Seven Key Trends in Application Testing

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We’re seeing more and more organizations resorting to more-evolved forms of testing services to improve their software delivery speed and quality. Because testing is an integral part of application development and maintenance (ADM) services, an overhaul of the testing function is becoming a means to integrate and scale an organization’s agile processes with DevOps.

ISG Research clients will have access to deeper insights and use-case-based guidance regarding application testing functions via the ISG Provider Lens™ report on “Next-gen ADM Services” that is slated for release later this year. In the meantime, following are seven influential and disruptive trends that clients should be aware of – and be talking with us about:

Test automation as-a-service. Test automation as-a-service is being advocated as a differentiator to win testing contracts with dominant digital scope. Enterprises are engaging with service providers to build test automation centers of excellence and initially manage them. This is especially visible where clients are bifurcating their ADM function into traditional and agile organizations.
Next-gen engagement models. Providers are introducing more decisive engagement models. For example: HCL’s Quality-as-a-Service model promises to reduce a fixed number of defects and cost within a given timeframe. This is enabled via just-in-time debugging (via use of reusable, decoupling, core and flex models), industrialized processes (which is a platform approach to testing that includes automation and analytics) and the use of Six Sigma methodology.
Increasing demand for full-stack testing engineers. The desire to achieve continuous testing capability has led to greater demand for full-stack testing engineers. Such resources are expected to have knowledge across test phases. For example, a full-stack engineer might be required to perform test execution automation on Selenium, integrate it with Jenkins for continuous integration, and then provision the test environments in public cloud and virtual environments.
Increasing adoption of cloud-based testing. With more apps being developed through cloud-based architectures, the use of cloud-based testing tools like SOASTA CloudTest, LoadStorm, BlazeMeter, Nessus, Jenkins Dev@Cloud and Xamarin test cloud is on the rise.
Domain and vertical integration. A wide range of testing services are getting mapped with industry-specific tools, reusable scripts and accelerators. The services being mapped include test consulting, application testing, application security testing, enterprise solution testing and IoT testing Moreover, service providers are creating specialized vertical solutions for testing clients. This trend is especially visible in the banking, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, CPG and retail industries.
Testing becoming a technology enabler. Testing is being viewed as an enabler to implementing emerging technologies. For example, for many IoT projects service providers and clients are resorting to the SIL (software in a loop) and HIL (hardware in a loop) testing approaches to test the real-world performance of connected physical devices.
Alliances. Service providers are forming alliances with leading test automation companies like Perfecto Mobile, Odin Technology, Infostretch, Smartesting and Neotys to meet speed-to-market requirements of digitally focused enterprises.

To learn more about our ISG Provider Lens global studies – which align providers and services with typical enterprise use cases and requirements – click on the links below or contact your ISG representative.