The Latest Version Significantly Upgrades Test Performance, Reporting and Integration Capabilities TEL AVIV, Israel, February 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- QualiSystems, the leader in test automation software for hardware, device and embedded systems, today announced the release of TestShell 4.2, an upgraded version of its unique test automation framework The complete TestShell 4.2 software suite offers TestShell s growing number of global users unparalleled test performance with extremely upgraded test-reporting enhancements, lab resource management capabilities and advanced integration with third-party tools, such as HP s Quality-Center (QC). In addition to built-in report templates, TestShell s reporting capabilities are significantly broadened with configuration and filtering aptitudes. Users can now easily create customizable dynamic reports for at-a-glance understanding, and can also conduct in-depth, comprehensive analyses of test results. Reports can be filtered according to user-defined attributes and enriched with additional attachments. TestShell s advanced Test lab management and scheduling capabilities are strengthened with the ability to automatically control and configure Layer1 Switches, guaranteeing shortest-path algorithms for optimized test configuration. Users can independently define any required resource, easily filter resource parameters and assure effective resource allocation even across distributed labs. Extensive integration with existing resources and tools is scaled up with smooth integration with HP s QC application. TestShell now integrates seamlessly with QC, allowing test automation management to work together with the QC requirements tracking that is broadly used in the networking and electronics as well as software testing environments. Eitan Lavie, Director of Technologies at QualiSystems says: As a customer- focused company, we invested the last quarter to further improve TestShell s capabilities and performance, and offer even greater value to our users. TestShell 4.2 is by far the leading test automation framework available on the market, and is the only framework to provide a complete end-to-end solution for today s challenges in the network and device testing world. TestShell 4.2 is now available to all existing QualiSystems customers as part of the Annual Maintenance and Support program, and is offered to new clients through QualiSystems global sales offices and partner network. About QualiSystems QualiSystems is a leading provider of TestShell Test Automation software framework for hardware, devices and embedded systems that drive innovation, efficiency and ROI. While providing code free test authoring, automatic test execution, advanced test management and comprehensive test reporting and analysis, TestShell helps equipment manufacturers and service providers to improve product quality, shorten time to market and significantly reduce capital and operational expenditures. TestShell users include leaders in diverse industries around the world. The company growing global presence includes representatives across EMEA, APAC and North America. More about QualiSystems and TestShell Framework . Source Link: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qualisystems-launch-testshell-42-test-automation-framework-84940077.html

In its latest CSR initiative, HP India has given a new face to diversity where it has vowed to offer specialized training in software testing to six underprivileged students. The aim of the program is to equip financially challenged students with highly valued software skills. Software testing skills are in high demand as more companies want to ensure the quality and security of their applications to protect the integrity of the business outcome. The need for more software testing professionals is particularly vital in India. Gartner had estimated software testing tools market in Asia Pacific to reach $102.6 million in 2008 and India contributes to 21.3% of this market. Many highly capable students miss the opportunity to get access to industry qualified training programs as a result of limited resources, said Kamal Dutta, Director, HP Software and Solutions, HP India. Dutta continued, HP program offers free training to selected students and through its focused training modules in testing tools. Students, and ultimately corporations, can benefit from more readily available training by a leading vendor in software testing. The HP community relations program has been established in partnership with the Indian Institute of Hardware Technology (IIHT). It is designed to train students on market-leading software testing tools, including HP Quick Test Professional and HP LoadRunner. The three-month program includes a combination of classroom lectures and exercises. The students will learn about tools and methodologies that have practical application in the workplace. Source Link: http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20100308/news05.shtml

Fortify Software and HP have teamed up to release Hybrid 2.0, a tool designed to test web applications for security flaws. Hybrid 2.0 is a tool integrating dynamic application security testing (DAST) and static application security testing (SAST) in a hybrid approach, according to HP and Fortify. However, they argue that it goes beyond simple hybrid testing, which simply aggregated results from separate dynamic and static testing processes, and presented them to a software testing user. This after-the-fact correlation presents the user with a simple list of discovered issues. A human must then manually sift through the results in order to perform root cause analysis and prioritize remediation efforts, said the companies in a white paper. The Hybrid 2.0 tool is designed to more closely align penetration testing (DAST) results with source code analysis of web applications, to provide a cohesive view of an application s security issues. It links together more vulnerabilities discovered by the DAST and SAST tools, and then analyzes the proximity of issues to prioritize the riskier ones. �The correlation of both static and dynamic testing solutions increases the accuracy of vulnerability detection, reduction of both false-positives and false negatives, and broader coverage of the application, said Joseph Feiman, VP and Gartner Fellow. Hybrid 2.0 integrates the HP Assessment Management Platform (AMP) with Fortify s Source Code Analysis (SCA) and Program Trace Analyzer (PTA) products.The integrated package will ship in the second half of this year. Source Link: http://www.infosecurity-us.com/view/7524/fortify-and-hp-attack-hybrid-web-software-testing-market/

