In the first part of this blog, I talk about my simple understanding & the what and why of Testing-as-a-Service.
The backdrop
Although the concept of consolidated hosting of web applications can be traced back to the 60s decade, the term SaaS(Software as a Service)was noticed first in early 2001.As the world gradually ascended to the cloud and mobility became the name of the game,, the SaaS model was acknowledged and accepted with aplomb. In continuation to that, the world halts and sees if anything and everything in the software world can fit in to the paradigm of pay-as-you-go or pay-as-you-use. In addition, any model also has to yield in terms of cost effectivity, scalability, integration , ease of use and availability anywhere. It is no surprise that “Testing-as-a-Service “ or TaaS is another rung in the “Everything-as-a-Service” ladder.
What is Testing-as-a-Service?
If the entire testing activities for an organization (product wise or otherwise) are outsourced or redistributed to an external party which provides state-of-the-art skills, infrastructure and environment to meet the necessary requirements near perfectly (at a cost as per usage),this model is known as Testing-as-a-Service(TaaS).
Why is Testing-as-a-Service required?
How the traditional concept of testing works:
A team in an organization develops functionality or a product. Developers themselves don the hats of testers and run unit tests .Then they pass it on for further extensive levels of in-house testing like integration , systems ,performance ,regression and many others depending on the stage of development ,release etc.
Some of the drawbacks of this approach are:
1) Huge Investment in terms of testing tools & software, licenses and resources for an effective testing environment having a risk of under usage and inflexibility
2) Scaling issues
3) Dual role and overburdening of developers in certain cases resulting in a risk of overlooking and leakage of critical issues
4) Takes longer time to reach the market and customers which is indefensible in the era of cloud and mobility
5) Constant need for upgradation of software and supply of devices(smart phones with different Oss, tablets etc.) for browser, device and other compatibility checks.
There can be some other shortcomings also. Can you mention some?
How does Testing-as-a-Service come to the rescue?
In contrast to the aforesaid handicaps, TaaS provides the following merits:
- 1) Unrequired investment in testing infrastructure is saved. Expense based on usage.
- 2) Experts and adequately skilled professionals ensure better quality.
- 3) Shorter time to market, quick cycles.
- 4) Availability of latest systems and devices.
- 5) Flexibility and scalability.
Can you think of some more advantages that TaaS provides?
In the next blog of this series ,I will write about the types of Testing -as-a-Service, its relevance ,when to go for it and when it is not strongly recommended.