Options range from traditional consulting firms to penetration-testing-as-a-service platforms and bug bounties. Compare the quality of the testers, whether fixes are retested, and how fast you get a report.
Why it works
Customers and frameworks such as SOC 2 and PCI DSS expect an annual test. A good tester finds real issues, while a checkbox test mostly produces a PDF.
What to look for
The testers should be named and experienced.
Retesting of fixed findings should be free.
You should get an attestation letter that you can share with customers.
Products I track for Vulnerability assessments & penetration tests