Microsoft plans to buy health-care software maker Sentillion for an undisclosed sum in order to expand its own health-care offerings and capitalize on an upcoming opportunity for new sales. Microsoft hopes to combine Sentillion s technology with its own Amalga Unified Intelligence System in order to offer clinicians more information about patients in real time, it said. Sentillion will continue to sell its products separately to new and existing customers. Sentillion, a privately held company, offers a couple of products including a single sign-on product. If you were to go into a hospital you d find that caregivers are spending inordinate amounts of time signing into applications with different user names and passwords, said Paul Roscoe, president of Sentillion. It s not uncommon for a physician to log into different systems more than 60 times a day, he said. Sentillion s single sign-on product lets a physician sign in once and then be able to access a variety of applications that may be Web-based, Windows-based or built on legacy systems. It also offers a context management feature so that once a physician is signed on and has looked up records on one system for a specific patient, when the physician switches to another system, it will automatically display that same patient s records. Sentillion s products are used in 1,000 hospitals. Microsoft s Amalga software integrates clinical, administrative and financial information and is used by more than 115 hospitals. It allows a physician, quality control person or financial analyst to look for information across patients, said Peter Neupert, corporate vice president of Microsoft s health solutions group. For example, a physician could look for the outcome after six days of the use of a certain drug by female patients admitted to the emergency department, he said. Amalga also helps physicians be more proactive. Rather than relying on patients who might be managing a chronic condition to know when to schedule a screening or know whether they are taking the right drugs, a doctor can proactively reach out to those patients. At the Mayo Clinic, a set of case managers now get a list of people who they need to communicate with that is generated from Amalga. Combining Amalga with Sentillion s products will result in products that enhance caregivers abilities to be proactive by making it easier to access even more information, he said. The acquisition may help Microsoft shore up its offerings just in time for a potential boom in hospital investments in technology. The government earlier this year passed a US$38 billion bill designed to make it easier for hospitals to invest in technology, Neupert said. That money is expected to start flowing in the second half of next year, he said. Sentillion will continue to operate from its headquarters in Andover, Massachusetts. Microsoft expects the deal to close early next year. Source Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20091210/tc_pcworld/microsoftbuyshealthcaresoftwarecompany_1

Sopra Group has won the prestigious Triple Star Award at this year s EuroSTAR conference - the premier event for the European software testing community. This annual award is presented to the speaker who can demonstrate the most original, innovative, reusable and pragmatic contribution to the event. Neil Pandit is one of Sopra Group s Senior Test Consultants and a first-time speaker at EuroSTAR. His winning presentation A Visual Approach to Risk-Based Integration Testing provided a fresh innovative take on the topic and proved a winner with the EuroSTAR delegates, who were responsible for evaluating the nominees. Every year the EuroSTAR conference brings together a wide range of industry experts from across the globe to present on the latest developments in software testing. This year s event featured more than sixty presenters, and with nominees selected from across the programme, competition for the Triple Star Award was incredibly stiff. The award was presented to Neil at the EuroSTAR awards ceremony at the official close of the conference. I was very pleased to be selected to present at an event like EuroSTAR, and to actually win this award has been just fantastic, particularly as it s based on the delegates choice; I really look forward to speaking at next EuroSTAR, explained Neil Pandit. Richard Mort, Head of Sopra Group s UK Testing Practice commented we ve been providing a wide range of testing solutions for over twenty years and are delighted that our innovative approach to global testing solutions continues to be recognised. The EuroSTAR conference has been running for over 15 years and is widely recognised as the most successful European software testing conference, as well as the key training and education event in the European testing calendar. Around 600 delegates attended this year s event which was held in Stockholm from 30th November - 3rd December 2009. About EuroSTAR (www.eurostarconferences.com) EuroSTAR is Europe s premier software testing event and this year s conference (the 17th annual event) was held in Stockholm between 30th November and 4th December. EuroSTAR is the largest annual testing event staged in Europe. The Triple Star Award is sponsored annually by Logica and presented to the speaker who can demonstrate the most original contribution to the event, ie the most innovative, reusable and pragmatic contribution. About Sopra Group A leader in the European consulting and IT services market, Sopra Group generated revenue of 1.129 billion euros in 2008 and has a human and intellectual resource potential of over 12,000 people. Thanks to a longstanding culture of excellence and strong sector-specific, functional and technological know-how, the Group offers its clients an end to end approach based on a well-honed business model. Sopra Group s ambition is to allow its clients to focus on transformation projects that will give them a competitive edge and help them drive growth. Sopra Group s savoir-faire encompasses prior strategic reflection through to the supervision and implementation of major systems integration and application outsourcing projects. The Group also pursues the worldwide deployment of its activities in both application integration and business process management through its subsidiary Axway, a leading provider of Collaborative Business Solutions, with a complete range of solutions and services. Source link : http://www.itnewsonline.com/showrwstory.php?storyid=1933

