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Monday, January 31, 2011

Software Testing Services and the Importance of Software Performance Testing

A study conducted by AMR Research, Boston, MA, revealed that outsourcing software testing services to offshore development centers saves companies to up to 75% in in-house costs. The study further revealed that the services provided in countries like India rank well qualitatively, and offshoring has become less risky with time as these countries are upping their performance levels. The study says that software testing is a crucial process as the cost of finding and fixing defects is reported to be eating nearly 50% of the total development cost for all software development projects.

It has been observed in various software companies that in the recent downturn that the first axe mostly felled on the IT budget affected testing systems, thus making it difficult for many IT organizations to test an application internally. Faced with intense competition from rivals and tight profit margins, many organizations are required to cut on their IT budgets and bring about reduction in the costs of testing.

Compare the above problem with these statistics. A Gartner report once stated that most of the software defects found in production cost four times more compared to when fixing those defects during system testing, and about 200 times more if the defects were identified during the definition of requirements.

Software performance testing services and functional testing services are offered by many offshore software development companies. To save on costs, the testing processes are outsourced by western countries to eastern companies. Offshore software testing services are reasonable enough nowadays. Most of the offshore software testing providers use some of the testing tools like the Rational Test Manager, Anteater etc. in different stages of the software testing cycle. Even the quality assurance services provided in India are cost-effective and right on the money.

Various testing models like the V-Model and methodologies like Agile have become popular and hence facilitated functional tests to be carried out at earlier stage and thereby defects can be traced out earlier. The cost of software quality ultimately goes down helping the achievement of desired ROI.

It is entirely the testing team’s strategy of testing of applications. There are many approaches to software application testing services as well as for software performance testing or functional testing. But effective testing of complex products is essentially a process of investigation, not merely a matter of creating and following routine procedure.

Labels: software application testing services, software companies, Software Performance Testing, Software Testing Services, unit testing

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Benefits of using Microsoft .NET application development

The .NET Framework is Microsoft's comprehensive platform for .Net application development which hosts a plethora of features blended with a visually stunning user experience. It also provides seamless and secure communication, and the ability to replicate a huge range of business processes. The .NET Framework consists of:

• Common Language Runtime – Provides an abstraction layer over the OS

• Base Class Libraries – pre-built code for low-level programming

• Development frameworks – reusable and customizable modules for high level programming.

.NET and SharePoint

SharePoint eases out the learning curve for .NET application developers. SharePoint is built entirely on ASP.NET and hence uses the same framework, languages, class libraries, and development tools. Many of its out-of-the-box features are great for developing or customizing effective business collaboration platform. SharePoint enables users to connect with each other through formal and informal business communities. These communities might be within the enterprise and beyond and access rules are defined as well to manage content on the enterprise level.

.NET and Windows Server 2008 R2

Sophisticated web and server applications can be built and run with the .NET Framework along with Windows Server 2008. ASP.NET can be used for dynamic websites while IIS can be used for scalable hosting environment which will be secure enough too. Both ASP.NET and IIS can be used to build applications quickly.

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and message queuing is essential to make sure that the application you created can communicate as and when required.

.NET and Windows 7

Whether you are targeting consumers or Web users, Windows 7 provides the sleekest and ultra-modern look for a well-connected experience for developers. You can enlist support of more than 17,000 partners worldwide. There are developer support programs on offer too like BizSpark, Logo Program, and other ISV/Developer programs.

.NET and Windows Azure

The Windows Azure platform includes Windows Azure, an operating system as a service; SQL Azure, a relational database in the cloud built; as well as Service Bus and Access Control Service, a Web-based service providing connectivity for cloud-based applications. The Windows Azure platform ensures that you can stay focused on application logic which is similar to other Microsoft applications. Get your .NET application development process up and running without worrying about building and managing your own infrastructure.

.NET and SQL Server 2008

Deliver database applications swiftly using the SQL Server data platform and the ever-reliable .NET Framework. Effective Data-centric solutions can be created for mobile devices, Web servers, and enterprise servers too. What’s more, SQL Server is at the core of this comprehensive .NET application development framework!

Labels: .Net Application Development, .Net Framework, Microsoft .Net Platform

Friday, January 7, 2011

SharePoint consulting services in drastic demand

SharePoint Consulting Services incorporate a suite of different server capabilities which can enhance organizational effectiveness by providing comprehensive content management and enterprise search. SharePoint 2010 helps the acceleration of shared business processes, and promotes inflow and outflow of information for better business insight. Microsoft Office SharePoint Consulting Services are part of exciting business packages in the IT world today. This Microsoft product is highly popular all over the world and known to be beneficial to several businesses. It helps to make business processes more efficient without much training required beforehand.

As Microsoft SharePoint 2010 is fast catching up with enterprises and is surely making an impact with the businesses far and wide, many companies have geared up with added services in the domain. Recently, Dice.com survey found out that SharePoint skills are one of the most sought-after skills. Skills of an average Microsoft SharePoint Consultant is placed in the list at number ten, according to the report by WindowsITPro. SharePoint 2010 is also viewed as flexible software that is adaptable to a range of tasks and helpful to many businesses.

