We’re all familiar with the cloud. As a topic that’s clearly trending and growing in software, our appreciation of the cloud stems from its innovation as well as its effectiveness.
The cloud is only projected to become more popular and more common in years to come. In fact, 95 percent of organizations are using a cloud in some way, and the market is supposed to increase 22 percent annually according to SD Times.
In software development, the cloud provides an easy-access, remote testing environment to produce real user scenarios. As organizations consider the benefits of the cloud, here are some signs that tell you it’s time to use it for browser testing.
- You’re starting a business – One of the best times to check your web design across browsers are in the early stages a.k.a the exploratory tests. New companies should ensure they establish the UI of their website to look and function responsively across multiple devices when quality can make or break a business reputation.
- You’re moving from manual to automation – The cloud offers an easy onboarding for organizations whose testers are a little newer to programming and automation. As you continue to recognize the benefits of automating your tests, the cloud is a practical way to make the process pain-free. With on-demand access, it’s easy for your team to test whenever they need and learn as they go. Additionally, screenshots, extensions, frameworks, debugging tools, and integrations are included to optimize usability and make testing more enjoyable. Plus, customizable preferences and customer-centric user interface assure an optimal user experience.
- You’re realizing there aren’t enough hours a day to test everything – If you find yourself with test cases that are taking more time than there are hours in the day, it might be time to think about adding some more machines to your parallel testing. Parallel testing is a feature exclusive to the cloud, which will allow you to significantly cut down your testing time by testing different cases on multiple machines at the same time, instead of one after the other. Additionally, the cloud is available all day every day, so you can test whenever you want without having to be on-site. In fact, you can even run automated tests in your sleep. This will make it easier to test all the configurations you need to, while still meeting deadlines.
- You have a hard time keeping up with all the tech – Software testing is not what it used to be. With so many new browsers, OS versions, and devices coming out all the time, it can be difficult to keep track of all the configurations you need to test on. In the cloud, new releases are added for you so you don’t even have to think about it.
- You think new smartphones are way overpriced – If your device lab budget isn’t quite allowing all the configurations you need, a cloud might be just the right answer. When an average Android is about $670 and an iPhone rounds out at around $700, the numbers can add up fast when you try to test on every device your user has — not to mention maintenance.
- You recognize the benefits of simulators, emulators, and real devices – While emulators and simulators have their place in testing, real devices are crucial in order to test on the machines that your users are on. To get the most comprehensive breadth of simulators, emulators, and real devices for testing, a cloud is the best way to access all three for different purposes, and the combination ensures that you always have access to testing.
- You’re scaling your team – You had QA all figured out when you had just one (albeit really talented) tester. But, as your company scales, so must your testing team. When everyone’s trying to complete different tasks that all seem to be of top priority at the same time, the cloud gives you more room to accommodate growing pains. Since everyone has access to the same devices at once, you can ensure you’re supplying your growing team with the resources they require.
- You have testers in different offices – Similarly, it’s a little bit difficult to share the capabilities of your device lab among a QA team that’s spread out among different cities, countries, and continents. Testing in a cloud provides one platform that further encourages communication through different departments and remote teams with integrations like Slack sharing.
- Your customers are getting demanding – Has your customer support team been extra stressed out lately? Are you getting user reports saying that your website is slow, or there’s a bug, or it’s not working on their browser? Your customers have high expectations of you. They might be using a wider variety of devices than you think, and it’s compromising their interaction with your web application.
What pushed you to make the decision to adopt a cloud testing service? Tell us in the comments!