uTest, the worlds largest software testing marketplace, today reported that its customer base and testing community grew more in the fourth quarter of 2009 than during any other quarter in the companys history. During this time, uTest also launched a number of new product features aimed at enterprise customers, including test cycle cloning, custom NDAs, real-time coverage testing reports and more. With the number of approved apps in Apples App Store topping 100,000 and Android already nearing the 20,000 mark, the recent boom in mobile apps has pushed uTest to the next level, said Doron Reuveni, uTest CEO. Getting high-quality web, desktop and mobile apps to market ahead of the competition is more important than ever before. And by enabling apps to be tested in as little as 48 hours, and for a fraction of the cost of traditional outsourced testing shops, uTest is helping our customers thrive. Customer, Community and Company Growth : During the fourth quarter, uTest grew its marketplace, and successfully: * Signed more than 50 new customer deals, including online stock broker, Zecco; desktop security company, Security Coverage; and Electronic Medical Records software provider, Soapware. * Added nearly 2,500 new testers, growing its community to more than 21,000 professional testers from 160 countries worldwide. * Bolstered its executive team, naming John Montgomery Vice President of Project Delivery. * Launched Battle of the E-Tailers, uncovering 500+ Bugs in Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com, which was covered by USA Today, Mashable, Fast Company and eWeek. Adding New Platform Functionality: New uTest platform features make it faster and easier to assemble the right testing team for web and mobile projects. Bug reporting is quicker and more accurate, and bug data is more structured and easier for customers to analyze. Heres a snapshot of new features: * Test Cycle Cloning: Customers can create a new testing project using all the settings from a previous test cycle (e.g. scope of work, testing requirements, locations, environments, and the list of testers) with just a few clicks. * Custom Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs): Customers can upload and attach a custom NDA to any project, which testers must read and agree before starting a release. * Incorporating Test Cases: Testers can submit a completed test case directly through the platform and customers can track testing coverage in real time. * Efficient Test Team Building: Customers can more easily invite back favorite testers from previous projects. * Real-Time Coverage Reports: uTest now provides its customers with real-time reports that track testing coverage across tester locations, OS, browser, handset makers and wireless carriers. Recent Awards and Accolades: Additionally, uTest won several independent awards in Q4 of 2009, including: * Top 5 Best Corporate Blogs in Mashables Open Web Awards (after half a million votes for 80,000+ sites) * Top Innovator Winner at the New England Venture Summit by youngStartup Ventures * Commendation of Excellence Award from the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) * Under the Radar Graduate Circle, one of only five companies named sector leaders * GTAC presenter, CEO Doron Reuveni was chosen to present at 4th Google Test Automation Conference Source Link : http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/uTest-Software-Testing-Marketplace-Reports-Record-Breaking-Q4-Growth-1107834.htm

Aligning with its mission to support building capacity for the Jordanian ICT sector , and to meet the increasing demand for quality and process improvement within the local ICT market, Quality Partners has launched a set of Software Process Improvement (SPI) professional services aimed at building and improving the development process at ICT companies. The new services include CMMI, MSF, ITIL and RUP consulting (Orientation, Training, Implementation, Gap analysis and Auditing). Belal Raslan, Quality Partners GM, said: Our new SPI services help you evaluate your processes and practices to see what s working, right along with what s not. We look at the best practices you are currently using and how they are being used, identify gaps between your current practices and industry best practices, and determine which best practices and practice changes will meet your needs, environment and strategic planning. At the end, you get prioritized recommendations oriented to your specific short-term or long-term goals. Our consulting approach is sharply focused on enhancing the quality standards and the process of the customer s organization by aligning the people, processes and technology with their business objectives. It provides a unique value to its customers in being able to combine its technical capability, with some of the most robust domain expertise in selective verticals, to offer best-in-breed solutions in a globally distributed delivery environment. Our Quality and Process Consulting provides entire development service where in complete assessments and initiating work of Process definition, implementation & training is performed, he added. Source Link: http://www.ameinfo.com/219065.html

