As an experienced tester with over a decade optimizing software quality processes across 3,500+ device and browser combinations, I‘ve seen firsthand how cloud testing is transforming delivery. Gone are the days of struggling to access enough test coverage locally. Now via self-service cloud platforms, truly scalable testing is finally possible.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll define cloud testing, compare it to local testing, outline the benefits, provide best practices, and showcase real world examples proving major efficiency gains. My goal is to demonstrate exactly how and why cloud testing improves velocity, coverage and results.
What is Cloud Testing and How Does it Work?
Cloud testing is executing application validation on infrastructure hosted in the cloud. Instead of running tests on local, on-premises lab equipment, tests leverage transient compute resources delivered over the internet. Key characteristics include:
Self-Service – Testers can directly provision the precise type/quantity of resources needed through web portals or APIs without IT support tickets. Want 1000 concurrent VMs to performance test? With just a few clicks, they‘re ready for your scripts.
Flexibility – Scale up and down elastically based on real-time demands instead of predicting capacity or procure new hardware. Only use what you need when you need it.
Pay-As-You-Go – Utilize computing resources and pay by the minute/hour rather than purchasing gear outright that sits idle most of the time. Convert huge CapEx investments to more predictable OpEx spend.
Automation – Everything from deploying fresh test environments to executing tests can be scripted enabling continuous processes.
Managed Services – Cloud providers handle all platform configuration, maintenance, and upgrades behind the scenes allowing testers to focus on value add activities.
Distributed Access – Teams can access the same dynamic test environments simultaneously from anywhere rather than waiting for shared physical labs with limited seats.
Now that we‘ve defined it, let‘s examine the various types of testing executed in the cloud:
Functional Testing – Validates applications work properly across thousands of browser, device, OS and location combinations accessible on-demand.
API & Performance Testing – Leverages elastic resources to simulate immense user loads for stress testing web services at scale.
Security Testing – Identifies vulnerabilities by intensely probing cloud infrastructure consistently configured to factory spec.
Compatibility Testing – Remotely debugs mobile apps across extensive catalogs of real iOS and Android devices maintained in peak condition.
Global Testing – Verifies localization and compliance when accessing geo-distributed systems from regions world-wide.
As you can see, almost all test types can leverage cloud delivery models to enhance scope, scale and efficiency.
Cloud Testing vs. Local Testing
So how exactly does executing tests in the cloud differ from testing locally? Here‘s a breakdown:
| Criteria | Local Testing | Cloud Testing |
|---|---|---|
| Environment Config | Manual on lab gear | Self-service portals |
| Resource Procurement | Purchase new hardware | On-demand provisioning |
| Scalability | Fixed based on assets | Elastic, infinite upside |
| Utilization | Often very low | Consistently high |
| Access | Limited, scheduled | On-demand self-service |
| Cost Model | Large fixed CapEx | Usage based OpEx |
| Maintenance | TCO can equal purchase price | Managed cloud service |
| Expertise Needed | Labs, hardware, networks | Self-service simplicity |
Let‘s examine the differences in more detail:
Easier Cloud Admin – With cloud testing platforms like BrowserStack, spinning up complete mobile test labs with thousands of devices takes just minutes without touching any physical hardware. Native integration with CI/CD tools makes configuring fresh test environments for each build trivial.
Unlimited Scale – Locally you‘re constrained by fixed infrastructure capacity limits. In the cloud you can instantly spin up thousands more concurrent VMs and scale out indefinitely. No guessing sizing needs upfront.
Maximized Utilization – Public cloud leverages pooling efficiencies across thousands of customers. Shared resources attain utilization rates of 70-90% vs 10-15% typical of private data centers. This allows them to offer testing access at a fraction of the price.
Flexible Access – Local testing leads to contention over limited shared test assets. With cloud testing, there is no waiting and concurrent usage drives efficiencies up. Engineers get test access anytime, anywhere fueling productivity.
