Any consultant who offers software or services to their clients should have a clear plan for testing their systems before installing them at their clients’ sites. When a customer starts to use the systems, unforeseen problems can arise, which can be embarrassing not only for the company but also cost thousands of dollars in lost sales, not to mention the potential loss of future customers.

TestDel has been constructing in-house test laboratories in various configurations. The size of these laboratories ranges from 20 devices to several hundred devices and we’ve learned a lesson or two about how to develop, run and manage an enterprise-grade in-house test lab while setting up and even running some of them. 

In this blog, we’ll reveal the importance, goals, and benefits of creating large-scale software laboratories with hundreds of devices on the other end of the spectrum. The emphasis will be on competent, stable, and portable setups as nearly all of the tips refer to smaller setups as well.

Purpose of a Software Test Lab 

A test lab is an area where software testers perform experimental research with known measurement techniques in comfortable conditions. The purpose is to replicate as accurately as possible a real-time production environment. 

The Importance of In-House Test Lab

1. Tools used before the launch of a product 

Interestingly, pre-market devices are used by a large number of top-tier developers. Usually, you are operating on a large enough product that will be shipped with a system, and you must ensure that the app continues to function even if the device software shifts from launch to launch. Usually, you’ll be working for or with a smartphone maker, network, or one of the TOP100 app companies that have pre-market access to higher vendors’ products.

2. Proposals on corporate security

Many businesses have stringent security policies in place when it comes to updating development editions of unconfirmed applications outside the corporate firewall. Very often, these firms are also very competent in their testing, and establishing their own in-house device lab makes great sense to get the usability and time-to-market benefits of test automation on real devices while establishing required security levels.

3. Accessibility and Utilization level

Because QA teams often need to run very long soak tests that last all night, or because possibly hundreds of development teams depend on the accessibility of test results every day, the shared infrastructure of public cloud-based facilities does not match well with the usage profile of these customers. If you have a lot of tests to run (possibly from any code commit), the tests take a very long time to execute, or you depend on getting the test devices accessible when you need them, an in-house device lab is a good option.

4. Exclusive Set-ups

To completely test their applications, some businesses need special hardware or environment configuration. For example, a special Bluetooth or Wifi activated gadget must be physically present in the same location as the test devices, or the devices must be in a separate location or carrier network. Many environmental characteristics can be replicated, but not all, so this type of exclusive case must be carried out in dedicated in-house laboratories.

As you can see, the reasons for establishing in-house device labs are as diverse as the firms that do so. An in-house lab is perhaps the most effective and scalable setup, accommodating a wide range of different hardware configurations as well as vastly divergent usage profiles ranging from 24/7 continuous testing to offering enhanced access to various device designs.

Benefits of an in-house Test Lab 

1. Expand the number of potential configurations.

Since working with a broad client base with varying hardware specifications, test labs allow you to test the app on a broader variety of potential configurations. As a result, you can have a comprehensive set of platforms and configurations that you won’t have to source separately. As a result, you can improve your test coverage, avoid leaving a configuration out because it’s too costly, and reduce the risk of a certain section of your customer base discovering flaws in your app. Furthermore, there is no need to keep your test lab up to date with the current releases because QA professionals keep a comprehensive and up-to-date list of potential configurations that customers may require, will almost certainly do have the required devices on hand.

2. Higher probability of maintaining a healthy testing environment.

Using a device lab, particularly if it was designed by a specialized software testing community, ensures that it was built with proper QA knowledge and methodology in mind. There’s a lower risk of contamination in the testing environment this way, particularly if version control is used. Any practice that monitors and provides updates to source code is known as version control. Since bugs also only appear in specific versions of the same software program, it’s important for testers and developers to be able to obtain and run multiple versions in order to figure out where the problem is.

3.No logistics problem

Along with deciding on the software and hardware, you’ll need to get a device lab up and running, as well as the cost, you’ll need to consider where the lab will be located. You’ll need to ask yourself things like:

• Do I have enough space?
• Is there plenty of access to electrical outlets in the space I’d like to use?
• How long will it take me to collect all of the resources I require?

Simply put, using a test lab means that this work has already been completed for you. The owners will be in charge of storing the devices and ensuring that the software and hardware are updated and ready to use. The logistics of setting up a lab are already taken care of, allowing you to complete your testing much more quickly.

Increase your cross-browser application performance to reduce the chance of bugs occurring when your app goes live. To assist you, we have a test lab with a full, up-to-date selection of devices and platforms. Contact TestDel to address your needs, and we’ll work together to build a custom testing plan for your app using our technology set up