Tackling the issue of software testing, Microsoft this week is offering a tool that leverages model-based testing techniques. The tool, Spec Explorer 2010, also referred to simply as Spec Explorer, is available on theMicrosoft DevLabs site, said S. Somasegar, senior vice president of the Microsoft developer division, in a Monday evening blog post. Thorough, consistent, and extensible testing of systems remains one of the biggest challenges in creating and maintaining software systems, Somasegar said. The Spec Explorer tool released today on DevLabs tackles that problem using model-based testing techniques. Spec Explorer models software behavior and generates test suites from those models. Models can be viewed as graphical renderings to understand expected system behavior. Test suites can run standalone or in the Visual Studio test framework or other unit test frameworks. Engineers with no modeling background can build models with Spec Explorer, Somasegar said. Models are written in C# and accompanied by configuration files in a scripting language called Cord, for Coordination Language, the Spec Explorer team blog reported on Tuesday. Several Microsoft projects of various sizes have already used Spec Explorer as part of their development process. Using Spec Explorer has helped those teams create test cases more quickly, ensure predictability of requirement coverage, and support the projects lifecycle management and software updates, Somasegar said. The company is seeking feedback on Spec Explorer. A commercial version may or may not be released. Microsoft also has been developing its model-based software development platform, which has been dubbed Oslo. Microsoft previously has built a predecessor tool, Spec Explorer 2004, used by Microsoft product groups. Source Link: http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-world/microsoft-offers-spec-explorer-2010-software-test-tool-744

The BCS and FOCUS on TRAINING have launched a new service which simplifies finding and booking accredited IT training courses online. Training and exams for industry leading qualifications such as ITIL, ISEB Software Testing, and ISEB Business Analysis are just a few clicks away. (PRWEB) February 1, 2010 -- IT professionals will benefit from a new partnership between FOCUS on TRAINING and BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. The Institute has, through its professional examination arm ISEB, developed a collection of training courses and certifications which are the benchmark for information systems best practice. The exams provide IT specialists with professional development routes in a variety of areas, including IT Service Management, Business Analysis, Systems Development, Software Testing and Information Security. Visitors to the ISEB website can now access the nationwide schedule for these courses and book places online. The training is delivered by specialist training companies that have each been accredited by ISEB. A central booking service is provided by FOCUS on TRAINING. Stephen Daniels of the BCS explains: “As the Chartered Institute for IT, we chose to work with FOCUS as they already offer a highly effective search and book facility in their specialist fields of Project Management and IT Service Management. Moreover, the status of 8,000 courses is updated daily. As well as enabling fast and efficient course booking, FOCUS is able to provide expert and impartial advice that will help IT professionals continue to enable the information society.� The initial phase of this collaboration is in the UK and Ireland providing a comprehensive database of ISEB accredited Business Analysis, Software Testing, IT Governance, and ITIL training courses in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow - and 20 other cities. For the most popular certification tracks such as the ISEB Business Analysis Diploma, ISEB Software Testing and ITIL, FOCUS offers explanatory guides which can be downloaded free of charge. Certifications from ISEB such as ITIL® are complemented on the FOCUS website with other widely respected “best practice� training such as PRINCE2 and MSP. ABOUT FOCUS on TRAINING: FOCUS is a leading training organisation specialising in accredited best practice training for Project Management and IT Service Management. Courses are available on both a public schedule and on-site basis. The FOCUS schedule includes 10,000 training courses in 100 locations so it s easy to find convenient dates and venues. The FOCUS website shows course status and allows fast online booking. ABOUT BCS: BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, promotes wider social and economic progress through the advancement of information technology science and practice. It brings together industry, academics, practitioners and government to share knowledge, promote new thinking, inform the design of new curricula, shape public policy and inform the public. As the professional membership and accreditation body for IT, it serves over 70,000 members including practitioners, businesses, academics and students, in the UK and internationally. A leading IT qualification body, the BCS offers a range of widely recognised professional and end-user qualifications. Source Link : http://www.prweb.com/releases/bcs_iseb_focus/itil_testing_training/prweb3517554.htm

