We expect software to work.
Slow mobile apps and buggy website functionality are unacceptable, given that two-thirds of us do our banking from a mobile app and a quarter of the workforce logs in from their home office. Low-quality, poorly designed software can undermine operational efficiency, create security vulnerabilities, and contribute to customer attrition.
That’s why SmartBear exists, and was honored with recently being named a leader in automated software quality by International Data Corporation (IDC).
Every year, they release the MarketScape for Worldwide Enterprise Automated Software Quality and Continuous Testing for Digital Execution. For 2022, they examined the global landscape for automated software quality, market trends and business drivers, the challenges organizations face to dynamically scale application delivery, and the tools they use to ensure quality.
Supporting dev teams on several levels
SmartBear is one of 23 vendors featured in the IDC report, which “focuses on developer-led quality engagements, with the belief that critical testing will start early in the development cycle and on a frequent basis,” according to IDC. “The company has a set of products that meet the needs of organizations in various stages of their quality maturity with a strong footprint in both developer-led and QA/tester-led quality.”
What test automation tools form the basis for this MarketScape? IDC defines it as:
“Automated software quality (ASQ) tools support software unit testing, system testing, user integration testing, and software quality assurance. Functions such as test specification, generation, execution, results analysis, ‘bug tracking,’ test data and QA management, functional/regression, and stress and load testing are included in this category.”
The category also includes the testing of cloud applications, service virtualization, mobile app testing, and the testing of packaged applications.
As new tech emerges, coverage must deepen
Because of the growing importance of cloud and the pervasive nature of mobile, IDC created two additional MarketScapes that drill deeper into these topics. One is the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Cloud Testing 2022 Vendor Assessment, and the other is the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Mobile Testing and Digital Quality 2022 Vendor Assessment. SmartBear was recognized as a leader in the mobile and cloud testing.
“Overall, SmartBear is well positioned to help support emerging environments as part of digital transformation initiatives and cloud testing and as an alternative to enterprise ASQ offerings with some synergistic analytics to complement those vendors focusing on security and quality,” the new automated software quality report says.
What currently drives the need for automated software testing tools?
IDC cites the “dynamic shift to digitalization” as one of the primary drivers for higher-quality, more adaptive, and resilient software. This aligns with the growth of digital commerce, telemedicine, and increased work from home resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With teams dispersed as a result of hybrid work, intensification of compliance demands globally, and significantly compressed cycle times with increased daily and weekly deployments, continuous integration, and agile DevOps approaches, the demand for effective quality automation and processes has increased geometrically,” says Melinda Ballou, research director for IDC’s Agile Application Life-Cycle Management, Quality and Portfolio Strategies service.
The IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise Automated Software Quality and Continuous Testing for Digital Execution 2022 is one of the most thorough assessments of testing technology available.
SmartBear is honored to be part of this research. Thanks to an arrangement with IDC, you can download a personal copy of the report with no obligation here.