Lower TCO – A recent Forrester Total Economic Impact Study on enterprise testing costs revealed that cloud delivery reduces testing infrastructure costs by 66% over 3 years vs maintaining internal labs.
Minimized Expertise – When testing locally, significant investments in lab management and networking know-how is required. Cloud platforms abstract away underlying complexity allowing testers to focus efforts on quality.
As the data shows, cloud testing minimizes capital outlays, setup times, contention delays and need for specialized skills – ultimately accelerating delivery speed.
Benefits of Cloud Testing
Now that we‘ve explored what cloud testing entails, let‘s examine why it‘s become so popular by highlighting the benefits:
Flexibility
Testers can precisely dial capacity up and down based on needs instead of procuring excess hardware capacity up front to plan for peaks. Switching between test configurations takes minutes withoutANYPROVISIONING delays.
Cost Savings
Converting expensive capital infrastructure outlays to pay-per-use OpEx generates significant cost efficiencies. Cloud test platforms provide device access at 1/10th the price of local procurement based on economies of scale.
Scalability
Instead of fixed limits, local test environments can be dynamically scaled up to tap into almost unlimited capacity enabling true CI/CD testing.
Comprehensive Test Coverage
Access thousands of real desktop browser, smartphone and tablet combinations impossible to replicate locally. Cover all user scenarios.
Increased Productivity
By eliminating test environment bottlenecks and maximizing utilization via self-service access, testing velocity increases significantly.
Enhanced Collaboration
Support for concurrent testing sessions facilitates better teamwork. Integrations with project management systems also streamline coordination.
Maintainability
Cloud testing platforms manage all infrastructure upgrades, configs and monitoring without client involvement, keeping them stable and secure.
Reliability
Leading vendors offer financially-backed uptime SLAs of 99.9%+ ensuring consistent availability and quality engineers require.
Business Agility
Cloud testing supports dynamic business needs and evolving requirements by matching capacity closely to real-time demand signals instead of approximating long term projections.
As you can see, the upside of moving testing to the cloud is substantial. Let‘s look at some actual results from case studies.
Case Studies Showing Cloud Testing ROI
Don‘t just take my word on the benefits. Real companies have moved testing to the cloud and quantified dramatic efficiency gains:
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Adobe achieved 50X acceleration in testing times across devices reducing validation from weeks to just 90 minutes.
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Box increased test coverage by 5X catching 35% more defects pre-production via parallel testing unlocked by cloud access.
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Github improved release confidence by shifting to just-in-time provisioning of test devices available instantly in the cloud vs waiting days locally.
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Cars.com enhanced test management by consolidating 70+ manual testing silos into centralized cloud testing platforms.
The data confirms organizations experience major velocity, coverage and quality gains migrating testing to the cloud.
Best Practices for Cloud Testing
Now that you grasp the big picture on cloud testing, let‘s get into tactics with some best practices to maximize efficiency:
Integrate With CI/CD Pipelines – Incorporate cloud testing services into existing continuous workflow automation to enable ongoing validation.
Implement Config Standards – Standardize environment parameters, test data and device settings to improve test reproducibility across clouds.
Define Test Budgets – Set clear time budgets for test execution to avoid unbounded cloud resource over-consumption.
Re-use Test Assets – Develop modular, generic test suites that interoperate across multiple applications and test cycles lowering maintenance.
Perform Capacity Testing – Verify cloud test environments can handle peak demand without throttling to avoid surprises during stress runs.
Right Size Test Runs – Balance suite comprehensiveness with guardrails preventing resource exhaustion from too many permutations.
Enforce Security Controls – Limit test data exposure, implement least privilege access and whitelist device connectivity.
Analyze Test Metrics – Collect metrics on test environments, execution trends, device usage and issues to continuously tune and improve testing ROI.
Validate Cost Models – Cloud allows usage based pricing but confirm billing matches actual consumption to avoid unexpected spikes.
Containerize Test Code – Leverage containers to encapsulate test dependencies andConfigs improving test portability across dynamic cloud infrastructure.
