IT Red Team Exercise Approval Form

Streamline Red Team Exercise Approvals with Paperform

Running controlled security testing exercises requires careful coordination, clear boundaries, and proper authorization. This IT Red Team Exercise Approval Form template gives security teams, IT managers, and CISOs a structured process to request, review, and approve penetration testing activities while maintaining operational safety and compliance.

Built specifically for IT security professionals and penetration testers, this template captures everything needed for proper red team exercise governance: detailed attack scenarios, explicit scope boundaries, excluded systems, coordination procedures, emergency contacts, and multi-level approval workflows. Whether you're an internal security team planning routine testing or external consultants proposing engagement parameters, this form ensures all stakeholders understand exactly what's authorized and what's off-limits.

Perfect for:

• Security teams planning internal red team exercises and penetration tests
• IT managers and CISOs who need to approve and track security testing activities
• Managed security service providers coordinating testing with client organizations
• Compliance teams documenting authorized security testing for audit trails
• Enterprise IT departments managing cybersecurity validation programs

Why This Template Works for IT Security Teams

Red team exercises require precise documentation and clear authorization. This template uses conditional logic to adapt based on exercise type, scope, and risk level, ensuring appropriate approval levels are triggered. Multi-page organization keeps complex technical details organized while making the approval process straightforward for non-technical stakeholders.

The form captures critical safety measures—blackout periods, excluded systems, emergency stop procedures—that protect production environments while still allowing realistic security testing. Built-in coordination fields ensure everyone from network operations to help desk teams knows testing is happening and how to respond.

Automate Security Testing Workflows with Stepper

Connect this form to Stepper to transform each red team request into a complete approval and notification workflow. Route requests to the appropriate security manager, CISO, or change advisory board based on scope and risk level. Automatically notify IT operations, NOC teams, and help desk staff when exercises are approved, send calendar holds to prevent conflicts, and trigger post-exercise debrief scheduling.

Use Stepper to integrate with your ticketing system (ServiceNow, Jira, etc.) to create linked change requests, update asset management databases with testing schedules, and push findings to vulnerability management platforms. This keeps your security testing program fully documented and coordinated across all IT teams.

Professional, Secure, and Audit-Ready

Every submission creates a complete audit trail of who requested what testing, what was approved, and what controls were in place. SOC 2 Type II compliance and detailed submission records mean you can demonstrate proper authorization and oversight to auditors, executives, and regulators.

With Paperform's conditional logic, role-based notifications, and integration capabilities, your organization gains visibility and control over security testing while empowering your red team to operate effectively within approved boundaries.