Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computer services over the internet and it is gaining a great deal of attention day by day as its usage becomes more common. It is estimated that the growth for personal cloud will reach $80.2 billion in the year 2020. The cloud makes it possible for you to access or store information while on the go. No matter where you are, you can access it anywhere anytime. It allows individuals and organizations to use hardware and software managed by third parties at remote locations. You can have the freedom of downloading any document or checking email while you are walking down to your office or even if you are on a holiday somewhere.
Testing, however, remains to be the most important aspect of the cloud. Even without it, nothing would be secure and personal data and important information can easily be accessed through various sources. So, it is extremely vital to guard this service against any vulnerabilities. It is common knowledge that this can’t be maintained without having a proper test management tool in place.
Traditional test management tools can have serious implications on the productivity if not managed properly so it is best to switch to the cloud. Reiterating on the importance of testing on the cloud, a recent post stated
“The normal testing approach in any organization is to invest in the hardware/ software infrastructure needed for the testing … The environment supplied to testing teams very rarely matches a customer environment on account of rapidly changing requirements, as a result of which it is very challenging for companies to keep up. Cloud is the answer to this problem, whereby users can easily replicate a customer environment and find defects early in the cycle.”
Let’s have a look at some of the benefits of using cloud-based test management tools:
- Sometimes while testing, the project requires you to test at different stages of the development cycle. No matter how many manual testers you bring in to share the burden, it is only the job of the test management tools to scale up and down the ladder with ease. Automation tools are of great help in this regard. The tool can even help you to run parallel tests saving lots of time, effort and money.
- Cloud based services give you access to the internet from anywhere in the world at any time. The cloud does not require you to be in the same physical location as the system that stores and saves your data. This gives you the freedom to work 24/7. Accessibility is extremely important even if you are logging in from your smartphone or any other device or location. In today’s age and time, you can’t confine yourself to a cubicle or a desk for that matter to get your work done. You should have access to your work regardless of your physical presence. This is where cloud plays an important role. With a cloud-based tool, you can access tests and results anytime, anywhere. No need to be in front of a particular computer. This means that when things go wrong, you can respond well in time and fix the problem.
- Most companies invest in the infrastructure whereas many of their servers are not utilized all the time. As a result, they have to deal with additional costs. Cloud helps to save huge expenses for the organization as users can use operating systems and tools as and when they want. Cloud based test management tool allows you to pay for what you use each month. Last year, almost 80% of organizations reported that cloud computing helped them reduce their costs.
- Using a cloud test management tool is as simple as going to their site and logging in. You don’t have to install anything or wait for its configuration. Saving loads of time and money yet again!
- Cloud based test management tools make it easier for teams spread around to collaborate with each other. If your team is using this tool then you’ll be able to easily share, communicate and coordinate your testing progress in one unified place. Testers can easily access reports from anywhere in the world at any time.
Cloud based test management tools help in cutting down a lot of the IT related tasks such as installation, up gradation of systems, licensing, etc. While focusing less on these, cloud-based test management solution helps you focus on core issues that can make a difference to your business.
