Cloud computing is slowly evolving as the next big thing in the world of computing and software testing on the cloud has become a reality. Software performance testing is one of the critical areas when it comes to development of web applications. Testing is important to determining the proper approach to scaling both applications and infrastructure. Business applications are becoming more dynamic, distributed and component-based. This is due to the demand for applications that are easier to use, more flexible and more connected to real-time data.

The task of testing and delivering these applications is rising in importance and criticality. Earlier it was limited to the big development companies which simulate real-world traffic in their high end testing labs. The technique of hosted testing has changed it all and many small web application developers can now test their softwares without having to depend on expensive labs. Testing on the cloud infrastructure is allowing testers to simulate real-world user traffic at significantly lower costs. They can be used for all kinds of testing including web application testing, automation testing etc.

One of the revolutionary testing softwares to hit the market has been the HP LoadRunner which will run on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud or commonly known as Amazon EC2. This load testing solution makes a lot of sense from both the user and provider perspectives and translates into cost saving for the user and more business for the service provider. This on-demand software gives clients a flexible "pay as you go" approach for performance testing of mission-critical applications and websites.

Cloud computing is well suited for software development and testing for several reasons. The model supports group collaboration which means that people sitting in different geographies can perform testing simultaneously. This allows testers seek real time feedback from their counterparts and pass it on to the developers. It works similar to a technical forum the only difference being that the action is performed live for the others in the group to see. Testers can perform offshore QA testing and security testing in a cloud. This is much easier than performing testing through a transitional server.

Software testing usually needs the allocation of server space whose commissioning and decommissioning takes a lot of time.. In a cloud environment the servers can be allocated and deallocated at will which ensures better use of hardware. Test servers do not have sensitive corporate data and have no governance issues allowing the same servers to be used efficiently. There is no need to acquire a perpetual license for testing.

One more reason which is propelling software testing companies into the cloud is the fact that cloud is the future even for home computing. Testing over the cloud provides the ability to test by leveraging the cloud, thereby bringing the same benefits that the cloud brings to customers. Cloud testing is being offered as a service by some providers, which in itself is a new line of business. This service enables the users of cloud testing to reduce or optimize on cost while having the ability to extend testing functionality.

About Author / Additional Info:
By Rajini Padmanaban, Director of Engagement from QA InfoTech. QA InfoTech is a professional Quality Assurance and Software Testing service provider with qualified Testing Experts who are committed to provide creative QA / Testing solutions to challenging technical projects.software testing services