You see which problems an attacker could actually use, not a long list of theory.
Each finding is explained in plain English with the steps to fix it.
You can show customers, insurers and auditors that your defenses were tested.
A retest checks that the holes are closed, so you are not left guessing.
Different industries face different threats, so these related services pair well with a penetration test.
Protect research data and prepare for partner reviews with testing that fits lab and office networks.
Defense ContractorsTest the systems that hold contract data and support the documentation your customers expect.
Medical PracticesCheck patient systems and portals for gaps before a criminal does.
Law FirmsConfirm that client files, email and remote access hold up under a real attack.
Our old provider took a day to answer a ticket. Now somebody picks up right away and most problems are solved on the first call. Our staff stopped complaining about IT altogether.
We changed providers right before a grant deadline and were nervous. The move took about three weeks, nothing stopped working and every login was documented at the end.
Repairs used to come as surprise invoices. Now it is one monthly amount, a short report and a talk about upgrades before anything breaks. Budgeting IT became easy.
After a free assessment, you get a written quote with the scope, timeline and fixed price. No surprises.
A penetration test is an authorized attack on your own systems, carried out by a trained tester. They look for weak points and try to use them to reach data. You then get a report that explains what they found and how to fix it.
A scan is automated and lists known flaws. A penetration test adds human judgment. The tester tries to use the flaws to get in and shows how far an attacker could go. A scan tells you what might be wrong. A test shows what is truly exposed.
Most small business tests take one to three weeks from kickoff to report. The hands-on testing is often a few days. Scoping, scheduling and writing the report take the rest. Larger networks or web apps take longer.
It should not. Testers agree on rules in advance and avoid anything that could break your systems. Riskier steps are scheduled for quiet hours. You also get a contact number in case anything unexpected happens during the work.
Most businesses test once a year and after major changes, such as a new office, a new system or a move to the cloud. If a partner or insurer sets a schedule, follow that. Quarterly scans between tests help catch new gaps.
Prices typically range from a few thousand dollars for a small office to well above that for larger networks or web apps. The cost depends on how many systems are in scope and how deep the test goes. A fixed quote follows scoping.
A little. You confirm what is in scope, name a contact person and share a few details, like office locations and key systems. You may also tell your IT provider so alerts are not mistaken for a real attack.
You get a ranked list of findings with fix steps. Your team or IT provider handles the work, or we can help. Once the fixes are done, a retest confirms they worked, and the report is updated so you have clean proof.
Often, yes. Insurers, partners and auditors like to see recent testing and proof that issues were fixed. A signed report and retest give you something concrete to show. Check what your specific policy or contract asks for.
Yes, when it is done properly. You sign an agreement that defines scope, timing and rules. Testers use careful methods and report anything serious right away. The risk of a real attacker finding the same weakness is much higher.
Need something slightly different? These services cover the same ground from another angle.
A free assessment shows what is exposed, what is at risk and what a test would cost.