An Insight into Cloud Testing

Cloud testing is a form of testing in which applications use cloud computing environment and cloud infrastructure. The cloud infrastructure includes hardware and bandwidth that closely simulates real world conditions and parameters. Testing a Cloud includes availability, security, performance, interoperability, disaster recovery, and multi-tenancy testing. Testing is performed in three distinct areas of cloud that includes infrastructure, platform and service. Organizations and enterprises face a lot of issues with testing such as limited test budget, lack of meeting the prescribed timelines in addition to high costs per test. Cloud testing facilitates services to clients based on internet and delivers services like resources, software, and information by leveraging cloud computing resources and models to enable all aspects of testing in a highly cost effective manner. The aim of cloud testing is to ensure high quality service delivery and help avoiding data outages by comprising of testing inside, outside, or either, in a datacenter.

A typical cloud environment handles high increases in load by dynamically scaling to more physical resources based on the need. It runs on a virtualized hardware and a software stack that can be moved and replicated between machines as needed. It provides API’s for integration and management and is built to be highly scalable in real time. However, to successfully provide cloud services and sharing of resources, the cloud must be tested. Cloud testing is testing cloud-based applications as a service and IT organizations that deal with testing products and services make use of cloud-based licensing models for clients. There are some cloud testing challenges like security challenge, layered testing challenge, scalability issues, lack of universal standards, guidance, and limited infrastructure that needs to be taken care of while cloud testing.

Benefits of Cloud Testing

With organizations adopting cloud services, they definitely get the benefit of quick access to data whenever needed without experiencing any undue delays. It also helps users’ data to be moved to large data centers, which are remotely located, with the user being able to access the same anytime needed. Further, it reduces direct price of equipment maintenance and management and helps attain rapid ROI on application assets and brings about faster time to market.

Disaster Recovery in Cloud: Today, there is a new concept of cloud that is based on virtualization wherein the entire server including the operating system, applications, patches and data are encapsulated into a single software bundle or virtual server. This virtual server further can be backed up to an off-site data center within no time. Since it is a virtual server without any need for hardware, data can be safely transferred from one data center to another without the burden of re-loading to the server. This can dramatically reduce recovery times compared to conventional (non-virtualized) disaster recovery approach as the server need to be loaded with the OS and later need to be configured. With cloud computing, disaster recovery becomes more cost effective with quicker recovery times.

Multi-Tenancy in SaaS Cloud Computing: In cloud computing, multi-tenancy represents a Software as a Service (SaaS) and the vendor provides a single version of its software for all its customers. Under

multi-tenancy architecture, a single instance of a software application serves multiple customers wherein each customer is a tenant. Under cloud computing, the multi-tenancy architecture has broadened due to new service models that take advantage of virtualization and remote access. The SaaS provider can further run one instance of its application on one instance of a database and provide web access to multiple customers and each tenant’s data is isolated and remains invisible to other tenants. It lowers the costs through economies of scale.

Cloud Testing Models

There are 3 models named as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). IaaS is a typical platform virtualization environment as a service. It can be represented as a fully outsourced service wherein client purchases servers, software, data center space, and other network equipment. With respect to SaaS, the cloud provider offers complete applications over the internet and service is paid on a unit basis with the Pay As You Go model. With the PaaS model, the service facilitates to help enterprise developers to quickly write and test customer or employee facing web applications.

There are different types of deployment models such as public cloud (services can be found by the third party through the web), private cloud (arranging of privately used applications emulating a cloud over the web), and the hybrid cloud (- which is a combination of public and private clouds).

Types of Cloud Testing

1. Functional Testing: It is performed for both remote and local applications. It consists of testing all features and functions of the system that includes hardware and software testing. The different types of functional testing are System, Integration, and User Acceptance Testing.
2. Non-functional Testing: This type of testing is done to ensure that a web application meets the specified performance requirements. It includes Security testing, Stress testing, Load testing, Performance Testing, Browser testing, Latency testing, Availability testing, Business Requirement testing, and more.

Cloud Testing Tools

The right choice of testing tools really depends on multiple parameters including client application architecture, context, and client needs. Some of the most commonly used Cloud testing tools have been given below.

Load Test and Performance Monitoring Tools

• Perfecto Mobiles, Keynote (Test Center Enterprise)
• Monitis, Cloudsleuth
• BrowserMob, CloudTools, GFI
• LoadStorm, CloudHarmony, InterMapper, BlazeMeter

Web Functional/Regression Test Tools

Windmill, QEngine, Soasta CloudTest, Selenium, LoadStorm (Web & Mobile), etc.

Cloud Security Testing Tools

Nessus (Detect Vulnerabilities), Wireshark, Nmap, App Thwack (for testing Android, iOS, and web apps on actual devices), Xamarin Test Cloud, etc.

Finally, it is true that the future for all large as well as small businesses will be around cloud computing solutions on a large scale. There are many advantages with cloud-based applications and with the advancement of cloud technology, cloud testing is emerging as Testing as a Service (TaaS). Thus, innovative cloud testing techniques, solutions and certain standards are needed to support on demand testing services in a cloud infrastructure.

Cigniti Technologies is ahead of the curve in enabling cloud-based testing services. Contact Cigniti’s team of testing experts to know more about our testing services.