Cloud Testing: The Future of Software Testing

Cloud testing is a form of software testing in which Web applications control Cloud computing environments.

Over the last two decades, the bulk of applications were running on client/server architecture and data was firmly attached with applications in client/server architecture. Then the World Wide Web introduces the N-tier application architecture where developers could make reusable and flexible applications. By isolating an application into tiers, developers learned the option of adding or modifying a specific layer instead of modifying the entire application. Technology innovation has further provided web access to people on the go via mobile devices and laptops.

Software testing has also experienced a long drawn evolution cycle. From ad-hoc practices in different business units, it progressively developed to a centralized Managed Test Center approach. However, the testing pattern has changed and there are major challenges that need to be overcome such as complexity increasing costs and infrastructure availability. Traditional application testing has its own limitations as well as performance, latency, extremely expensive execution costs, planning, and concurrency.

As technology innovation carry on to make software available on devices and various platforms. Software quality assurance has also matched up with the latest digital trends with its own innovation. Cloud testing surpasses the challenges faced with traditional testing and is a game-changer. Setting up the cloud testing services is very straightforward for any organization: develop user scenarios, design test cases, set up infrastructure, leverage cloud servers, select cloud services providers, monitor testing goals start testing, and deliver results.

Objectives of Cloud Testing:

1. To verify if the system meets the requirements and performed effectively in the required environment.

2. To guarantee the quality of the cloud-based application. It comprises performance, scalability as well as applications functionality in the cloud.

3. To verify if the tested application is appropriate for the purpose in a cloud environment.

4. To verify the automatic cloud-based functionality which is also called auto-provisioned functions.

5. To check the interconnection between cloud infrastructure and application deployed.

Some of the Great Benefits of Cloud Testing:

a) Cloud Computing Economics states that an organization gets 45-65%  savings in the traditional testing vs the cloud testing model.

b) Eliminate up-front investment in hardware management, procurement, software licensing, support costs, maintenance and achieve fast ROI on application investments.

c) Achieve faster time-to-market through project set-up & execution and rapid procurement.

d) Ensure data integrity and ‘anywhere, anytime’ accessibility through enterprise-class secure, available and redundant infrastructure with the 24x7 operation.

e) Reduced operational costs and investments.

Cloud testing is under persistent evolution and is continuously bringing in new challenges and opportunities. Moving testing to the cloud is more cost-effective for any organization as long as it does not contain sensitive data and there is a negligible impact on the organization’s business activities. Some may have the belief that small business units will join public clouds while large enterprises will control private clouds for their cloud-based testing services.  Whether the company is large or small, the road to cloud-based testing is covered with its own set of challenges.

Some cloud computing measurements that you should know:

1. Cloud By 2017, end-user spending on cloud services could be more than $200 billion.

2. There’s an expected 1 Exabyte of data stored in the cloud.

3. Cisco forecasts that global data centre traffic will triple to 7.7 zettabytes annually in 2017, representing a 25 per cent CAGR.

4. 59% of all new spending on cloud computing services originates from North American enterprises, a trend projected to accelerate through 2016.