BlueKey IT finds the weaknesses in your systems before attackers do. We scan on a recurring schedule, help scope and perform penetration tests that prove real-world risk, and help you fix what is found. Penetration test reports and results are provided by a third party.
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Read All ReviewsUnpatched systems, exposed services, and weak configurations are how most attacks start. BlueKey IT scans your environment on a recurring schedule and helps scope and perform penetration tests that prove what an attacker could reach, with reports and results provided by a third party. We then help you fix what is found.
Recurring vulnerability scans · Scoped penetration tests · Third-party reports · 200+ customers and 6,000+ endpoints managed
The two services answer different questions, and they work best together.
| Vulnerability scanning | Penetration testing | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Automated tools check systems and software against databases of known weaknesses | A skilled tester combines tools and manual techniques to try to exploit weaknesses |
| What it finds | Missing patches, exposed services, outdated software, and unsafe settings | Whether weaknesses can be chained into real access, and how far an attacker could get |
| Coverage | Broad, across all in-scope systems | Focused on defined targets and goals |
| How often | Recurring, on a schedule | Periodic, and after significant changes |
| What you get | Prioritized list of vulnerabilities with remediation tracking | Third-party report with evidence, risk ratings, and prioritized fixes |
| Best for | Keeping known vulnerabilities from accumulating, and meeting scan requirements | Proving real-world risk, validating controls, and meeting testing requirements |
Scanning and testing show up in many frameworks, contracts, and insurance applications. This table summarizes what each commonly expects. Your specific requirements depend on your environment, so confirm the details with your assessor, acquirer, or broker.
| Framework or requirement | What it commonly expects |
|---|---|
| FTC Safeguards Rule | Continuous monitoring, or annual penetration testing plus vulnerability assessments at least every six months and after material changes |
| PCI DSS | Regular internal and external vulnerability scans, including external scans at least every three months by an Approved Scanning Vendor, and penetration testing where required |
| CMMC and NIST SP 800-171 | Periodic scanning for vulnerabilities in systems and applications, and when new vulnerabilities are identified |
| ISO 27001 | Management of technical vulnerabilities is an Annex A control, and auditors expect evidence that findings are tracked to closure |
| SOC 2 | Auditors commonly sample scan results and remediation records as evidence |
| HIPAA | Supports the security risk analysis and the ongoing evaluation of safeguards |
| Cyber insurance | Applications ask about vulnerability and patch management, and some insurers scan your external footprint themselves |
We help you define targets, goals, testing windows, and rules of engagement, and you give written authorization.
We map what is exposed and run scans to identify candidate weaknesses.
Testing is performed to confirm which weaknesses are real and how they could be chained into access, coordinated so it does not disrupt your business.
A third party provides the report and results: an executive summary, detailed findings with evidence, risk ratings, and prioritized fixes. We help your team review it and plan the fixes.
You fix the findings, with our help where you want it, and the findings are retested to confirm they are closed.
Penetration test reports and results are provided by a third party. We help scope the testing, perform it, and help your team act on the findings.
A plain-language overview of risk and priorities for leadership.
Each finding with supporting evidence and how it was confirmed.
Findings ranked so you fix the most important issues first.
Specific steps to fix each issue, for your team or vendors.
Proof that fixed findings are closed.
Summaries you can share with the parties that ask.
Businesses that handle sensitive data, accept card payments, work toward compliance frameworks, answer cyber insurance applications, or serve customers who ask for proof of security testing. It also fits any business that has never tested its defenses. Have an in-house IT team? See co-managed IT. Need ongoing security leadership? See our vCISO packages.
Vulnerability scanning can be added to any managed IT plan and runs on a recurring schedule. Penetration tests are quoted as projects based on scope, such as the number of external addresses, internal networks, applications, and locations.
Vulnerability scanning uses automated tools to find known weaknesses, such as missing patches, exposed services, and unsafe settings, and it can run frequently across your whole environment. Penetration testing is a scoped, goal-driven exercise in which a skilled tester tries to exploit weaknesses the way an attacker would, to show what could really happen. Scanning gives breadth and consistency, and penetration testing gives depth and proof.
Most businesses benefit from both. Recurring scans keep known vulnerabilities from piling up, and periodic penetration tests show whether an attacker could chain weaknesses together. Some frameworks and insurers ask for one or the other, and some ask for both, so we match the program to your requirements.
Scanning should be recurring, and some frameworks set the cadence. For example, the FTC Safeguards Rule calls for vulnerability assessments at least every six months if you are not using continuous monitoring, and PCI DSS calls for external scans at least every three months. Penetration tests are commonly performed at least once a year and after significant changes to your environment, depending on your requirements.
Tests are scoped, scheduled, and coordinated with you in advance, with agreed testing windows and rules of engagement. We take care to avoid disrupting production systems, and we agree in advance on how to handle anything that could affect availability. Every test carries some risk, so we plan around your critical systems.
Yes. Testing is performed only on systems that you own or are authorized to test, and we require written authorization and a defined scope before any testing begins. Some cloud and hosting providers also have their own testing rules, which we follow.
A third party provides the penetration test report and results. They include an executive summary for leadership, technical findings with supporting evidence, risk ratings, and prioritized remediation guidance. We help you review the report, and after you fix the issues the findings are retested so you can show they are closed.
Yes. For managed IT clients, many fixes, such as patching, configuration changes, and access cleanup, are handled as part of our normal work. For other findings, we explain what needs to change and support your team or vendors, then the findings are retested to confirm.
Yes. Auditors, insurers, and enterprise customers often ask for scan results, penetration test summaries, and proof that findings were fixed. We organize the evidence so you can provide what each party asks for.
It is an optional add-on to any managed IT plan, and it is also available on its own. Vulnerability scanning can run on a recurring schedule, and penetration tests are quoted as projects based on scope.
Tell us what you need to test and why. We will recommend a scanning and testing plan that fits your requirements and your budget.
Related services: endpoint security, managed IT services, cybersecurity and compliance, cybersecurity insurance readiness, and vCISO and IT consulting.
Last updated: October 2026
