Almost everything is moving to the cloud. Therefore, it’s no surprise that many companies have begun considering cloud-based testing tools. It’s clear vendors believe the cloud testing market will gain momentum; Spirent recently acquired testing-as-a-service provider Metrico. They might be waiting for a while. Cloud-based testing has multiple benefits, but it’s not yet a “must have” for most businesses.

Experts advise business should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of moving their testing to the cloud. Cloud-based  testing provides more scalability and cost-efficiency than an on-premises tools. Their elastic scaling means they can handle spikes in use much better than traditional deployments.

Testing using tools in the cloud is especially beneficial for organizations that must test mobile solutions. Mobile apps must be be optimized and tested for every platform an organization decides to support.  This typically means spending hours configuring  and re-configuring servers to various scenarios. Using the a cloud-based testing can simplify this process and reduce the time necessary to setup and configure servers.

These are compelling benefits , but there are other considerations. Chandranshu Singh, senior analyst of IT solutions at Ovum, cautions businesses that interoperability is one area they should definitely examine. Requirements can change quickly, so the ability to move between cloud services is important. Unfortunately cloud standards are in an infantile state, which results in a lack of interoperability between cloud platforms and an increased risk for vendor or solution lock-in.

Interoperability isn’t the only challenge. Some businesses operate in heavily regulated industries, which can make cloud-based testing an unsuitable option. Explicit security requirements that forbid external hosting and concerns about loss of control drive away many potential cloud-based testing customers.

Despite the concerns, demand for cloud best test tools will grow. Organizations shouldn’t  adopt these tools because they believe other companies are doing it or that it will correct poor testing practices. As the market matures and the volume of systems within businesses continue grow, adopting cloud-based testing tools may become more important, but for now they are just a nice to have option.