Testing as a Service (or TaaS) is an outsourcing model in which an independent service provider undertakes testing activities instead of a company, providing ready access to the right tools, experts, and automation test environments.
How Does Testing as a Service Work?
TaaS can assume various shapes and forms, but the basic principle remains consistent. A company engages an external service provider to conduct testing, which is typically utilized for automated processes (since they require massive amounts of resources and effort if done manually) and may suggest a single portion of testing. If the business lacks the necessary resources (e.g., technology) to conduct a thorough checkup on its own, it may also consider utilizing software testing as a service model.
TaaS is not an option if a deep analysis of all the hardware, software, and services needed to run the company and execute business operations is required. Companies prefer TaaS when time to perform testing is restricted, there is a lack of testing infrastructure, or there is an extensive level of automation. A vendor suggests customized testing solutions, automating nearly half of the test cases while reducing testing time and cost (tools and infrastructure are provided by cloud).
The overall procedure is as follows:
- Test scenarios of what needs to be tested are created.
- Test environments are configured.
- Tests are prepared and executed inside the existing test environment.
- Performance is monitored and analyzed.
- The provider and the client cooperate together to improve the product, enhance its performance, and achieve high-quality results in the future.
So, what does TaaS do and why does it get so much attention? The secret to TaaS is that it refers to a wide range of testing techniques, supporting various aspects of the app testing process while offering a few significant benefits such as faster delivery, reduced costs, and solutions tailored to the client’s demands.
What Does TaaS Typically Include?
Testing as a Service can be classified into two main categories, functional and non-functional testing. There are minor categories within these two groups, depending on the objectives they have.
- Cloud testing as a service focuses on testing the company’s cloud resources and apps that reside in the cloud to guarantee clients can securely access the platform over the Internet.
- Quality Assurance testing as a service ensures that the final version of the product meets the requirements before it is released to the public. The vendor offers testing solutions to eliminate flaws and ensure quality.
- Penetration testing as a service is when a vendor performs mock attacks (simulated cyberattacks) to evaluate a company’s security system. This form of testing-as-a-service (TaaS) is a part of a more comprehensive security program that exposes and addresses hidden weaknesses in the system’s defense against cyberattacks before hackers exploit them.
- Unit testing as a service focuses on evaluating the functionality of the smallest unit in the system, a given piece of coding. Typically, a weak part is checked first. Since it is an easy getaway for the program to get infected.
- GUI testing as a service, or Graphic User Interface testing as a service, is utilized to evaluate the user-facing side of the software. In other words, it is testing from a user’s perspective across the expected platforms and devices. A service provider can find the defects that your clients will mention if they use the system and discover a way to transform the user interface to make it better.
- Regression testing as a service focuses on those elements that have already been checked. It happens when the system changes to confirm the existing features have not been affected by the new ones.
- API testing as a service, also known as Application Program Interface testing, answers the question of whether the program meets functionality, security, and reliability expectations by sending requests to various API endpoints and comparing the current response to the expected result.
- Load testing as a service is a part of performance analysis in which a reaction to heavy usage volumes is evaluated by applying the desired load variations and simulating real-user scenarios. A provider looks for weak spots in a system in order to exclude them and improve the response time as well as define the possible traffic for the app to run without failures or unexpected exits.
- Performance testing as a service refers to overall application performance testing, in which a team of professionals verifies that the app behaves as it should under the expected workload, eliminating bottlenecks if they emerge. The software’s speed, scalability, and stability under different loads are prioritized. The efficiency of the performance testing can be dramatically increased if the process is outsourced with TaaS and, as a result, automated.
- Integration testing as a service is when a service provider examines how distinct units of code interact or integrate with one another. Instead of assessing each component individually, a vendor analyzes how all of them work together as a combined entity.
- Functional testing as a service covers testing the entire existing functionality as well as how the system operates. Other types of functional analysis, such as GUI and user acceptance testing, may also fall under the category.
- Localization testing as a service is done to control whether the settings are correct and fulfill the expectations in a foreign locale (country and culture-specific adjustments). It is conducted to eliminate errors associated with adaptation when a software is localized for usage in a new region. With the help of professional localization tools, the provider verifies that the product functions flawlessly in every market for every user. The human perspective, we believe, can never be automated in this form of testing. That is why it is critical to have a professionally designed team to ensure that each user has an equally enjoyable experience with your product.
What to Consider Choosing a TaaS Provider?
There are a few things you should keep in mind when ordering Testing as a Service (TaaS):
- Define your testing needs. Have a clear understanding of your testing needs, or at least set your priorities and consult a potential provider about the ins and outs of a testing project. This includes identifying the types of testing you need (e.g., functional, performance, security), the scope of the testing (e.g., specific features or components), and the desired outcomes of the testing (e.g., identifying and fixing bugs, improving performance).
- Focus on the testing provider’s expertise. Look for a testing-as-a-service provider that has experience and expertise in the types of testing you need. This may include specialized knowledge of specific technologies or frameworks, as well as experience testing similar applications or systems.
- Evaluate the TaaS provider’s processes and tools. It’s important to understand how the TaaS provider will approach the testing process and what tools and technologies they will use, including real life devices.
Providing full-cycle testing services for over two decades now, we have made it a priority to focus on integral solutions that fit the client’s real purpose, not just the project’s scope.
