7 Major Challenges of Testing in a Cloud Computing Environment

Cloud computing has emerged as an innovative technology that impacts several fields, including software testing. Whether you have to access your crucial data from anywhere around the globe or to store an enormous amount of data online, cloud computing comes to the rescue. The entrepreneur world is rapidly moving towards cloud computing considering the accessibility, speed, efficiency, flexibility, better collaboration, recovery, easy upgrades, and management services it provides. Above all, it is environment-friendly.

According to Gartner, ‘Cloud Shift’ by 2020, will affect $1 trillion and more in IT spending, thus making cloud computing the most disruptive force of IT expenses. Gartner also predicts the global cloud service market will grow to $331.2B (by 2022) from $182.4B (in 2018), reaching a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 12.6%. As compared to other cloud computing service models (Paas- Platform as a service or IaaS- Infrastructure as a service), Software as a Service (SaaS) tops the list, thus bringing the similar advantages that the cloud brings to customers.

Utilizing cloud computing is a trend that continues to grow. We have already seen the implementation and importance of the cloud in companies like Amazon, Alibaba, Microsoft, and Google. On one hand, where the IT industry is using the cloud, on the other, various companies are not venturing into the cloud. The challenges of testing in a cloud environment are the prime factor why enterprises are backing out from using this new-edge technology.

Common Challenges of Testing In a Cloud Environment
Challenges in testing with the cloud environment are the core reasons why some enterprises are not diving into the cloud:

1. Security Challenge- Security of confidential data is still a major concern when using these cloud-based applications. We may come up with situations like the leak of private information or internet suspending due to a virus attack or internet speed. Another drawback of outsourcing on the cloud is that the cloud vendors are not familiar with security needs and industry standards that are unique to government agencies such as continuous management and monitoring an inventory of systems.

2. Working with Multiple-Cloud Model– With increasing opportunities in cloud solutions, many enterprises are moving towards working with the poly cloud environment. This strategy brings multi-cloud models, types, as well as several cloud vendors. That itself creates a challenge to manage the security, synchronization, and robustness of operations within the company and with multiple cloud service providers.

3. Lack of Resources or Expertise– One of the common cloud challenges enterprises and organizations are encountering these days is the lack of expertise or resources. Due to these factors, enterprises are having a hard time keeping up with the tools and expertise.

4. Managing Cloud Expense– The next phase of cloud computing risks involves management and containment. Cloud computing can easily save the cost of the company. But with the ongoing demand and scalable nature of cloud services, it is often difficult to predict and define quantities and costs.

5. Meeting Governing Compliance– Since cloud computing offers huge benefits, they are always in demand. The prime concern, therefore, is the protection of the information that is being processed. Safeguarding this confidential data is the major responsibility of cloud vendors or service providers. Abiding by governing rules and regulations is the crucial factor to ensure the security and accuracy of information flow in the cloud. For instance, public retail companies have to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), Healthcare Organizations in the United States of America have to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Depending on the client’s needs and industry, every organization must ensure these standards are respected.

6. Performance Issues–Performance plays a crucial role in any application. The downtime on the cloud directly hampers the performance of cloud-based applications. Downtime could be possible in any technology. Over the past few years, several clouds vendors have experienced failures. In such situations, it becomes difficult for the customers to rely on such providers.

7. Building Private Cloud– It has become one of the main concerns for those who are likely to implement such a solution. Creating a private or internal cloud will cause a great benefit- having all the data in-house. However, IT departments will need to build and glue it all together by themselves, which can cause difficulties in moving to cloud computing.

If the above cloud testing challenges are fixed, then cloud technologies will prove to be a huge asset for business success.

Have you ever faced any challenges while testing in the cloud computing environment, please share your thoughts?