Cloud-based testing

Cloud-based testing

Abstract

Cloud-based testing entails a systematic quality assurance approach regarding the way computer users’ access and use cloud-based resources. Cloud-based testing is a current information technology concept that simulates user activity while using cloud storage resources to enhance safety and reduce storage costs. This paper presents the basic concepts regarding cloud testing comprising its scope, goals, necessities, structures, and benefits. Several organizations rely on cloud storage services to safeguard resources and improve organizational operability, particularly with information technology networks and databases. While the approach presents several benefits to organizations and individual users regarding resource storage are access, there are potential issues and challenges associated with the technology. As such, the paper also covers software assesment issues and challenges experienced while using cloud-based applications. Such information is significant in understanding how cloud-based testing is conducted, identify possible issues anticipated, and recommend resilient solutions that can help reduce challenges experienced through the cloud-based testing process. Overall, the paper aims to identify lasting solutions to software testing issues for cloud-based applications experienced by end-users, application providers, and vendors.

Keywords: Cloud-Based Testing, Information Technology, Scalability, Security Protocols, Network, Integration

Introduction

Cloud-based testing is a technique that utilizes cloud-based aspects to imitate real-world user traffic and settings. Cloud-based testing techniques can be functional for verifying cloud, web, or applications stored in internet-enabled devices.  Providers for cloud testing applications offer test settings that are designed in relation to request necessities. As such organizations and individual users can easily outsource their testing efforts to enhance the performance, security, and capacity of their networks, databases, or computer applications. While such benefits are significant for organizational operation, the rise of cloud-based testing issues reaps the advantages of testing in the cloud. This paper examines possible issues experienced in cloud-based testing as well as reliable solutions that vendors, services providers, and users can implement to address such concerns.

Issues Related to Cloud-Based Testing

Major concerns experienced in cloud-based testing include the scalability and performance testing issues.  Performance assment and scalability assessment are often carried out in a pre-fixed and static setting which contributes to scalability and evaluation metrics errors. Researchers are concerned with challenges experienced in distribution software and web-based software systems (Bain, Galvan, Nelson & Wu, 2018). Cloud-based systems are often set up with reconfiguration coordination resources and structures that alter the normal scalability and performance of the testing technique applied. Researchers fail to consider integral components in cloud testing such as vibrant scalability and scalable testing settings that interfere with the ultimate testing results (Vilkomir, 2015). Several journals have published challenges relating to performance assessment and scalability.

Another issue results in the inadequacy of testing security measurements in the clouds. Cloud-based security testing is a major concern in the contemporary software testing environment. Security of resources as well as testing authenticity is at peril as vendors lack appropriate security measures to ensure the security of cloud-based testing methods. Challenges relating to quality assurance and security validation of cloud testing are rampant (Batra & Sharma, 2014). It is not yet clear how engineers can assure the safety of cloud-based application procedures and corporate information located in third-party cloud infrastructure. Again, there are no accepted principles for security-oriented quality guarantee for end-to-end application phases (Bain, Galvan, Nelson & Wu, 2018). The inadequacy of testing security measurements in the cloud contributes to the challenges of accessing user-privacy concerns in cloud infrastructure.

Nevertheless, cloud-based testing also experience challenges relating to cloud integration. Numerous researchers have published issues related to integration testing addressing software combination testing concerns. The integration challenge arises from developing software and internet components that are not necessarily technology-enabled (Madan, Dave & Tandon, 2016). Lack of technology-enabled components limits the viability of testing with regards to the support and operability of software amalgamation. Typically, engineers need to deal with the combination of different SaaS and applications over the cloud in order to avail APIs and connectivity protocols. Lack of cloud integration applications and elements expedites compatibility costs making it almost impossible to attain successful cloud-based testing (Oujani & Jain, 2014). The inadequacy of distinct validation approaches and quality assurance criteria to address connectivity etiquettes and interaction boundaries presents difficulties in attaining successful cloud-based testing.

Cloud-based testing also anticipates regression testing issues. Due to software changes and bug-fixing, cloud-based testing becomes difficult in the efforts to support on-demand software validation. Regression testing issues are common in cloud-based testing and often result in a relapse in testing techniques used to validate the authenticity of software (Madan, Dave & Tandon, 2016). Notably, existing research on cloud-based testing of software focuses on the re-test of particular software versions in a pre-configured test setting. As a result, the multi-tenacity features of cloud may cause difficulties in applying existing applications in cloud testing mainly for on-demand software deterioration testing services (Nachiyappan & Justus, 2015). Regression testing issues limit the flexibility of software validation techniques in addressing dynamic features of clouds application including automatic provisihttps://essaygroom.com/emergent-technologies-for-corporate-strategies/oned features.