Communication and collaboration is vital to the life of any business organization and also its success, with respect to both external communication and internal. SharePoint implementation services enable businesses to communicate through a central source storing all information with access restricted to authorized users only. This keeps relevant staff informed and clients satisfied.

The best part here is SharePoint 2010 can be easily integrated with Microsoft Office applications. There are hundreds of ways through which SharePoint 2010 services can boost productivity and restructure businesses processes. Many companies have noticed that the advent of SharePoint implementation and its integration with common applications has permitted their employees to work more effectively and efficiently. Additionally, projects have been scheduled for completion at faster rates resulting in fantastic optimization of company resources.

Labels: Microsoft Office SharePoint Consulting Services, Microsoft SharePoint Consultant, SharePoint 2010, SharePoint Consulting Services, SharePoint implementation services

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Role of Software testing services and cloud computing

Software testing services are an important part of SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle). A Gartner report once stated that most of the software defects found in production cost four times more compared to when fixing those defects during system testing, and about 200 times more if the defects were identified during the definition of requirements.

A study conducted by AMR Research, Boston, MA, also revealed that outsourcing software testing services to offshore development centers saves companies to up to 75% in in-house costs. The study further revealed that the services provided in countries like India rank well qualitatively, and offshoring has become less risky with time as these countries are upping their performance levels. The study says that software testing is a crucial process as the cost of finding and fixing defects is reported to be eating nearly 50% of the total development cost for all software development projects.

Cloud computing services are said to be scalable on demand. Businesses verify whether they can handle the workload of the proposed project by load or stress testing. These types of offshore software testing services can prove that the developed solution is scalable according to the requirements. By applying techniques which can ascertain the load, the estimates can be given efficiently.

Most software performance testing techniques measure and verify systems performance accurately. Using both performance testing and load testing in consonance, the user allows an accurate image of the solutions ability over the cloud to be created. Security testing helps in providing assurance that critical data related to a business is stored and delivered safely. Offshore software testing methods like penetration testing help in proving that the mechanism that are developed to maintain security will remain intact.

These are some of the points related to the performance software testing process which plays a crucial role in different software development methodologies. These rules are widely used by the best of developers across the globe and more than ever, by reputed offshore software development centers. It is vital for companies who promote custom software development to adhere to these rules to get an edge over its competitors.

In the end, all the business requirements are verified and validated to effectively prove that computing cloud surely meets up with the documented needs of the business. In terms of versatility through offshore software testing process too, the location independence of cloud computing scores full marks. Much infrastructure needs get lessened by the benefits of cloud computing solutions, and offshore software testing services reduce the cost involved to a greater extent.

Labels: Cloud Computing services, Load Testing, Offshore Software Testing Services, Software Performance Testing

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Tips and Strategies for software testing services

Software Testing Services: The Best Strategies

Some of the best practices for software testers:

1) The test results need to be analyzed thoroughly and should not be ignored. Troubleshooting the failed attempts are crucial too as it might lead to eventual success. Also providing solutions to bugs which are stored in logs is also important.

2) It is helpful to maximize the test coverage while on a test while providing software testing services to a client.

3) For ensuring maximum test coverage in software application testing, using application under test (AUT) for breaking into smaller functional modules is useful. Break them in to smaller parts if possible, and write test cases for these modules.

4) It is beneficial to write test cases for intended functionality i.e. for valid conditions first and then invalid conditions.

5) Be positive in finding out bugs in the program. Don't take it beforehand that the program is free from bugs. Go with the intention and one might even find the subtle mistakes which could have been overlooked.

6) Write your test cases in requirement analysis and design phase itself. This way you can ensure all the requirements are testable.

7) After requirement testing, try to do some negative software testing on the application that is for what it is not supposed to do.

8) Always note down the new terms while conducting tests of an application and during the creation of the final test release report.

9) Keep developers away from test environment to detect any possible configuration changes which might get missed in the release or deployment document.

Software Processes involved throughout STLC (Software Testing Life Cycle):

• Test Maintenance: Execution, tracking, and analysis for an integral part of test maintenance. Tools such as Rational Test Manager and Quality Center are used.

• Test Automation: This process involves usage of automated tools to form test cases and analysis of results. E-testing is also a part of test automation which performs tests on e-commerce applications.

• Defect Management: This process involves task of logging, tracking & analysis of the defect that are found throughout the Testing phase. Tools like Rational ClearQuest, Quality Center & other bug tracking tools are used for the same.

• Test Environment Management: This process involves task of setup, configuration & regular upgrade of Test Environment that would be used for Software Testing. Virtualization tools are used to setup Test Environment & Automation is done to ensure timely deployment & configuration of the Test Lab.

There are many other types and processes along with approaches within the realm of software testing services. It primarily depends on the client if he wants to rely on a provider of independent testing services or a quality assurance testing service provider or someone from its own in-house team of developers.

Labels: Software Application Testing, Software Testing Services, Software Virtualization

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