4 Testing Conditions to Ensure a Successful Cloud Migration Journey

The decision to migrate to the cloud is critical and depends on various factors and infrastructure requirements. We’ve listed the details on cloud migration in our last article.

In this article we’ll cover the following:

1. Testing Conditions for successful cloud migration
2. Conventional testing vs cloud testing
3. Key challenges
4. Functional Testing
5. Integration testing
6. Security testing
7. Performance testing
8. How LogicEra can help

While migrating to the cloud it is crucial to avoid scalability issues, server breakdown issues, database errors, which are a high risk for the brand reputation. This makes testing a key component and a high-priority one in the migration process irrespective of the environment.

Conventional Testing vs Cloud Testing

Application (product/service) testing focus areas are widely categorized as Functional, integration, security, scalability, and performance testing.

However, there are additional dimensions to these conventional focus areas with cloud hosting. We’ve listed them below for you:

Functional Testing

• Conventional – Performs validation of component functions, system functions, and service functions.
• Cloud – Performs validation of Saas/cloud service functions and end-to-end functionalities of an application.

Integration Testing

• Conventional – Function-based integration, component-based integration, interface/connection-based integration, architecture-based integration.
• Cloud – Saas-based integration in the cloud. Enterprise-level application integration between SaaS/cloud and legacy systems.

Security Testing

• Conventional – Function-based security testing on application features, user privacy and security, data integrity and protection, and client/server access control.
• Cloud – Monitoring and measurement as part of SaaS/ cloud security features, User privacy and security across a diverse range of clients, Data integrity and protection even during transit and at rest SaaS/cloud application program interface and connectivity security, protection DDoS attacks, and more.

Scalable & Performance Testing

• Conventional – Performed in a fixed test environment, customized or off-the-shelf monitoring solutions, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Cloud – Performed in a scalable test environment, inbuilt monitoring solution, monitoring validation, and measurement.

Key challenges

We’ll be discussing some of the key challenges faced during the cloud migration journey and how they can be validated.

1. Functional validation

Production readiness of migrated applications is assessed with functional validation. It must be ensured that the SLAs are being followed, functions of SaaS/Cloud services are validated, and for a smooth cloud migration, performing end-to-end functional validation. Here is a testing checklist to perform functional testing:

1. 1. • If the automated test suite is compatible with the cloud
      • If the inputs are leading to the expected results
      • The services can be integrated with multiple applications
      • Page layout and object references are working
      • Ensuring cross-platform compatibility

2. Testing third-party integrations

Migrating to the cloud involves more than just moving data, it involves managing the security, authentication, compatibility, integration, testing, and monitoring over the course of time. Amongst these, third-party integrations play a significant role, as in today’s scenario, the number of technology choices with cloud integration is high in number. But the dependencies between systems and applications might complicate integration testing. If you’re integrating plenty of services together that include varying SLAs, testing within the cloud with a plethora of third-party tools, services and applications, represents a significant challenge. To avoid such issues, make sure you bear the below checklist and validate them effectively:

1. 1. • List out the systems and interfaces that require to be covered while planning for integration testing
      • List the resources you required to perform the validation and integration testing.
      • Develop a plan and execute tests in coordination with third-party components.
      • Perform integration testing at an early stage
      • Ensure the applications are well configured with the cloud environment – detect coordination problems if any.

In case you don’t have in-house expertise, you can outsource a team for testing or a managed service provider can fill the gap.

3. Security Testing

Unlike the conventional methods of storage, in the cloud, you don’t have any hardware. To keep the information secure on cloud requires an entire new level of security procedures and methods. Here’s a handy checklist to help:

1. 1. • Check for legacy applications running on outdated platforms
      • Proprietary software
      • User Access and Roles – ensure the application access is with only the authorized users and roles.
      • Take protective measures against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
      • Validation of knowledge security at rest, in use and through transit – almost inevitably, the info goes to spread across multiple networks and devices after migration, with varying levels of risk and security. Before you’ll be able to take a good attempt to avoid risk completely, here’s a checklist of questions you wish to possess answers to:
        • What kind of sensitive data does one use, store or transfer?
        • Who has access to the present data?
        • Why, when, and where do the users access this data?
        • How is data stored when it’s idle?
        • How data access is controlled?
        • What are the compliance requirements?

Various aspects of Application Security Testing include Data security and data privacy testing, application transaction security, business process security, and user privacy security testing.

4. Performance Testing

Assessing performance and time interval requirements of applications and workloads while migrating to the cloud may be a significant factor determining cloud migration success.

There are areas that affect moving an application to a cloud service, a number of them include time interval implications and scalability factors. take a look at the below steps to make sure workload performance and SLAs are met:

• Identify and document business transactions and the application’s end-to-end flow
• Identify business SLAs for the business transactions
• Examine if your software comes with limited internet bandwidth or intensive CPU and input-output capacity requirements
• Address application’s architecture that’s not appropriate with the cloud
• Identify monitoring requirements and setup tools
• Validate response times as per SLAs – perform Load Testing in parallel and validate whether applications or service performances under various loads are meeting the SLAs

5. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan

Be prepared for the worst-case scenarios within the cloud, from simple data recovery and disaster recovery practice to an inspiration addressing unique incidents of attack. Validate all of your disaster recovery plans in the event of cloud outages.

• Test, measure, and update business continuity processes periodically
• Perform tests to run simulations and evaluate the team’s readiness
• Consider the test results to vary or update your business continuity plan over time
• Validate application instances to revive automatically during hardware failures

12 Most Popular Cloud Testing Tools

1. AppPerfect
2. Cloud Assault
3. CloudTestGo
4. HP LoadRunner
5. Jmeter
6. Keynote
7. LoadStorm
8. Nessus
9. Nmap
10. Parasoft SOAtest
11. SOASTA
12. Wireshark

How LogicEra can help?

Design, delivery, and operational support of compute storage, and virtual network infrastructure with LogicEra, a managed IT services provider.

Helping you monitor and manage system software, service consumption, and infrastructure configurations using proven processes and tools. Our managed services offerings include reducing uncontrolled consumption.