Purple Teaming vs. Pen Testing: What Organizations Need to Know

Many security leaders face a common challenge: they know they must evaluate their organization's defenses but aren't sure which type of engagement will drive the best results. Penetration testing is often the default ask, but in many cases, what’s truly needed is a more collaborative, outcome-driven approach.

Enter purple teaming.

Choosing the right security assessment is not just a tactical decision — it’s a strategic one. It can mean the difference between checking a compliance box and making meaningful progress in detection and response. For organizations serious about improving their security maturity, it's worth asking: Are we getting a report, or are we getting better?

What Is a Penetration Test?

Penetration testing, or pen testing, is one of the most common offensive security practices. These engagements simulate real-world attacks in a controlled environment to identify exploitable vulnerabilities across systems, applications, or infrastructure.

Pen tests are typically:

• Focused on identifying vulnerabilities from an internal or external perspective
• Time-boxed with predefined scopes (e.g., “test our public-facing IP addresses”)
• Conducted by an external team with little involvement from defenders
• Delivered as a findings report — with or without a follow-up retest

What Is a Purple Team?

Purple teaming bridges the gap between red and blue — attackers and defenders — by making them collaborators rather than opponents.

An SBS CyberSecurity Purple Team Assessment goes far beyond traditional testing:

• It includes internal and external testing, focusing on real-world adversary techniques.
• Your internal team and SBS’s experts work side by side, often including managed service provider (MSP) partners when applicable.
• Every action is validated live to see if it worked and to ensure your systems and teams saw it happen and responded appropriately.
• The result isn’t just a report — it’s a stronger, more capable security posture.

This is not a compliance checkbox. It’s a proactive investment in operational security maturity.

Pen Testing, Red Teaming, and Purple Teaming: What’s the Difference?

While these approaches may seem similar, each serves a distinct purpose and offers different value to your security program.

Pen Testing

Pen testing focuses on identifying and validating vulnerabilities across predefined targets, often to meet compliance needs.

• Scope: Defined targets, often compliance-driven
• Collaboration: Low — conducted independently
• Outcome: Vulnerability report, sometimes with a retest

Red Teaming

Red teaming emulates real-world threat actors to covertly test an organization’s ability to detect and respond to sophisticated attacks.

• Scope: Broad and covert — defenders typically aren’t informed
• Collaboration: Minimal
• Outcome: Identifies blind spots and evaluates incident response

Purple Teaming

Purple teaming brings attackers and defenders together, creating a collaborative environment to strengthen detection, response, and overall security maturity.

• Scope: Comprehensive, including systems, processes, and people
• Collaboration: High — active partnership between your team and SBS
• Outcome: Issues are identified and addressed during the engagement, driving maturity

Why Purple Teaming Makes a Strategic Difference

Purple teaming enables something that pen testing and red teaming do not: real-time improvement. Instead of discovering detection gaps after an attack simulation, you resolve them during the exercise. This approach gives both executives and technical leaders confidence that:

• Tools and alerts are working as intended
• Defenders can recognize and respond to malicious behavior quickly
• Lessons learned translate directly into stronger defenses

For example, a purple team assessment might include simulating a lateral movement technique commonly used by advanced attackers. While the client's endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution may flag the behavior, their MSP may not have configured alerting for that detection. A traditional pen test would’ve logged it, but our collaborative approach leads to a live fix within the same session.

Who Is Purple Teaming Right For?

Purple teaming is ideal for organizations looking beyond compliance and wanting to advance their security maturity.

Purple teaming is especially beneficial for organizations that meet the following criteria:

• Midsized to large organizations with an internal security operations center (SOC) or outsourced security operations
• Teams that have already conducted pen tests but want deeper value
• Regulated industries like finance, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and technology

You may be ready for purple teaming if:

• You’ve already done pen testing but want more value.
• You’re unsure whether your alerting and monitoring tools are working correctly.
• You want real-time help fixing problems, not just a list of findings.

What to Expect from a Purple Team Assessment

A typical purple team engagement with SBS lasts approximately two weeks.

During a purple team assessment, activities include:

• External and internal threat simulations
• Hands-on collaboration with your security team and/or MSP
• Execution of real-world adversary behaviors and detection exercises

After the assessment, deliverables include:

• A detailed final report covering all tests performed, findings, and tailored remediation guidance
• On-the-spot learning opportunities and knowledge transfer throughout the engagement

Working with MSPs

We understand that coordination can be a challenge. Our team helps facilitate seamless communication, ensuring your external partners are looped in, responsive, and aligned throughout the process.

Choosing the Right Engagement for Your Security Program

The decision between pen testing and purple teaming depends on your organization's goals and current security posture.

If you need to validate basic vulnerabilities or meet a regulatory requirement, a pen test may be sufficient. If you want to strengthen your detection, response, and recovery capabilities, purple teaming is the strategic next step.

Purple teaming isn’t just about testing — it’s about building a more resilient and responsive security program that can adapt to emerging threats.

Ready to go beyond the checklist? Connect with our team to learn how a purple team assessment can strengthen your defenses in real time.

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