Essential Best Practices for Effective SaaS Testing

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms have been gaining popularity during the last decade. Internet users rarely got used to installing applications when the SaaS model removed this heavy burden and offered a better alternative.

Cloud-based digital products are easy to release and distribute, but are they easy to maintain and test? That is what we will discover below.

SaaS’s Growing Importance in Business Landscape

There is no active Internet user who wouldn’t be familiar with Shopify, Microsoft, Salesforce, or Slack. Businesses catch the opportunity cloud-based platforms offer. Companies don’t get involved in software maintenance, don’t invest in its updates or upgrades, can easily get along at the beginning, and scale as they grow. The provider’s side does all the hard work. That is why the demand for SaaS applications is growing.

What Is SaaS Testing?

SaaS testing encompasses a set of activities done by quality assurance (QA) teams to see whether on-demand software works as expected. It is a process of verifying if the SaaS technology meets the objectives and delivers proper solutions.

There are usability, performance, compatibility, data integration, reliability, security, and other SaaS testing types. The main procedure is similar to traditional testing: developing and executing test cases. However, when testing SaaS products, on top of application checking, QA engineers also examine software infrastructure and integration with other services.

Why Implement SaaS Testing Strategies?

SaaS testing should not be considered optional. It is a necessary procedure that, if implemented effectively and often, can bring the following benefits:

• Meeting all the users’ needs. Since customers don’t participate in software maintenance, they expect to receive impeccable quality and solid functionality for the subscription cost. SaaS testing methodology can help discover program usability constraints and eliminate them.
• Improving the scalability aspect. Businesses grow and require more efficient and flexible IT solutions. SaaS performance testing focuses on verifying if the platform is ready to expand and has enough capacity to grow.
• Exploring user behavior. Since the main purpose of a cloud-based program is to satisfy customers’ requirements, testing can help identify these requirements. Platform examination can show what features are used more often and what user pains are still unresolved.

SaaS Testing Challenges

The SaaS examination has exceptional challenges that are not inherent to traditional testing. Here are some of them.

Frequent Updates and Releases

Software-as-a-service technology develops very quickly. And as user demands grow, platforms update and re-equip. This leaves an enormous amount of work for QA specialists that should be done often and rapidly.

Cloud Limitations

Cloud computing comes with various limitations for both the vendor’s and the customer’s sides. Since SaaS platforms are Internet-based, if the connection is poor or there are system failures, the program doesn’t respond. Another downside is privacy and vulnerability to attack. Since every element of the program is online and public, software becomes more vulnerable to data breaches.

Requirements for Performance and Scalability

Testing for scalability is a very exhausting process, as QA teams have to forecast user scenarios and generate high volumes of data. However, this is essential, as SaaS products have to allow customers to grow and receive excellent performance and possibilities to satisfy more needs.

SaaS Testing Best Practices

Testing SaaS applications might be a new and unexplored process, as this is a relatively present-day technology. However, the following techniques will help you incorporate the SaaS testing strategy seamlessly and effectively.

Early and Continuous Testing

The earlier you start, the better it is. SaaS testing should be conducted at the initial stages of the software development lifecycle (SDL). Even the first developments can contain errors, which makes further feature integration a waste of time and resources if the basis is error-filled. Testing early leaves more time for fixing bugs before the release. Moreover, if you discover issues early, you can review the overall development approach and prevent those issues from happening.

A solution for implementing this testing approach is to follow a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) methodology. This approach aims to test the platform continuously, especially when any new update is added. With the CI/CD pipeline implementation, the chances of missing bugs are much lower.

SaaS Automation Testing

Since SaaS application testing should be conducted often, the question arises of how much time and resources the QA team should invest in running the testing procedure every time. In comparison, manual testing might take 15 minutes to run, while automation testing might take two minutes to show the results. You still need to write test scripts for automated testing. However, when the test is run over again, it is more convenient to set automation.

SaaS automation testing offers even more advantages on top of saving time. It facilitates the testing process for QA engineers, who can perform more complex tasks. Automation testing has a lower chance of containing errors, and its cost efficiency depends on the tools chosen to conduct the procedure.

SaaS Testing Tools for Automation Testing

With the implementation of SaaS automation testing, QA teams mainly rely on automation tools. They are specialized software specialists use to test the platform’s usability, performance, functionality, and overall user experience. Automation testing instruments help identify bottlenecks quickly before the product reaches the audience.

Quality assurance experts favorite these tools for their exceptional assistance:

1. 1. For regression testing, Reflect is the match.
2. 2. AI-driven testing decisions are generated perfectly by New Relic.
3. 3. Low-code testing will be handled great when using Sauce Labs.
4. 4. If you face in-app bugs, Rainforest will help you identify them effortlessly.

SaaS Security Testing

Security is the main concern for SaaS technologies. These cloud-based services have a huge market and store an immense amount of sensitive information. A vendor is responsible for ensuring the product is not vulnerable and can stand hackers’ attacks. However, the SaaS platform encompasses many elements like interfaces, integrations, or networks that make it difficult to constantly maintain an appropriate level of security.

A solution to SaaS security is penetration testing. It is a simulation of a hacker’s attack, which helps uncover the product’s weak points. By implementing regular SaaS penetration testing, you can mitigate the risks of cyber intrusions and always comply with requirements like HIPAA, GBPR, SOC2, and others.

SaaS Performance Testing

The SaaS environment heavily relies on its strong performance. Since the number of users and their requests is limitless in the cloud-based system, it is crucial to ensure it can withstand the load without crashing. For that reason, QA specialists use the following techniques in SaaS performance testing:

• Load time. This method helps to estimate whether software can respond promptly to users’ queries. Engineers also test the expected user loads to see if the performance remains unchanged.
• Endurance testing. This testing technique identifies how the system handles heavy loads for a long time and whether it delivers quality results or degrades.
• Stress testing. During stress testing, the system is examined to see its capacity to handle many requests from many users. It helps to determine weak points and address them before heavy loads happen.

SaaS Usability Testing

Users’ demands have become more exigent: a service they want to use should simultaneously be easy to manage and effective. This aspect can be tested and improved with SaaS QA testing of the platform’s usability. Testers use these methods to conduct usability testing: 5-second tests, guerrilla testing, moderated and unmoderated testing, first-click testing, lab usability testing, card sorting, session replays, and others. Their primary purpose is to gain valuable insights from end-users about the platform’s ease and convenience.

Importance of Communication in the SaaS Testing Process

SaaS projects should be built on effective and transparent communication. The app’s successful launch is directly connected to effective communication between the developers, testers, and stakeholders. Fortunately, the following practices could help your team avoid any miscommunications and finish the project right according to the settled date:

• Maintaining documentations. Well-formatted documentation is one of the basic components of successful communication. It serves as a link between development departments that ensures awareness regarding the project’s current state
• Feedback evaluation. Ignoring the feedback is a critical mistake that could put the whole project at risk of failure. On the other hand, timely feedback evaluation is an excellent method to increase communication levels within the team
• Setting achievable goals. The testing team should have a clear vision of the final destination. Therefore, there is no better way to decrease communication effectiveness than to set unattainable goals from the very beginning.

Conclusion

SaaS testing is the process that ensures the proper digital experience for millions of people every day. Each developing team searches for unique solutions to satisfy customers’ needs and meet business goals. Still, some solutions, such as early continuous testing and automation tests, have proven to be the most effective testing methods for various SaaS projects. However, even though the methods are well-known, SaaS software testing should be entrusted to an experienced and reliable team. Fortunately, it’s something that we at white-test.com managed to combine successfully to ensure the maximum results of the SaaS testing routine.