Leverage the diversity of Production while mitigating risks to end users

Testing in Production

Robust Strategy. Before testers try out new methods that may expose software to many risks, the companies are asking themselves a big question: to test or not to test in production?

As companies move to implement development processes such as DevOps or Continuous Integration and Delivery, testing in production can become an important piece of the equation.

To put it simply, testing in production (TiP) means performing various types of software tests in a production environment where it is live and accessible to the end user.

It’s rare to find a test environment that completely replicates a production environment, so the scale is not the same and won’t put your software through the same variables that affect performance as “real life.” So, as with most processes in software development, experts in the field suggest considering the risks, the rewards and best practices before you test in production.

Robust strategy ensuring quality with minimal service interruptions

What’s the point of TiP?

Despite the risks, there are several benefits, which is why you should consider testing in production. One major benefit is that testing in production allows you to see how your application works in the live environment in which it runs.

Expertise in five test areas which uniquely impact production environments

How to Approach the Risks

The process of testing in production depends on the application itself and what is being testing. Several items need to be in check in order to mitigate risks, no matter the testing environment. Businesses could experience a loss of transactions or commingling of test data with production data, and experts agree that a major risk of testing in production is the business risk. A bad user experience, security issues or system crashes could all lead to a loss in profit or tarnish a brand.

Among The Risks Are

  • Exposing potential vulnerabilities to the public
  • Loss of data
  • Poor user experience that damages the reputation of the organization
  • Relying on users to report defects and vulnerabilities. Many will simply leave the app and not use it again, rather than filing a bug report with the organization