Testing as a Service (TaaS) is an emerging trend in the software industry that allows companies to outsource their testing activities to specialized service providers. With the increasing complexity of applications and the need for quicker release cycles, TaaS has become a viable option for businesses to achieve high-quality software without the overhead of maintaining an in-house testing team. In this blog section, we will delve deep into what Testing as a Service is, its benefits, types, and how it differs from traditional testing approaches.
What is Testing as a Service (TaaS)?
Testing as a Service is an outsourcing model where testing activities are shifted from in-house teams to a third-party service provider. This third-party specializes in simulating real-world testing environments and automating repetitive testing tasks. Unlike conventional in-house testing, TaaS provides scalable resources on-demand, enabling companies to only pay for the testing services they use.
Key features of TaaS
Flexibility
TaaS offers a flexible model where businesses can scale their testing efforts up or down according to project requirements.
Specialized expertise
TaaS providers are specialists in the field of testing and bring in-depth knowledge and expertise, providing added value to the software development process.
Cost-effective
By outsourcing testing activities, companies can save on the cost of setting up an in-house testing infrastructure and maintaining a dedicated team.
Quick turnaround
With a specialized focus, TaaS enables quicker bug identification and resolution, shortening the software development life cycle.
Types of Testing as a Service
Functional testing: Ensures the application functions as intended and meets specified requirements.
Performance testing: Assesses how the software performs under varying load conditions.
Security testing: Ensures that the software is secure from vulnerabilities, data breaches, and other risks.
Mobile testing: Specialized testing services for mobile applications across different devices and platforms.
Automation testing: Automates repetitive and time-consuming tasks to speed up the testing process.
Benefits of TaaS
1. Quality assurance: High-quality testing ensures a robust end product.
2. Reduced costs: Eliminate expenses related to in-house testing infrastructure.
3. Speed to market: Accelerate the development cycle by quickly identifying and fixing issues.
4. Resource allocation: Free up internal resources to focus on core development activities.
5. Scalability: Scale your testing efforts in line with your project's scope and complexity.
TaaS vs traditional testing
Testing as a Service differs from traditional testing in some key ways. Take a look at the important points below.
How to choose your TaaS provider
With 43% of respondents involved in a survey admitting that their testing process is slow and affects their ROI due to a long time to market (TTM), it’s important for businesses to adopt a blueprint approach towards improving the process. TaaS can come in handy in this situation since it’s fast, cost-effective, and reliable. However, it can be difficult to decide which TaaS provider to choose. Companies should evaluate their IT and business needs before choosing a provider.
There are a lot of variables to consider when choosing a TaaS provider. For example, start-ups and SMEs looking for testing services that are complex and time-consuming, their best option is to outsource and hire a Testing as a Service company. Simple testing tasks can be allocated to in-house professionals.
Read on: 4 Things Outsourced Software Testing Can Bring You
Disadvantages of Testing as a Service
Despite arguably being the better option compared to in-house testing, Testing as a Service has some disadvantages – but they’re not necessarily related to the service itself:
Finding a reliable TaaS provider
The current market for testing professionals is overcrowded, meaning it can be a difficult task to find a trusted TaaS provider. Selecting an untrusted or inexperienced provider can be costly.
Security
This is one of the major concerns for businesses looking to outsource software testing projects. Outsourcing your projects means you’re agreeing to share information and infrastructure with a third-party. This is where the trust and reputation of the involved TaaS provider comes into play.
Quality
This is another major concern. How sure are you that the provider you choose will deliver a quality service? Some providers can’t keep up with the project pace, which results in poor project outcomes.
Rare Crew: The Ultimate TaaS companion
We’ve tested various custom web-based applications which use technologies such as .NET, Bootstrap, Angular, Adobe EchoSign, and SAP. These applications cover various types like complex Customer relationship management, Enterprise resource planning, Rights management, Event management, and Ticketing and hospitality portals.
The fact that companies still find it necessary to use TaaS during the pandemic speaks for itself. The numbers support this claim as in 2020 we found more than 2,000 issues during testing and spent more than 15,000 hours on testing projects.
Our TaaS Workflow
Rare Crew’s testing team has years of experience with projects under both Agile and Waterfall development, with its numerous variations of workflow (Kanban, scrum, etc.). Tested projects vary in size, from small public facing applications to big CRM applications, involving various technologies. Testing can be executed on client’s or Rare Crew premises.
Thanks to the project hours we’ve spent on testing, we have an established, functional, and effective workflow that brings results and minimizes the possibility of errors:
Assessment
Our skilled team can quickly analyze your project and within hours can define the most important risks. In cooperation with the client, we define a test strategy and key parameters.
Design
Design is an essential part of the process and is where Rare Crew’s testing experts prepare complex test plans and test cases. This will be performed in cooperation with the client to achieve the best design for each project. If needed, testing will be automated.
Testing
Our experts then start to execute the test plan after agreeing on the duration and quality. Testing can be executed on the client’s premises or Rare Crew's premises.
Evaluation
All tests results are analyzed together with the client to decide defect criticality. All bugs are carefully documented to provide all inputs needed to resolve any identified issues. After that the fixed issues are carefully tested to ensure it works correctly.
Support
Our team is ready to be involved in all the stages of the process. We will gladly discuss any issues directly with your development team which allows you to focus on your business.
TaaS services offered by Rare Crew
Manual testing
When it comes to agile development, manual testing that’s executed by skilled experts is the solution to achieve the best possible application. We offer highly experienced testers to help you with this.
Regression testing
Do you have a newly deployed app but no time to test all the possible scenarios? We’re happy to help you and test the application.
Functional testing and User Interface testing
Exhausting depth testing isn’t what you need? We can test the functions of your app with high business impact and quickly discover any big problems.
User acceptance testing
Your development contractor delivers you an app, but you’re too busy with your business and don’t have time to test every possible scenario. We can do it for you, manually.
Multi-platform testing
Your app is working on your device, but the market is full of different brands and types with various operating systems and browsers. Is your application optimized for all the platforms your target group is using? We’ll help you find out.
Performance testing
Your product is working fine for you, but how will it work with thousands of users online? We can find out for you.
Satisfied clients and the number of project hours speak in our favor
Do you need a quality TaaS provider, or any of the services mentioned above? Reach out to Rare Crew’s experienced team and benefit from our expertise while you focus on growing your business.