Cloud Testing: Benefits and Demerits

Gone are the days when data was filed up and stored in a series of cupboards and shelves; it’s time for the internet to take over now. Stacks of files left to gather dust and no one to manage them is the thing of the past now. Let’s welcome cloud testing and applications that have made it possible for businesses across all walks of life to handle data more effectively. This technology has proven to be a potential weapon in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic, where work-from-home has become the next normal. The cloud testing market is expected to reach $165.1 billion during the coronavirus pandemic, as per Research Dive’s report. Besides, cloud testing has made it easier for organizations to operate worldwide remotely during the pandemic.

What Exactly is Cloud Testing?

Cloud testing is utilized to assess websites for analyzing their features such as performance, scalability, reliability, and security. Cloud testing is operated on a third-party cloud computing website or environment that possesses the infrastructure to carry out tests. Different types of cloud testing techniques open up testing for hardware and software dimensions, without having to worry about budget, multiple tests, geographical issues, and costs per test. Furthermore, the core goal of cloud testing is to cover functional as well as non-functional testing requirements and save time for organizations.

Why Choose Cloud Testing?

Cloud brings with it a bunch of benefits that might help to accelerate testing for one’s website. Here are some of the eye-catching advantages of cloud testing.

1. Automation tools of cloud testing aid to ameliorate collaboration between varied teams and members of the same team. This ensures smooth functioning of work and averts any kind of activity overlap between the members.
2. Eradicating environment-related delays is another useful perk of using cloud testing. Environments that offer cloud-based testing can be provisioned efficiently, thus eliminating the necessity to split environments among the teams.
3. The in-house infrastructure costs more than the entire cost of ownership of the cloud testing automation tools. The ‘Pay-as-you-go’ model is popularly preferred by various cloud providers, which simply signifies that one can save money when tools are not in use or prefer to scale down testing procedures due to business purposes.
4. The software and hardware cloud testing automation tools are available 24/7, except during downtime procedures for maintenance. This aspect flourishes tie-ups between geographically dissipated developments and test teams because resources are readily accessible via the cloud.
5. Cloud-based testing identifies performance issues on a web application by scaling up the application to a wide range of users that access the web application on the cloud. In the case of an in-house testing infrastructure, the encumbrance of its reliability and scalability lies with the DevOps team. Nevertheless, cloud testing facilitates that its infrastructure is up-to-date so that the users experience the best working platform.
6. Bugs in a web application can be a major threat to any organization as this might lead to a mishap. The communication gap between the testing teams and development could be the reason for bug risks. Cloud testing services support integration with a third party, thus simplifying the process of tracking bugs, managing projects, and tests.

Obstacles While Using Cloud Testing

Every product has its adverse side; however, if used wittily, this can turn out to be beneficial as well.

1. Data Security and Privacy

Cloud applications face data breaches every single day, thus assurance about data safety must be given to all of its users by the cloud strategists.

2. Interface Compatibility

When a cloud service is upgraded, the external interface also moves up which poses a challenge for users who are acquainted with the older version. The cloud subscribers need to be ensured that the customers can switch the interface version during work.

3. Short Notice Period

Cloud provider offers a notice period of 1-2 weeks to the customers regarding the upgrade. This feature is creates an issue when it comes down to manually validating changes to the SaaS application.

4. Data Migration

Data migration from one cloud system provider to another is a massive hurdle because both providers may have divergent databases. Also, a lot of effort is put in to understand the data fields and how they are mapped across the SaaS system.

5. Live Upgradation Testing

This is considered the biggest obstacle because the core goal of live upgrades is to avoid its impact on the existing SaaS user.

6. Enterprise Application Integration

Enterprise application integration craves for data integration validation of inbound and outbound data, from SaaS to the client network and vice versa.

Wrapping Up

Cloud testing platform is gaining an upper edge due to its unique features such as the ability to interact through the web or mobile applications. Furthermore, data is handled by local devices and cloud-based solutions. This technology has tremendous scope for innovation and discoveries in the forthcoming years. So keep testing!

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.