Cloud Computing is seen by many as the wave of information technology for individuals and companies. Cloud Computing is profoundly changing the whole IT industry and leading traditional software testing to a new direction.
What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud Computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. These services are broadly divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that’s often used to represent the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams.
Challenges – While testing from the Cloud
- Multiple environments – Integration issues
- Test Data Management – Data creation, Data masking
- Security concerns
- Regulatory and Legal Compliance
- Defect Isolation and Resolution
- Dependency on ‘Third party services’ – Roles & Responsibilities
Why move to the Cloud?
Massive Computing Power:
- Cloud infrastructure providers are built on the world’s largest datacenters.
- This allows them to marshal gigantic quantities of computing power as-needed.
Improved Cost Basis:
- Cloud providers focus on offering access to highly efficient computing resources.
- They have not only economies of scale but also a dedicated focus on providing these infrastructures.
- These efficiencies can be passed on to you so your company can focus less on managing hardware and more on what differentiates you.
Elastic Pricing Models:
- Based on usage. This means that you pay for what you use as you use it, avoiding large upfront costs.
SaaS, TaaS and PaaS
Cloud Computing services relate to the testing industry in several ways, including SaaS, TaaS (Testing-as-a-Service) and PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service, on demand application development platform). Many companies, including large ones, that understand the significance of the Cloud revolution, intend to benefit from the newly created opportunities and adjust their services to conform to this new form. This allows companies to constantly upgrade and change the selected application and adjust it to the market’s needs and come out with new versions much faster.
As a result, you quickly respond to your client’s needs, without the need for time-consuming installations. Obviously, customers are showing less willingness to pay what they used to in advance for software and then to add servers, employees to maintain them, yearly application maintenance licenses, upgrades, and so on. These clients are right. Why should they? Why pay more if you can subscribe rather than buy, pay for usage only rather than commit? And all this, while avoiding the hassle associated with installations.
The transition – Hardware to Software
As companies seek to improve their services, many firms, including large companies operating in traditional industries are using Cloud Computing for testing purposes.
The transition to Cloud-based testing can reduce costs and improve overall quality, but it also poses some serious challenges. Software testing application vendors, for example, will have to ensure that they are capable of providing the same quality standards as those offered by ‘regular’ apps.
Clearly, security needs to improve as well, and performance and availability must be superb. The challenge for the entire testing industry is huge, even without mentioning the different approach to the service (including support, upgrades and on-going maintenance) these vendors must adopt.
Customers’ Delight
The Cloud revolution is a golden opportunity for customers. They are offered much better solutions that are easier to manage, as well as improved services – all this with competitive pricing. The potential for customers is huge. For example, TaaS solutions will enable companies to re-size their testing teams on a need-basis, and significantly reduce costs. Additionally, they will be able to hire many testers at short notice for a limited time, allowing them to carry out much faster tests.
The future of software testing is bright. Since being recognized in the past few years as an important part of the development effort, testers are already seen as an integral part of project teams, participating in all of the project’s different phases.
The adoption of Cloud Computing services promises to revolutionize the software testing industry, turning it into a more efficient and customer-friendly market.
