Cisco Systems + ReadyAPI Performance

Based in Israel, Eran Kux is a Performance Testing Engineer for the Cisco Systems business unit that offers service provider video software and solutions. He recently met with SmartBear to discuss the benefits of ReadyAPI Performance. With a visual, drag-and-drop interface, ReadyAPI Performance allows Cisco to create, configure and redistribute application load tests interactively and in real-time. Following are insights from Kux into just how much ReadyAPI Performance helps Cisco.

What irst prompted Cisco to consider ReadyAPI Performance?

In 2011, the Cisco Video Software and Solutions business unit here in Israel formed a new application testing team. We wanted to equip the testers with advanced tools, and one of the key solutions we turned to was ReadyAPI Performance from SmartBear.

Why did Cisco choose ReadyAPI Performance?

We were already familiar with just how well SmartBear solutions work, having relied on ReadyAPI Test for several years. We also considered other Load Testing tools but liked how easy it is to use ReadyAPI Performance and how it integrates seamlessly with ReadyAPI Test. For load tests, we can adopt the same testing scripts used by our developers during the application development stage.

Current Situation

How long has Cisco relied on ReadyAPI Performance and how many internal users depend on the solution?

We have relied on ReadyAPI Performance for approximately two years, and two testers on our QC team utilize the tool.

What role does ReadyAPI Performance play in your daily operations?

Our business unit manufactures systems that allow cable television operators to deliver video to their consumer customers via televisions, PCs and smart personal devices. Along with those systems, we develop software so the cable operators can ensure the security of their content. They can also monitor the performance of their video delivery services so subscribers can be assured of accessing the content they pay for. We rely on ReadyAPI Performance to enable us to simulate the stress loads that can be placed on our software within these systems. Our cable operator customers typically have millions of customers, Cisco Deploys SmartBear ReadyAPI Performance to Help Cable Operators Manage Video Content Delivery so the load can sometimes place a big strain on our applications. ReadyAPI Performance helps us make sure we build applications that hold up under all the traffic.

ReadyAPI Performance Features

What have been the most useful ReadyAPI Performance features for your business?

ReadyAPI Performance provides several useful features:

• Allows us to run tests at the application component level so we can properly pinpoint the exact source of any issues.
• Enables us to import our SoapUI projects into the SoapUI Runner component within ReadyAPI Performance so we can immediately start performance testing without having to rebuild the scripts.
• Provides the ability to easily distribute load tests to any desired number of ReadyAPI Performance agents by simply dragging and dropping tests as required—making it much easier to simulate traffic loads.

ReadyAPI Performance also gives us the flexibility to perform regression test-ing. We are not yet capitalizing on this feature, but it would allow us to determine where issues occur during the application build and versioning processes.

Did you customize ReadyAPI Performance in any way?

Yes, we added the capability of automatically running monitoring scripts on remote computers during the tests. The ability to customize is another key feature ReadyAPI Performance offers. The software comes with most of the capabilities we need in Load Testing, but it’s helpful that SmartBear gives us the freedom to customize the software for our particular testing environment.

Relationship with SmartBear

How would you say ReadyAPI Performance differs from other Load Testing tools?

One key differentiator is real-time and interactive server monitoring. ReadyAPI Performance makes it easy for us to analyze server performance and find application service bottlenecks. We can also monitor a range of performance indicators, including CPU and RAM usage as well as database performance and resource utilization. ReadyAPI Performance also makes it easier for us to compare results of one test to another after we apply changes. Through the interface, we can just click to access any analytics we need. All the stats are in one place as we manage application tests in real time. We can now more easily track improvements and find new bottlenecks.

How would you measure the ROI Cisco receives from its relationship with SmartBear?

Strong performance for our video-device applications is a must. That is why we created a specific team dedicated to test performance. Without ReadyAPI Performance, we would not be able to as effectively simulate the loads our applications face. Now that we have an accurate idea of just how much user-traffic the applications can handle, we have been able to better stabilize our components. Ultimately, SmartBear is helping us ensure we deliver on our commitments to our customers.

Business Challenges

• Test performance of applications that help cable operators secure and monitor video delivered to television and smart device customers.
• Conduct application performance testing at the component level.
• Deploy Load Testing tool that provides additional capabilities, such as regression testing.
• SmartBear ReadyAPI Performance Solution provides customization flexibility to further enhance robust baseline capabilities.
• Imports SoapUI scripts to accelerate process for creating, configuring and redistributing load tests
• Facilitates test creation and planning with intuitive interface and easy-to-use features.

• Enables component-testing simulations under the stress of millions of users.
• Streamlines testing processes through seamless integration with scripts created during application development.
• Facilitates automatic running of test scripts on remote computers and distributes tests to any desired number of agents to simulate heavy load traffic
• Generates easy-to-interpret reports for comparing different load-test results so the impact of application changes can be accurately assessed.