As more technology companies continue migrating systems to Cloud-based servers, it makes sense for the Quality Assurance role to also head to the Cloud. There are significant advantages to be derived from Cloud Testing, with many of those (going green, cost savings, additional flexibility, etc.) also gained by moving applications and databases out of on-premise data centers.
Companies looking to implement QA in the Cloud enjoy additional capabilities; most notably testing an application’s scalability by simulating load testing more easily compared to using their own servers.
In its broadest meaning, Cloud Testing simply means using a Cloud-based server to perform software testing. This includes nearly all QA functions, including functional testing, performance and load testing, acceptance testing, and more. Leveraging a Cloud-based infrastructure provides cost savings, as noted earlier, but also offers access to unlimited data storage as well as the improved scalability to handle more complex testing scenarios.
When your organization already embraces other third-party Cloud-based technologies, Cloud Testing is a smart tactical move. Service providers are now making “QAaaS” (Quality Assurance as a Service) offerings available, adding another acronym to the many others (SaaS, IaaS, DBaaS, etc.) already in this technology industry sector. If you already run your own private Cloud infrastructure, implementing a Cloud Testing solution is a relatively simple process.
Development and QA managers need to be aware of a few considerations when using Cloud Testing. With load and performance testing, try to ensure the environment is similar to the one used for production; using the same Cloud infrastructure vendor is smart for this reason. This is important for the test results to be a true indicator of an application’s real life performance.
Security concerns remain a major reason some enterprises continue to stay away from the Cloud. This applies to both hosting and testing applications on Cloud-based servers. Frankly, the risk is similar for any web-based application. Make sure to use proper data encryption and secure access control to mitigate any security issues.
Pay special attention to also test any external web services and APIs used by the application. Sometimes these extra dependencies are forgotten about in a Cloud Testing scenario. Once again, this speaks to the need to ensure your Cloud-based production and QA environments are essentially identical.
These same points need to be considered when using a Cloud-based testing service for an application not slated to run in the Cloud. Especially ensure the similarity of the production and QA environments used for performance and stress testing. The advantages of Cloud Testing go out the window if the results aren’t accurate.
Ultimately, using the Cloud for QA is a worthy consideration whether or not your company’s application is Cloud-based. The extra cost savings could make for extra profits at the end of the year.
Keep tuned to the Betica Blog for additional information and insights from the QA and software development worlds.
Posted on August 5, 2016 | Categories Quality Assurance | Tags Cloud Testing, Quality Assurance, Software Testing