What’s the Difference Between Functional and Performance Testing Services?
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Get the Most Out of Your Software With Performance Testing Services
If you’ve had custom software developed for your business, you know that design and development aren’t the only steps in the process. You must also test the application to ensure it operates the way it’s intended to. But that’s not the end of the story either. You must perform functional testing to make sure all the features work as they should, as well as performance testing to ensure the speed, reliability, resource usage, and scalability are up to your standards.
You can have performance testing done by members of your team or by seeking out a vendor that offers these services. While internal professionals might do a fine job of testing the performance of your software, they may be too close to the project to offer an objective perspective. That’s the main advantage of outsourcing this service. Here we explain what performance testing is, why it’s important, and how to find the right provider.
What Is Performance Testing?
Service providers conduct performance testing to check for the following problems:
- Long load or response time. Applications should be quick to load and respond to user inputs. Long load or response times can negatively impact the user experience (UX).
- Bottlenecks. Software should be consistent in its operation. Problems with the code can cause high-level performance issues.
- Inability to scale. Software should be able to handle a significant number of users. Otherwise, it may be of limited use to larger groups.
There are several types of performance testing, including the following:
- Stress testing – ensuring the application can continue to operate when processing extreme workloads
- Endurance testing – determining if the software can continue to perform over time
- Load testing – ensuring the application can handle requests from the expected number of users
- Volume testing – populating a database with a large amount of data to see how much it can support
- Spike testing – determining if the software is capable of performing during spikes in use
- Scalability testing – discovering if the application is capable of absorbing a larger number of users
The steps involved in performance testing include identifying the tools to be used in the testing environment, determining acceptance criteria by referencing benchmarks, designing the tests, configuring the test environment, running the tests using the appropriate tools, analyzing the results to identify where the software can be improved, and retesting if needed.
What Is the Benefit?
The high-level benefit of performance testing is ensuring your software will perform as expected over time. This assessment is critical if you plan to use the application for internal operations, and even more so if it’s a product your company sells. In a competitive market, the last thing you need is a product that, at best, requires extensive customer service to work through issues and, at worst, attracts negative reviews resulting in lost sales and a diminished reputation.
When carried out at the right time, performance testing provides developers and other stakeholders with critical information about what to improve before a product goes to market.
How to Find Performance Testing Services
If you’ve decided to hire a vendor to conduct performance testing services, you’ll find many competent professionals willing to help. However, as with other types of services, you’ll also find a wide range of locations, languages, and areas of expertise. So, how do you find a provider that will do a great job for you? Here are a few tips for finding a good fit.
- Take some time to assess your needs. For example, do you need a service to perform testing on just one application, or many? Do you need someone who has experience conducting performance testing in your industry?
- Determine your budget. How much can you afford to spend on performance testing services?
- Ask for referrals from others you know who have used performance testing services. Find out what they liked most and least about the vendor, and what they would change if they could.
- Do your research. Keeping in mind your criteria, do an online search to find some potential vendors.
- Narrow down your choices and interview the top three. Ask them about previous projects, especially those similar to yours.
- Also, consider “soft” factors such as language and similar cultures and values. Think about the possibility of working with a vendor in a different time zone to get a better rate. Assess personality fit and communication style as well.
Consider a Nearshore Option
If your company is in the U.S. and you’re looking for an experienced yet reasonably priced performance testing provider, consider a Latin American vendor like BairesDev. Nearshoring gets you the quality you need at the price you want and the convenience of similar working hours. Latin American companies are perfect partners for U.S. companies looking for this kind of arrangement.
Our software performance testing services are part of our overall software testing offerings. Yet we don’t act as just a service provider. We are a partner who cares deeply about ensuring your application quality is as high as it can be. To help you get there, we provide a thorough consultation upfront to fully understand your project and your goals.
The services we provide offer the following benefits:
- Personalized. No two applications are the same and we take your unique needs into consideration when performing our work.
- Effective. Outsourcing testing services help you keep your internal team on track with their own projects and ensures a high level of productivity and efficiency throughout the process.
- Integrated. We work closely with your in-house team to find the best path forward to successfully complete your project.
- Affordable. Our rates are typically lower than those of comparable services offered in the U.S.
- Low-risk. With years of experience behind them, our testing service professionals can ensure the quality of your products and also help you meet the compliance regulations within your industry.
- Scalability testing – discovering if the application is capable of absorbing a larger number of users
Our testers are highly skilled in their technical areas and are also very responsive. We only hire professionals with bilingual English skills, so you can count on clear communication. And we work during U.S. business hours, so we’re always available when you need us. Contact us and let’s talk about how we can help you!
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