Security Testing Archives

Performance Testing Considerations – Getting Started

In addition to security testing, it seems that performance testing has come to the forefront of requests from out clients. As we now go beyond basic 'it works' functionality, clients are not worried about taking it to the next level. They've come to realize that performance has become more important as expectations continue to increase from their end users. Whereas 3-4 seconds used to be 'good enough', now users expect 1-2 seconds response time and even less for frequent usage scenarios. One of our clients recently told us that they had 10000 users and they wanted to simulate all users logging in simultaneously. After convincing them that this scenario was highly unlikely, I decided to put together a list of performance testing considerations.

Agile Virtual QA Teams – Overcoming the Challenges

We've given many workshops and webinars on Agile Metrics and how to connect your agile objectives to measure and improve the agile process. In Rex Black's talk on "Stupid Metrics Tricks" in 2016 at the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, he discussed some of the ways people manipulate and use metrics for their own personal gain, how to that, and how to use them in a productive way. The important thing to remember is that when developing your agile objectives, velocity can be one objective but needs to be balanced with others. And we all need to recognize that...

Agile Planning – The Importance of Agile Acceptance Criteria and Some Key Testing Tasks

When we start working with a client who is in the process of converting, or have converted to agile from waterfall, one of the most common questions is "What Do Testers Do in Agile?" The typical consulting answer is 'it depends'. As much as I hate to give that answer, it really does depend on what agile recipe you are using and the skills of your team.

The Seven Samurai of Outsourcing and Why They Make Sense

Why outsource anything be it a service or production? Why not keep every aspect of the business in house? Two hundred years ago, that approach probably made sense. Today, in the modern economy, globalization and technological advancements have made outsourcing a strategic imperative for all businesses. One question on every CEO’s, VP’s, or even a Managers plate with skin in the game “What need or challenge to our business can be better handled through outsourcing?”This blog addresses seven important reasons why outsourcing software QA & testing makes sense....

Software is Now the World (and Software QA is right behind)

Software is the great enabler of the “technology multiplier”. It’s what makes hardware smart and usable by people. Software is not only “eating the world”, it is becoming an unseen “force” behind much of what we see, do, and experience every day. We should all be thinking how to ‘software-ize’ our thinking....

XBO Thoughts on Software QA Standards and Certifications

There are several industry affiliations or certifications in the quality, software quality and software testing domains, but who the software QA certifications really for? Do they benefit you? or your client? the end user? ISO 9000 applies to product and process quality usually for manufacturing applications although some have applied them to software development. On the other hand, CMMI has specific certifications for software development processes as well as some service oriented processes. Most of the larger software companies do not comply with these certifications and they mostly exist for large government procurement or for software service providers to check a box as part of an RFP process.

Mobile Security Testing – Your Vulnerabilities Are On the Move

With the “Digital Transformation” gaining influence in our lives and making software even more prevalent as the driver of change, you can’t help but think of the mobile platform as the key enabler. With this in mind, it’s critical to understand the infrastructure that supports your mobile app and the components that may be exposed to vulnerabilities. And with this understanding, identify potential threats and assess what the impact will be. This blog steps through some of the key points you need to consider when embarking on a mobile security testing effort.

Understanding What You’re Testing and Why

By understanding where you are vulnerable...

Protect your Data with Security Testing

To keep your software applications safe from malicious attacks and your data confidential, the best solution is security testing. Find out what security testing is all about, what tools are available and how to solve security testing challenges.

Be the Test Advocate Your Company Needs

Be an UX and accessibility advocate Without a vocal advocate — and managers willing to stand up in support of it — company culture won’t change, and users’ needs are going to go unmet. And if there’s no strong advocate for testing within the company, the results can be disastrous — and not just in the marketplace.