Integrating Automated Testing into DevOps

Time and Quality matters a lot in software releases. DevOps aims at achieving this. DevOps is relatively new to the industry but is catching up really fast. The reason is that, it promotes integration and communication between the application development team and the systems operations team resulting in development of faster and better software.

However, in DevOps trust plays a vital role. You need to trust that any changes made to the basic codes will deliver the desired results, which makes testing a very integral part of DevOps. As one of the foremost goals of DevOps is to ensure that deployments are made effectively and continuously, testing needs to be an integrated part of any software development cycle. Sadly, as noted by Diego Lo Giudice in his blog, many companies seem to sideline the importance of integrating automated testing into DevOps.

Most companies still rely on manual testing, where it doesn’t really work too well for DevOps. With a DevOps process in place, your organization’s goal is to release working software consistently, which may also mean that you are looking at software package releases several times a week. Those who have worked with the manual testing process will agree that, manual testing does tend to slow down the process. There is also quite a bit of wastage of resources that could be used for other important projects. This means automation testing is a must for DevOps.

Let us look at three key reasons why you should consider integrating automated testing into DevOps.

Automated Testing Saves Time

The test cycle of manual testing can extend for weeks and can be a long drawn out and unstable process. On the other hand, test automation can help detect bugs automatically and in real time, thus saving time for your developmentand operations team. Also when automated tests are setup to offer quick bug fixes, they work wonders on solving minor glitches, which in turn gives your DevOps team a breather and the time to spend on other more important things.

Automated Testing Ensures Quality

When your entire testing process is done manually, it can go a bit awry. Of course, you trust your team but slip ups do happen. There is a chance that the testing team may be a little laidback in testing every aspect of the code as it is a time consuming process. And though we don’t like to admit it, there is always the human error factor. Even the best developer or programmer may mess up sometimes. That being said, automated testing does not guarantee 100% accuracy, but it can guide the process with a fair bit of accuracy; sometimes as close to perfection as possible.

Automated Testing Reduces Cost

We resort to the time-tested adage “Time is Money.” Simple fact of life; when you save time you save money. With automated testing, changes made to the code can be immediately verified thus ensuring that the changes work and that there are no major glitches to be handled at the time of deployment. Manual testing a code as it is programmed, on the other hand, can be a big hassle which in turn may increase your Time to Market and ROI. The aspect of cost saving by means of automated testing is well highlighted in this case study.

Integrating automated testing with your DevOps is the best thing to do if you want to save on time and money, while increasing quality and time to market. Yes, it’s true that you may have to spend time and resources to setup automation. But done with the right partner and weighing the cost and benefits, this will be an investment for which you won’t regret. To know more about Integrating Automation testing into Devops visit Cigniti’s Services page.