Just as you wouldn’t launch a rocket without testing it thoroughly, you shouldn’t release a software product without testing it first. Yet, not all companies see a problem in bringing a product to market that isn’t sufficiently tested. Some do this to reduce development costs, while others simply don’t have the budget to build their own in-house QA team.

Whatever fits your situation, make sure you don’t make this mistake. Software errors found after a product’s launch can be too costly to fix, and some can lead to much more serious consequences, from damage to a company’s reputation to financial losses and even lawsuits.

If this doesn’t sound like the scenario you have planned for your business, this post is for you. In this article, we’ll tell you about Testing as a Service, which could be a game-changer for many tech companies.

What Is Testing as a Service?

Testing as a Service (or TaaS) is an outsourcing model in which an independent service provider undertakes testing activities instead of a company, providing ready access to the right tools, experts, and automation test environments.

With TaaS testing, you can decide how much work you want to outsource. Many companies delegate the entire area of testing to a third-party service provider, but it is also possible to outsource only some activities and leave the rest of the testing to internal specialists, depending on your business needs.

How Does Testing as a Service Work?

TaaS can assume various shapes and forms, but the basic principle remains consistent. A company engages an external service provider to conduct testing, which is typically utilized for automated processes that require massive amounts of resources and effort if done manually.

Here are a few more scenarios where TaaS proves helpful:

• When the time to perform testing is limited.
• There needs to be more testing infrastructure (e.g., technology, space for servers, etc.).
• There are a lot of repetitive tasks.
• Testing requires skilled testing personnel.
• There is a need for unbiased testing.

Depending on the situation, the vendor suggests custom testing solutions that can help automate nearly half of the test cases while reducing testing time and cost (tools and infrastructure are provided by cloud).
The overall procedure is as follows:

1. Continuous improvement. The provider and the client cooperate to address any issues found during testing, improve the product, enhance its performance, and achieve high-quality results in the future. 
2. Test scenarios creation. The first step is developing test scenarios focusing on key aspects of the software. For example, this can be authentication, data processing speed, or the application’s performance under heavy load, depending on the specific requirements of the product.
3. Configuration of test environments. Next up, the testing team would set up virtual machines and configure network conditions to simulate the actual environment in which this application will run. One of the biggest advantages of TaaS providers is the diversity of hardware and resources they’ve got to run tests.
4. Test preparation and execution. Once the test environments are set up, the actual tests are prepared and executed. This step involves writing and running automated test scripts that will be used to perform the tests outlined in the test scenarios.
5. Performance monitoring and analysis. After executing tests, testers gather and analyze performance metrics such as response time, throughput, and error rates to understand how the app behaves under different conditions and if there are any bottlenecks.