Software provider Micro Focus (LSE:MCRO.L) announced the availability of SilkTest 2009 R2 and Silk4J 2009 R2 from Borland Software Corporation, a Micro Focus Company. According to the company, the new suite of applications testing software enables customers to increase their return on investment (ROI) while reducing time expended on the critical testing process. SilkTest 2009 R2 provides functional and regression test automation for technologies including Web 2.0/RIA, Java and Microsoft technologies, enabling the testing of workflows that span multiple applications or multi-technology applications. The new release also offers a robust environment that improves effectiveness by allowing different stakeholders to build test automation frameworks. In addition, the new version of SilkTest includes the following enhancements: improved open agent technology; full cross-browser AJAX support; enhanced support for system functions by the SilkTest Open Agent; and dynamic port allocation. The company also announced the availability of SilkPerformer 2009 R2, a new release of its load testing solution. This latest software release continues on the theme of openness and technical excellence with improvements in test creation, execution and maintenance and provides support for new technologies and the Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 operating systems. SilkTest 2009 R2 provides functional and regression test automation for a number of important technologies like Web 2.0/RIA, Java, and Microsoft technologies in a seamless fashion, which enables the testing of work-flows that span multiple applications or multi-technology applications. It also supports testers and developers by offering a robust and powerful environment that improves effectiveness by allowing different stakeholders to build true test automation frameworks and maximize ROI. Joachim Herschmann, product director Test Automation at Borland said, Early adopter customers have already noticed the speed and automatic synchronization enhancements provided by this new version. SilkTest 2009 R2 allows customers to reduce the cost, risk and complexity of testing state-of-the-art applications, increasing confidence in the quality of their applications. In addition to the SilkTest interface, which has proved very popular with Quality Assurance professionals, the Silk4J Eclipse plug-in is bringing testing capabilities to the developer environment, Herschmann added. The new version of SilkTest includes : . Improved Open Agent Technology – Dynamic Object Recognition allows for a decoupling of an application s Graphical User Interface (GUI) object hierarchy from its representation in test scripts, resulting in significantly lower script maintenance. Advanced synchronisation capabilities eliminate the need to modify test scripts to include wait times, providing advanced automation for testing today s dynamic Web applications. . Full cross-browser AJAX support – SilkTest now provides completely automatic synchronisation for testing Web2.0 applications on Firefox 3.0 and 3.5 as well as Internet Explorer, 6, 7 and 8 through its open agent technology. . Enhanced support for system functions by the SilkTest Open Agent. . Dynamic Port Allocation – The SilkTest Open Agent also now uses dynamically allocated ports. The dynamic port allocation feature for the open agent makes it possible to leverage the supported technologies for SilkPerformer 2009 R2 GUI value unit tests. Source Link : http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/borl_fcusf_micro-focus-introduces-silktest-2009-r2-and-silk4j-2009-r2-712028.html

The combination of a shortage of software testers in the UK and businesses reluctance to spend money on testing is causing financial and reputational loss, research has shown. A survey carried out by software testing company Sogeti at TestExpo last month revealed that 73% of the 300 people interviewed said there is a shortage of software testing skills in the UK. More than half of them added that businesses do not spend enough on testing. Although businesses value software testing, they do not commit enough resources to it, said Richard Terry, deputy CEO of Sogeti UK. Software testers and developers are painfully aware of the need to thoroughly test applications before they are unleashed on consumers or business users, but managers need to ensure resources, such as time, budget and headcount, are available to support thorough and methodical testing, he said. Bola Rotibi, analyst at Macehiter Ward Dutton, said companies recognise the importance of software testing but it is not being done well in many cases. We have the tools in the UK, but companies are not always doing it from the beginning, which is essential to establish what needs to be tested, she said. Rotibi added that if testing is overlooked or fails, businesses will suffer if problems occur. It costs more to fix it after it is deployed, and problems can damage reputation, confidence and customer loyalty. More than a third of respondents to the Sogeti survey said that they currently had some software testing conducted offshore and 9% said they planned to offshore. A total of 52% had no plans to offshore any software testing in the future. Source Link : http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/01/19/240007/uk-is-short-on-software-testing-skills.htm

SmarteSoft, Inc., the industry leader in easy to use, rapid development software test automation products and services has hired Hector Rodriquez to serve as a Senior Project Manager on its Professional Services team. Rodriguez is a seasoned test automation industry vet who offers SmarteSoft s clients a wealth of experience. With Hector on board, our Professional Services clients can expect to extend the already impressive return they get from investing in our test automation tools, says SmarteSoft Director of Strategic Business Development, Art Trevethan. His deep expertise in leading large-scale test automation projects will, no doubt, save them a significant amount of time, effort, and money. The move is the latest personnel add from a company that continues to buck the downward economic trend. We re growing, and we re growing fast, says SmarteSoft s Vice-President of Sales, Gary Bowers. And with our ability to attract business from nearly every sector, I can t imagine that we ll slow down any time soon. About SmarteSoft Inc. SmarteSoft offers a revolutionary approach to software test automation, one that promises to change how you look at testing. With extreme ease of use, maintainability, and productivity, Smarte tools and services work equally well for agile and traditional software development and test. The company s innovative test automation technologies enable software development and business analysis teams to rapidly improve overall quality and time to market, reduce costs, and achieve maximum cross-functional team flexibility. Source Link: http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=293861&Itemid=30