Solutions to Issues Related to Cloud-Based Testing

One of the key needs in cloud testing is adequate to examination frameworks and criteria to sustain effective cloud-based testing procedures. Scalability prototypes for cloud-based applications will help in defining adaptive assessment structures and scrutiny of metrics for scalability and performance testing in clouds. Engineers require distinct adaptive test frameworks and evaluation metrics for performance and scalability valuation in the clouds (Ahmad, Brereton & Andras, 2017). Dynamic systems such as the scale-up and scale-down should be incorporated in the process to guarantee system performance. Again, adequate integration criteria need to be incorporated into the testing procedures to address software integration challenges in cloud testing (Jayashree, Ivy & Vijayashreee, 2015). Such improvements will enhance cloud-based connectivity protocols to legacy systems of a clod to end-application amalgamation crossing clouds.

Moreover, improved test procedures and testing standards of diverse service level agreements for users will help reduce challenges experienced in cloud-based testing approaches. Vendors need to design testing applications with precise assessment and quality assurance principles as a way of establishing sound level safety protocols for end-users. Though the application of data security and systems is part of the requirements to establish security requirements for cloud infrastructure, technologies, and requirements (Gao, Bai & Tsai, 2014). A major reason for lack of evaluation criteria that address cloud safety in diverse features including end-to-end operation security and application data security is the inappropriateness in testing standards to guarantee corporate procedure privacy.

Innovative test approaches and solutions should also feature new aspects and necessities of SaaS and cloud-based applications to improve the approach to validation and regression testing solutions. With the current improvements in technology, the availability of high systems is integral to improve the cloud-based application (Madan, Dave & Tandon, 2016). Developers need instinctive re-testing approaches to mitigate the multi-tenacity aspects of clouds when changes in software are required for bug-fixing enhancement or application development. New improves instinctive resolutions for cloud testing interoperability are necessary for cloud testing improvements particularly with connectivity protocols and APIs (Bain, Galvan, Nelson & Wu, 2018). It is, therefore, necessary for software developers to ensure the superiority of cloud-based applications performance across diverse clouds particularly with interactions between firewalls and connectivity protocols.

Moreover, innovative dynamic test tools and platforms can also be implemented to ensure the safety and operability of cloud-based software testing. Ideally, cloud-based testing entails a large scale of instantaneous test loads in a scalable web-based disseminated setting. As such the necessity of diverse test parameters and applications is necessary to improve cloud-based testing. A practical example is the powerful test simulator (Vilkomir, 2015). The application offers an extensive web-based test emulation and data regeneration in the cloud. Computer-generated and physical resources need to be applied to improve the performance of testing applications and computing resources (Gao, Bai & Tsai, 2014).  For an improvement in cloud-based testing, flexible elements and gateways are required in the simulator to engage prevailing applications with improved software that support easy and robust integration of gateways doe improved performance.

Conclusion

Cloud-based testing is a current information technology notion that improves user activities while using cloud storage resources to enhance safety and reduce storage costs. Cloud-based testing is a necessity to reduce resource storage costs and improve the usability of data. While cloud-based testing enhances the operability of organizations regarding the use of networks and databases, there is a potential for cloud-based testing challenges particularly with application security, services assurance, and efficacy. More research is required to develop innovative testing procedures and principles to support on-demand assessment services in robust cloud infrastructure. Regardless of the prevailing testing issues, improvements in cloud computing will empower institutions to remain competitive due to improved functioning and performance. It is imperative to understand cloud-based testing challenges to ensure that applications operate seamlessly and securely on the cloud.

References

Ahmad, A. A. S., Brereton, P., & Andras, P. (2017, July). A systematic mapping study of empirical studies on software cloud testing methods. In the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Software Quality, Reliability and Security Companion (QRS-C) (pp. 555-562). IEEE. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82968568.pdf

Bain, M., Galvan, D., Nelson, C., & Wu, D. Y. (2018). U.S. Patent Application No. 16/060,922.

Batra, R., & Sharma, N. (2014). Cloud Testing: A Review Article. International Journal of Computer Science and Mobile Computing, 3(6), 314-319. Retrieved from https://www.ijcsmc.com/docs/papers/June2014/V3I6201449.pdf

Jayashree, J., Ivy, B. P. U., & Vijayashreee, J. (2015). Software Testing in Cloud. International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science, 3(1). Retrieved from http://pnrsolution.org/Datacenter/Vol3/Issue1/171.pdf

Nachiyappan, S., & Justus, S. (2015). Cloud testing tools and its challenges: A comparative Gao, J., Bai, X., & Tsai, W. T. (2014). Cloud testing-issues, challenges, needs, and practice. Software Engineering: An International Journal, 1(1), 9-23. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e919/f6d8e095005027cb69ae9bb054fded0e44cd.pdf

Madan, M., Dave, M., & Tandon, A. (2016). Challenges in Testing of Cloud-Based Application. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Electronics Engineering (IJARCSEE), 5(1), 28-31. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303758132_Challenges_in_Testing_of_Cloud_Based_Application

Oujani, A., & Jain, R. (2014). A survey on cloud computing simulations and cloud testing. Retrieved from https://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse567-13/ftp/cloud.pdf

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