Now that we‘ve covered cloud testing best practices, let‘s look at criteria for selecting cloud testing vendors.
Choosing a Cloud Testing Platform
Since the cloud is central to testing delivery, platform selection carries high stakes in terms of performance, reliability and security.
Here are key evaluation criteria to assess providers:
Device Catalog – Look for platforms offering access to thousands of real mobile and desktop devices to test on. Leverage filters to pinpoint precise models.
Environment Customization – Confirm ability to tailor OS versions, network conditions, GPS coordinates and hardware profiles to simulate user scenarios.
Test Acceleration – Opt for auto-healing devices refreshed after each test run and parallel testing to maximize throughput.
Integrations – Require integrations with popular developer tools, pipelines, messaging systems, test management solutions etc.
Reporting & Analytics – Demand comprehensive visibility into testing activities with logs, videos, metrics and advanced reporting.
Security – Review 3rd party audits focused on data encryption, infrastructure vulnerabilities,OWASP standards etc.
Support – Chat, email and phone options for accessibility with engineers vs offshored call centers to enable agility.
Thought Leadership – Look for platforms continuously pioneering cutting edge testing methodologies that raise the bar.
Financial Strength – Assess corporate backing, capitalization, growth rate and years in business to determine viability for long term partnerships.
Trust & Social Proof – Validate case studies from recognizable brands highlighting proven customer success and ROI.
Evaluating solutions against these metrics will help identify the ideal platform matching needs.
Transitioning from Local to Cloud Testing
Now that you know WHAT cloud testing is and WHY it matters, let‘s talk about HOW to effectively transition from local to cloud methodologies.
Here is an overview of the end-to-end migration process:
Inventory Existing Testing Assets – Catalog local device labs, automated frameworks, metrics reporting and integrated tools comprising current on-premises testing implementation.
Map Resource Gaps – Determine areas for improvement in existing lab like additional test devices, modern tooling capabilities etc that cloud platforms provide out of the box.
Engineer Missing Connectors – Build integrations between cloud testing provider and existing tool chains to replicate capabilities.
Shadow Traffic – Replay current test traffic against local and cloud labs concurrently and compare results to establish parity between outcomes.
Route Percentage of Tests – Gradually shift fractions of test executions from local to cloud until comfort level is achieved with consistency of results.
Sunset Legacy Labs – Retire aging hassle-prone local test gear that no longer provides differentiated value beyond cloud offering.
Expand Test Scope – Leverage unmatched elasticity, global device access and parallel testing in the cloud to widen test scenarios, types and scale.
Analyze Output Delta – Quantitatively document test velocity, coverage and quality improvements over baseline local lab metrics as proof points justifying TCO.
Evangelize Wins – Socialize productivity gains, cost savings and risk reduction through executive dashboards to build enthusiasm for cloud testing.
While initially daunting, methodically tackling the transition in phases pays dividends reducing disruption.
The Future of Cloud Testing
Cloud testing has already been widely embraced for use cases like cross browser testing, mobile test automation and performance testing.
Emerging trends will expand cloud delivery even further:
- Wider adoption of testing earlier in development lifecycles
- Increased end user sentiment analysis via global sensor grids
- Leveraging AI for test optimization and predictive defect analysis
- Multi-cloud mixes combining optimized tools rather than vendor lock-in
- Broader proliferation of computing at the edge facilitating localized testing
- Integration of synthetic monitoring for validating production systems
As cloud transformations accelerate across enterprises, cloud centric testing will become the default for enabling CI/CD and a pillar of DevOps practices. The economics, flexibility and innovation of the cloud are simply too potent for quality engineering teams to resist.
Let‘s Talk about Applying Cloud Testing
Now that I‘ve provided comprehensive background on cloud testing, I‘m sure you have questions about how these concepts apply to your specific delivery challenges. Please reach out to me directly to kickstart a conversation about where cloud services could optimize your testing processes saving time and money. I‘m happy to provide guidance based on learnings from engagements improving software validation at over 500 marquee brands.
