In our first post about choosing a managed services provider (MSP), we spoke about one of the major differences between several providers and suggested that you formulate a list of questions that will guide you through the selection process.

We also discussed, briefly, two business models that dominate the MSP field: reactive and proactive services.

While these two models do accomplish a common goal in helping a company with their IT needs, there is a world of difference between the two.

It’s hard to know which managed services provider (MSP) is best for your company when the pool to choose from is really more like an ocean.

If you find yourself, say, stranded on a flimsy raft in the middle of said ocean you may feel a considerable amount of confusion and even fatigue over how these MSPs are different from each other.

Sure, no wave in an ocean is the exact same as another – but they all look alike and they all do the same thing. Right?

If you’ve logged onto Reddit, Twitter, Tumblr or several other social media websites in the past week you may have noticed banners or splash pages urging you and other users to take action against something called “net neutrality.”

Sounds kind of serious, huh? You might be wondering why all hands seem to be on the digital deck this week.

So you have a Nigerian prince in your emails who seems nice enough. He’s never been anything but polite, and from the looks of it, he has had a rough time lately. As it turns out, being a prince is not as lucrative as it sounds. He just needs $12,000 from you to make it all better.

You know how this story ends. You laugh it off because you know it’s a scam – you don’t know this guy, why would you ever give him money?

But what happens when someone you do know emails you out of the blue, needing some cash? Or if a coworker asks for access to a file? Or if someone you’re pretty sure you know sends you a link that you just have to click?

Reports of hacking bank information, dating websites and even the 2016 presidential campaign have not only contributed to high levels of paranoia for businesses but driven them to consider testing their own networks and firewalls for any possible security breaches.

The only problem is choosing between doing PEN testing, vulnerability testing or both.

Making the choice can be difficult for organizations unversed in the differences between the two tests. PEN testing and vulnerability testing have been mistakenly labeled as the same because of some conflicting reports and marketing missteps.