Business In The Cloud: How To Run Testing For A SaaS

SaaS is short for Software as a Service, but you must know that already. Every cloud-based solution that functions mostly online via web browsers can be defined as a SaaS. Such applications are convenient, available anytime, easy to access and come with a variety of payment options.

SaaS is only one of the variations of cloud services. Together with PaaS (Platform as a Service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), DaaS (Desktop as a Service), and other solutions driven by similar logic, they are united by an umbrella term XaaS (“you-name-it as a service”). But let’s focus on one of its types for now 🙂

SaaS solutions are very diverse in terms of their features and purpose. We are speaking of:

• email services (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.);
• office suites (Office 365, Google Suite, etc.);
• CRM systems (HubSpot, Zoho, etc.);
• cloud storage services (Dropbox, IDrive, etc.);
• and many more.

The functionality and complexity of SaaS vary from product to product. But there’s one thing they have in common: only software of high quality has a chance to become widely-used. That’s where QA steps in.

Why Is SaaS Testing Essential?

According to LinkedIn research, 55% of people are certain that remote work doesn’t affect their chances to succeed in the industry. Annual research on the state of remote work by Owl Labs shows that 80% of full-time workers expect to work from home at least three times per week after the quarantine. 23% of full-time employees are even willing to take a 10% cut to work remotely at least some of the time.

The traditional office life isn’t going to return to its previous mode. Therefore, businesses understand the value of SaaS implementation. Flexible infrastructure, no physical restrictions on system access, and overall functionality make SaaS a must-have solution for those who plan to keep up with competitors. Besides, flexible subscription options and pay-per-use models make SaaS a cost-efficient solution.

But apart from the potential benefits, product owners should remember that every SaaS is a system with complex architecture. It connects numerous app servers, databases, codes, networks, client devices, etc. To be sure a product delivers the expected value, it is essential to have a proper quality inspection before release. And it doesn’t matter if you cover this part with in-house QA resources or involve outsourced software testing services. Just remember that it should be a professional team specializing in QA, not only developers or enthusiastic stakeholders.

Reasons for Investing in SaaS QA

1. Every new SaaS is a custom solution based on specific business needs. And like any product created from scratch, it needs a thorough inspection.
2. SaaS works as a Distributed Control System, all components of which should communicate correctly with each other. You cannot ensure this without running integration tests.
3. A SaaS application embraces numerous features – access via web or mobile devices, different types of user access, document editing, and so on. A provider needs to make sure all these features work as supposed before offering a product to real users.
4. SaaS solutions aim to optimize business processes and improve user experience. Potential SaaS users come from different backgrounds and have different levels of proficiency with office software. Thus, it is crucial to create an intuitive user-friendly product.
5. Cloud security is always of high-priority for customers. By choosing a SaaS, a business decides where to store lots of sensitive data, including commercial information, patents, development strategy, financial reports, etc. You should provide solid proof of SaaS being secure.

Types of Testing Your SaaS Needs

In a way, SaaS application testing is a standard procedure. Of course, a QA team creates a custom testing strategy and test plan based on the project requirements. However, they use techniques and types of testing that can be applied to a vast variety of other software products.

In general, a testing strategy features the following points:

• Functional testing is a close inspection of E2E business workflow and features against product requirements.
• Load testing verifies that software can handle an expected average number of users at all times.
• Performance testing includes several types of tests – in particular, stress, spike, soak, volume, and scalability. Their purpose is to learn how a product behaves during user spikes, data accumulation, and various other load conditions.
• Network testing is a checkup of various network bandwidths, protocols, threats, connectivity, and system behavior in these conditions, etc.
• Interoperability testing means SaaS apps integration with payment systems, other office apps, different user environments and platforms.
• GUI testing focuses on the graphical interface and all the frontend elements of a software product.
• Compatibility testing ensures cross-platform support. The user experience should be equally smooth regardless of the hardware (device) and software (OS, browser, etc.) a person uses to access the system.

Then comes product support. Testing doesn’t necessarily stop after the first release. A QA team works with new features, runs regression tests, provides tips on product scaling as it evolves.

Popular SaaS Testing Tools

At some point, you will need to implement test automation on the project. Dealing with a large functionality and numerous users, keeping up with updates and quality standards are the tasks that require significant resources. That’s when automated testing comes in handy.

If you’re looking for test automation tools to use, here’s a list of suggestions:

• Appium – an open-source tool for automated testing of mobile applications. It requires little memory for processing and is easy to use.
• Katalon – a licensed tool that comes with a free version. It provides full platform support, speedy functioning, and smooth Agile and CI/CD integration.
• TestProject – an open-source E2E automated testing tool, primarily designed for mobile app, website, and API testing.
• Postman – an integrated platform for API development and testing.
• BrowserStack – a service that provides access to thousands of real browsers and devices for cross-platform testing.
• Ranorex – a complex solution for cross-platform automated testing.
• Experitest – a SaaS QA testing tool that works well for performance testing.

If your team is new to automation, start your tool research with this list. You can also reach out to discuss the details of test automation for your product with QA Madness. We can help you set up both automated and manual testing processes from scratch.

Bottom Line

There is a simple rule software providers should remember: high-quality testing equals high-quality SaaS. Given the proven effectiveness of cloud solutions and current circumstances, the SaaS market will keep increasing and becoming more competitive. Functional and reliable software products will be one step ahead of the competitors that don’t take testing seriously.