In the humdrum and often mind-numbing world of software coding, Mukesh Sharma found his true passion and a business opportunity when few others did. He discovered software testing. Today, QA InfoTech, his $10 million company (estimated FY 2009-10 revenues) is among a handful of players in this niche and growing industry. Testing involves finding errors and bugs that could affect the usability, compatibility or security of new software or web programs, before they re released to customers or end-users. The testing industry is estimated at $13 billion worldwide with dominant players like Virtusa, Applabs and Mindtree (in India). An engineer from BITS Pilani, Sharma grew up on campus where his father was a lab technician. I wanted to be in the civil services but my father pushed me to get into IT. I m glad I took his advice, says the 36-year-old Sharma who began his career in 1996 with DCM Data Systems writing code and applications. Dad was making little money and we were hand-to-mouth. I took tuitions on weekends to support my income. Within a year Sharma was posted onsite at IBM s Research Triangle Park facilities in Raleigh, North Carolina. Testing in those days was considered a secondary job. But I started liking it because it gave an end-to-end idea of the overall system, a greater sense of ownership, and more interaction with people across the development chain, he says. Sharma s big moment came when he joined Quark Systems in Denver, Colorado and soon rose to a testing supervisor s role. Four years later my friends were still doing coding and I was sitting in management meetings, he recalls. But he began to feel that being part of the development team, the independence of testing within the organisation was usually defeated. There was clearly a conflict of interest as the testing team and developers reported to the head of development. So an independent third-party testing service made sense. The idea of starting his own testing firm took seed as he moved to Thomson Gale (now Gale group). On one of his trips back home he registered QA InfoTech in India. Subsequently, he relocated to India with Adobe Systems and switched full-time to running his company in October 2005 by which time it was already a $300,000 company in revenues. Much of the business now comes through word-of-mouth. We didn t hire a sales team till late last year, says Sharma. With 400 employees, he says the biggest challenge has been to find people with the right mindset. Testing engineers have to think of what-if scenarios. Those questions are not there when you develop the product. But can you do all the scenarios? The answer is no. It comes with experience. QA InfoTech s business comes mostly from overseas clients, especially the US. And e-learning contributes 40% of revenues. With the recession, more people were going back to higher education and learning, so we benefited. Domestic demand is very limited though it has large potential, especially in the e-governance projects, says Sharma. Meanwhile new areas of testing are coming up such as device testing. Last year QA InfoTech began testing mobile phones given to farmers under the IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd project. The use of cloud computing is another emerging area and Sharma says early results with some clients have been well-received and encouraging. Sharma recently joined a Rs 50-crore early stage fund launched by Vivek Bihani of InSync Advisors. Source Link: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/india-emerging/Software-testing-is-a-passion-for-QA-InfoTechs-Mukesh-Sharma/articleshow/5446683.cms

Online Holiday Shopping Rush Exposes Widespread Application Performance and Scalability Problems; Projected Jobless Economic Recovery Likely to Stretch IT Teams Further, Worsening Software Quality Issues BOSTON, MA and LINZ, AUSTRIA--(Marketwire - December 15, 2009) - According to a recent survey of IT professionals in the US, UK and Central Europe, more than 90 percent of organizations experience pressure to deliver software releases in unrealistic timeframes, while fully 62 percent believe that this pressure directly and negatively impacts the performance and overall quality of the software they create. Many pundits predict a jobless economic recovery in 2010(1). In this environment, IT and software development organizations are under tremendous pressure to do more with less. Applications of all kinds, particularly Web-based e-commerce applications, are seen as engines of growth that can deliver the elusive combination of increased revenue at a low cost. As a result, pressure to deliver new and improved releases of applications is unrelenting. Almost two-thirds of the survey respondents cited unrealistic lead times in delivering software as a problem of high or medium impact in their organization. For consumer-focused companies, deadlines imposed by the holiday shopping season place a particularly acute strain on development and IT operations teams to create, fix and update the applications their organizations rely on to turn a profit. Almost half of the survey respondents report losing at least one day every week reproducing and fixing performance and availability issues. This indicates a loss of hundreds of hours that could otherwise be spent building new features to attract, engage and retain customers. Aggressive application delivery deadlines don t allow for such inefficiency. As a result, the scramble to meet target dates often results in lower-quality, slow-performing software that can disappoint end-users. This can damage a brand and hurt a company s bottom line. These challenges, noted in a report by Keynote Systems, observed that almost all leading retail sites slowed down on Black Friday and some even had major outages(2). According to Forrester Research, on average, companies that provide a superior experience have 14.4 percent more customers who are willing to consider them for another purchase than companies in the same industry that offer a poor customer experience(3). App dev shops are under increasing pressure to deliver apps faster, but hasty application development can result in lower quality, said Mike Gualtieri, senior analyst at Forrester Research. A poor user experience created by bugs or performance problems in applications can be disastrous to a firm s bottom-line. Increasingly, companies are learning that application performance is the most important determinant of the online experience, and that features and elegant user interfaces cannot compensate for slow-loading Web pages. Research from Google and Microsoft, released earlier this year, found that performance issues resulting in delays of as little as a half-second can distract users and greatly impact business. The results of user performance tests, revealed at the June 2009 Velocity Conference by Microsoft s Eric Schurman and Google s Jake Brutlag, assess the aspect of performance that is most important -- speed. The growing complexity of today s applications can lead to delays caused by poor performance, which their research found not only distracts users, but can cause them to abandon sites altogether. The survey, hosted by dynaTrace, a provider of application performance management (APM) solutions, examined the challenges and costs associated with delivering scalable and high-performing applications. Based on responses from almost 500 developers and IT professionals, the study assessed the impact of new technical and organizational trends that complicate efforts to ensure strong application performance. It also evaluated the ability of organizations to deal with these new challenges. Source Link: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Dynatrace-1090811.html

