Software Testing as a Service: An Academic Research Perspective

Software testing is becoming an increasingly expensive and time-consuming endeavor. With advances in cloud computing, new methods of testing in cloud environments are allowing testers to take advantage of the vast resources of the cloud while demanding less upfront costs. Testing as a service (TaaS) is a model of software testing that offers accessible services that handle testing activities for consumers on a pay-for-use basis. The goal of this paper is to describe the state of academic research within TaaS, including a basic architecture, example services, recent studies, benefits, challenges, needs, and a road ahead.