From IT Outage to IT Control: The Power of an Effective Software Testing Environment

From airlines grounding flights to healthcare services, payment systems, and banking institutions facing disruptions, the recent CrowdStrike IT outage is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of even the most established and modern landscapes.

So, what went wrong? A "buggy" update to antivirus software.

Although the issue was identified and isolated and a fix was deployed hours later, it was already too late for millions of systems people rely on daily. Recovery often requires businesses to take actions that could lead to revenue loss, higher costs, operational inefficiencies, security breaches, and, even worse, reputational damage days, weeks, or months later.

But there's an empowering truth underlying this mayhem: IT outages caused by faulty software deployments and updates are avoidable. According to IDC research, participating organizations that use automation and integration provided by SAP application testing solutions by Tricentis dramatically improve their testing-related efficiencies, throughput, and outcomes.

Unseen but Essential

Often hidden behind the scenes in the innovation journey, the software testing environment can be an unsung hero. By meticulously simulating real-world conditions, the environment can detect and resolve potential issues long before they reach production. This not only safeguards against the immediate chaos of an IT outage but also strengthens the overall stability and reliability of the IT system.

In a global survey of organizations using SAP application testing solutions by Tricentis, IDC discovered how the technology sets up a testing environment that prevents IT outages without compromising productivity, performance, or profitability.

IDC's findings revealed essential advantages, including the following:

51% Faster Testing Life Cycles and Error Resolution

Testing cycles are accelerated when potential issues are identified and resolved fast enough to reduce the risk of deploying flawed updates. Analyzing the impact of change helps determine conditions that should be tested to minimize errors and those that do not carry that risk. As a result, the number of "must test" conditions for a single application can be far fewer than the scope in manual testing methods.

With SAP application testing solutions by Tricentis, the testing process can be automated to detect programs, applications, and integration connections that can be affected by any given change. Instead of running all conditions to mitigate all risks, organizations can physically work on approximately 20% of the initial scope.

At the same time, the automation capabilities of SAP application testing solutions do the rest. This narrower testing scope decreases errors and bugs when a newly developed application moves to production - a reduction of 1.5 to 0.3 for each project.

By reducing the risk of incidents that make it into the application during development and production, IT teams can improve everyday user experiences. Workplace frustration dissipates, workloads decline, and the need for future hypercare support is minimal.

Over 30% Higher Efficiency in Development, Testing, and Quality Assurance

Even if 70% of testing processes are automated, organizations can significantly lower costs related to the testing cycle by achieving full automation. For some teams, these savings are equivalent to 10,000 person-hours that can be reallocated toward more strategic projects.

Additionally, embedded machine learning in application testing solutions can help establish self-healing test cases, lowering test costs even further. Self-healing test cases automatically adjust to application changes, limiting manual intervention and delivering consistently effective and reliable tests. This capability not only decreases test maintenance requests but also enhances the overall efficiency of the testing process.

The added benefit of automation in development, testing, and quality assurance is easy to notice. When using manual processes, IT organizations often go live with new applications and updates every six months. Now, they can release new applications, features, and mobile apps within two months. This increased release frequency enables businesses to stay competitive and responsive to market demands, delivering enhanced user experiences more rapidly.

20% More Productive Development Teams

With automation cutting the time required by 99%, IT teams can perform performance testing weekly or more frequently, instead of just once per quarter. This regular testing cadence helps ensure updates and new features work as intended, maintaining system reliability and performance.

Automation allows development teams to conduct thorough performance tests more often, so the system can handle increased loads without losing functionality and performance. This proactive testing approach prevents issues before they occur, fostering a more stable and efficient IT environment.

Moreover, automated testing verifying essential capabilities can lessen demand for manual regression testing. This shift saves valuable time and frees development teams to concentrate on innovative and strategic projects. The result is a more agile development process, where users are given new features and improvements with greater speed and confidence.

The Ultimate (Digital) Safety Net

As companies grapple with the operational and reputational damage caused by such outages, it becomes increasingly clear that effective software testing environments are essential. By transitioning from reactive crisis management to proactive IT control, businesses can reduce the risk of outages, helping ensure smoother operations and enhancing customer trust.

More important, proper software quality assurance goes beyond just testing. The key is having an integrated environment that not only tests one aspect of change but also predicts how the performance and connections of all applications within the system landscape can be impacted.

This is why SAP application testing solutions by Tricentis play such a critical role in many organizations. As the world advances and improves people's lives with networks based on sophisticated technology, that one investment could mean the difference between a future of IT-fueled crises and a future of IT enabled innovations making our daily lives better.

Explore the calculated cost savings and business benefits of SAP application testing solutions by Tricentis. Read the IDC Business Value Snapshot, "The Business Value of SAP Application Testing Solutions by Tricentis," commissioned by SAP and Tricentis.

Bil Khan is senior director of Global Partner Marketing at SAP.

Source: the IDC Business Value Snapshot, "The Business Value of SAP Application Testing Solutions by Tricentis" commissioned by SAP, IDC #US52458724, July 2024.