Red vs. Purple Teaming: What Security Leaders Are Getting Right - and Wrong
The terms “red teaming” and “purple teaming” aren’t just buzzwords. They get thrown around a lot - but too often, they’re misunderstood or misapplied. In our recent webinar, a panel of Echelon’s offensive security experts, Devin Jones, Ben D’attilio, and Stephen Carlson unpacked the differences between the two and explained how organizations can better leverage them to mature their security programs.
Here are some of the major takeaways:
Red Teaming Is About Realism - But It’s Not One-Size-Fits-All
Red teaming is often thought of as an advanced penetration test - but it's entirely different. Red teaming is a real, targeted attack simulation that tests an organization’s entire security program. The panel emphasized the importance of aligning the engagement’s objectives with your business goals and the desired outcomes of the red team engagement. Are you testing detection and response? Executive escalation? Without that clarity, the value of the red team will be limited.
“If you just want to see if the red team can get Domain Admin... they probably will. But what did you really learn from the exercise as an organization?” - Stephen Carlson, Panelist & Senior Offensive Security Consultant
Purple Teaming Is Collaboration - Not a Consolation Prize
Many assume purple teaming is a watered-down version of red teaming. Not true.
Purple teaming is a strategic, collaborative effort where offensive and defensive teams work together in real time to test, detect, and improve security controls. It’s often the better option for organizations that are earlier in their maturity journey, looking for measurable improvement or want real-time collaboration to test detections and processes.
Too Many Orgs Miss the Value in the Debrief
What you do after the engagement is just as important as the test itself. The team highlighted that many organizations fail to translate findings into business impact - which makes it hard to gain executive buy-in or build a long-term roadmap.
Real-World Lessons from the Field
From financial institutions to pro sports teams, the panel shared anonymized stories that reveal how different industries are approaching offensive security. Each story pointed back to one central theme: clarity of purpose. When teams define what success looks like before the test begins, they walk away with actionable insights - not just technical noise.
Red and purple teaming are tools - but without the right people, planning, and purpose, they won’t move the needle.
Watch the full webinar on demand to hear tips and lessons straight from the team that runs these engagements every day.
At Echelon Risk + Cyber, our offensive security services go beyond standard testing. We simulate real-world threats to expose gaps before adversaries do. Whether through red teaming, purple teaming, or targeted penetration testing, our team tailors each engagement to your organization’s needs and maturity. We help you uncover vulnerabilities, validate your detection and response capabilities, and provide clear, actionable insights that align with your business goals. Explore our full suite of offensive security services.