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantros, Inc., a leading provider of safety and quality software and professional services solutions for the healthcare industry, announces the creation of a new healthcare IT consulting division. Quantros has named software industry veteran Michael Tulloch, MBA, as Director of IT Consulting Services. Tulloch will work from the company s new Marlborough, MA office. The expansion into IT services is a natural one, explains Tulloch. Quantros has been developing software for the healthcare industry for nearly a decade. We have relationships with a number of different entities within the industry including payers and quality agencies. We also have access to specialized technical resources, both inside and outside our company, that are unavailable to most healthcare organizations. Some of the services that the Quantros IT Consulting group offers include application development and re-engineering, business intelligence, application management and maintenance services, data migration, software testing and secure access solutions. The department is also preparing to undertake a number of International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) conversion projects to help healthcare organizations comply with changes to the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA mandates that all health care organizations eligible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement convert the codes used to report diagnoses and inpatient hospital procedures in health care transactions over to ICD-10. The conversion presents a huge challenge to virtually all healthcare organizations. Quantros software applications provide decision makers with the information they need to positively impact the quality of care and financial health of their organizations, explains Tulloch. Leveraging our experience and resources in service of the IT goals of those organizations is simply an extension of our core mission. Quantros (www.quantros.com) is a leading software and services provider for the healthcare industry in the areas of safety and risk management, quality and performance improvement, accreditation and compliance, real-time surveillance and centralized decision support. Today more than 2,000 healthcare facilities use Quantros solutions to improve performance and provide a safe, high quality environment of care. Key product decisions are driven by experts in healthcare quality and performance improvement, safety, compliance, risk management and nursing. Quantros team members include physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals. Source LInk: http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1800431/safety_and_quality_software_developer_quantros_inc_launches_healthcare_it/index.html?so urce=r_health

Bangalore: Bharatbook.com has added a new report on Pure Play Independent Software Testing Services Market in Europe 2008-2012, which is helping the companies improve the quality of software considerably by incorporating corrections during the development phase. Pure Play Independent Software Testing Services (Software Testing Services) refers to the testing process of developed software, by an independent company. Such a company offers only testing services, without product development or system integration services. It tests the software for its quality, completeness, accuracy, and security. In addition, it includes execution of a program or application for identifying errors, and comparing the actual output with the expected one, by feeding a set of inputs. These services also include test improvement services, such as training courses, transformation test reviews. Earlier, testing was carried out post-completion of software development, for detecting defects and bugs. However, since the past few years, software testing is carried out during the development phase itself. This new method is helping the companies improve the quality of software considerably by incorporating corrections during the development phase. There is a growing trend of outsourcing testing services by the enterprises in Europe. Cost savings, business process improvements and requirement of specialized and professional skills are driving companies in Europe to outsource testing process. Further, the need for quality, and to meet both functional and non-functional testing requirements is driving this trend. The report forecasts the size of the Pure Play Independent Software Testing Services market in Europe over the period 2008-2012. Further, it discusses the key market trends, drivers and challenges of the Pure Play Independent Software Testing Services market in Europe, and profiles some of the key vendors of this industry. Source Link: http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Pure_Play_Independent_Software_Testing_Services_Market-nid-64260.html

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seapine Software, a leading global provider of quality-centric application lifecycle management (ALM) solutions, today announced that the New Zealand Ministry of Justice has implemented Seapine QA Wizard Pro and TestTrack Studio products to better manage its service-related, applications testing and quality assurance processes. These solutions allow the Ministry of Justice to automate and streamline the testing of applications, improve team collaboration, and closely control the development and delivery of quality applications. The quality assurance (QA) team at the Ministry of Justice is using QA Wizard Pro to automate the testing of its service-related applications. The QA team indicates that QA Wizard Pro has helped to significantly reduce the application testing time from four hours to eleven minutes, while enabling the team to deliver higher-quality applications. The QA team is also using TestTrack Studio, which is comprised of Test Track Pro for issue management and TestTrack TCM for test case management, to track and manage all details of their testing efforts. The New Zealand Ministry of Justice was looking for a complete and fully integrated software quality assurance solution, said Rick Riccetti, president and CEO, Seapine Software. �The seamless integration of QA Wizard Pro, TestTrack Pro, and TestTrack TCM enables the Ministrys QA team to efficiently test software, track defects and defect fixes, create and manage test cases, and manage scripts in one fluid cycle. Automated processes help the testing and development teams work together more effectively, so they can consistently deliver quality applications on time. In addition to the quality assurance benefits, the QA team at the New Zealand Ministry of Justice can now maintain a complete audit trail of issues found during application testing and track the resolution of these issues for closed-loop accountability. The QA team uses TestTrack�s audit trail logging to record the information that is modified when an issue changes. The QA team is also using TestTrack to create customized workflows to manage testing and QA processes and electronic signatures to track who modifies issues. Source Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/New-Zealand-Ministry-of-bw-1001011032.html?x=0&.v=1

Eurostar 2009, a three-day Software Testing expo, hosted in Sweden - starting November 30, 2009, ended on a euphoric note. The success of the event has been evident, looking at the overwhelming response received for global IT companies for their Software testing services. Omnitech InfoSolutions (BSE: 532882) , Indias leading business availability and business continuity provider was in the league with other leading software testing companies that got acknowledge by the software testing professionals in the European region. Through Eurostar 2009, Omnitech InfoSolutions created a platform to showcase its Testing 2.0 offering suite. The Keyword Driven Framework (KWDF) which is a key component of the Suite attracted the maximum attention. KWDF is a collection of best practices, processes, scripts and tools for successful test automation for European software testing teams. This initiative has further helped the company to strengthen its presence in Europe for its software testing services. Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Anurag Shah, CEO - Technology Services, Omnitech InfoSolutions Ltd said, The exhibition at Eurostar 2009 has now grown to become one of the largest and most popular software testing exhibition in the world, with over 1000 testing professionals showing their interest level through participation. The event saw a gathering of industry leaders across the globe, addressing the needs for software testing services in Europe. We are very excited by the response our solutions have received at the Expo and are quite confident to work closely with various European companies to enable them to implement Test Automation in a practical, time based & a very cost effective manner. About Keyword Driven Framework (KWDF) The companys Keyword Driven Framework (KWDF) is a collection of best practices, processes, scripts and tools for successful automation testing. Omnitech employs tried, tested and proven KWDF methodology for its customers to ensure deployment of right tools, skills, appropriate planning of activities and setting up of right communication channels which reduces risks and communication over heads and drives test automation success and early ROI. Omnitech has worked extensively with customers for their test automation needs and has achieved success in driving the results. About Omnitech InfoSolutions Ltd Omnitech InfoSolutions Ltd (BSE Code: 532882) is Indias leading business continuity and disaster recovery services provider. The company offers a complete range of Business Availability Services which includes Infrastructure Management Services, Application Management Services & Performance Management Services. Omnitech also specializes in Business Continuity Services, which include DR Consulting & Management, Data Vaulting Services and Workplace Recovery Services. Turnkey IT solutions like Server & Storage Consolidation, Virtualization, Network Integration Solutions and Data Center Management Solutions are also covered by Omnitech. Company business is spread across the US, Canada, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Bahrain and Japan. The client base encompasses sectors like BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance), Manufacturing, Utilities, Services and IT & ITES organisations. Omnitech is the first Indian IT company to start third party managed workplace recovery center in India through - Omnicentre. The company aims to open a chain of DRMS centers globally to provide business resilience of Workplace, Data and Systems.

uTest, the worlds largest software testing marketplace, today launched version 2.9 of its platform. This latest version includes tools to easily build a top testing team and to clone test cycles to boost efficiency, especially for recurring customers. As our customers and their software applications have become more mature and sophisticated, so too do their requests for realworld testing services, said Doron Reuveni, uTest CEO. This new version of the uTest platform makes it even faster and easier for customers to build the best ondemand team to get their web, desktop and mobile applications tested. More Efficient Test Team Building Detailed tester profiles enable uTest to more precisely match customers web, desktop, and mobile app testing needs with the right members of its global QA community. With version 2.9, customers can easily choose and invite back top testers and their favorite testers from past projects. This saves critical time and ensures they can work with those testers who know their app best and have done good work for them in the past. Project Cloning Along with more powerful team building tools, this version also introduces the ability to clone a testing project. Customers can capture all the settings from a previous project including testing requirements across locations, environments, special instructions and the list of testers and reuse them on a new project with just a few clicks. The new cloning feature saves customers valuable time so they can focus their attention on other aspects of the testing project and get to market faster. Incorporating Test Cases Many uTest customers request testing coverage (across functionality, locations, languages, OS and browsers), not only to find bugs, but also to enable them to launch their apps with confidence. The best way to achieve testing coverage is by publishing test cases that testers can complete. This ensures that all the important details of an application are covered. uTest has long supported the ability for testers to submit completed test cases. But now in response to requests from recurring customers testers can submit a completed test case directly through the platform and customers can track coverage in realtime. About uTest, Inc. uTest is the worlds largest marketplace for software testing services. The company provides realworld testing services through its community of 21,000+ professional testers from 159 countries around the world. More than 1,000 companies from web startups to global software leaders have signed up for the uTest marketplace to get their web, desktop and mobile applications tested. Source Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/utest-enables-better-test-team,1093172.shtml