In simple words, Software Testing can be defined as the process of validating and verifying that a software application meets the stated requirements. In any organization, whether offshore product development or outsourced software development, Software Testing is a method of identifying faults in the product before it is released. This includes defects in the software code and its execution, as well as any potential gap between what the code is supposed to do and what it actually does. Software Testing can be implemented at any time in the development process. However, most of the test effort occurs after the requirements have been defined and the coding process has been completed.

Software testing is a process that ensures that the new software that will be released will work. Software testing helps the developers to find out whether there are technical problems in particular software before it is released. Software testing also ensures that the software that is being released by its manufacturer has passed standard quality tests. Software testing helps to avoid the hassles and cost that may be caused by faulty software’s that have been released in the market. When software that has not gone through software testing is sold in the market, it is likely to have technical issues that can arise from the software usage. This may have costly result particularly when software is used in applications that are crucial in the operation of business organizations.

There are mainly two types of software testing used by all software testing companies in India and across the globe, Manual testing and Automated testing. Manual software testing generally involves manual interaction with application, and observing the outcomes very carefully. In addition to this, a manual testing allows the tester to execute random testing in comparison to automated testing. However, automated testing is different from manual testing. Automated testing provides you with the facility to run automation against code that changes regularly to identify regressions in a sensible manner. Automated testing provides you the ability to run automation in mainstream scenarios. The latest techniques in software testing increase the quality of software products in a number of ways:

1) reduces the cost of software development and testing.

2) reduces the time spent on the development of new software products.

3) Improves the software performance. The benefits of using software testing tools directs to increase in team motivation and decrease in the time of testing the application.

Also, learn about Issue tracking software used for software testing.

ERP or Enterprise resource planning is a term used in conjunction with Enterprise Resource Planning software which is used to manage and coordinate all functions, resources and information of a business, available on a shared data source. ERP is a strategic tool, which helps the company to gain a competitive edge by integrating all business processes and optimizing the resources available so as to manage the enterprise as a whole.

ERP has many advantages which can benefit the company in the long run.  ERP helps in faster processing of information and reduces the burden of paperwork. It gives customer satisfaction in terms of prompt responses and follow ups. It helps in having a say over your competitor and adapting to the ups and downs of the market and business fluctuations. ERP is suitable for global operations as it encompasses all the domestic jargons, currency conversions, diverse accounting standards, and multilingual facilities. ERP helps to control the data and facilitates the necessary contacts to acquire the same. It helps in streamlining of financial and administrative systems.

One of the greatest benefits of incorporating ERP as a key business strategy is its ability to fundamentally eliminate multiple systems with no more redundancy. Individual agencies can hereby share important information in a standardized way, proving for a reduction in time spent doing this and a resulting improvement in productivity. All-in-all costs are reduced by implementing ERP for discovering only the best practices for all the business processes needed to be carried out.

ERP is a technology formed with the fusion of small, separate segments of an enterprise to form a larger, interactive unit. The atmosphere of ERP is inevitable and the architecture is robust. You can analyze data across all departments and interpret most important information. Information flow across boundaries experiences least viscosity, providing customized business solutions.

Modern businesses run systems, IT networks and corporate applications and manage business processes that often become unwieldy, complex and difficult to manage. An ERP solution with its business process transformation capabilities is generally favored by enterprise IT managers, chief information officers and chief technology officers to integrate and better manage business operations and ever-increasing business applications and network systems. The solution in its early deployment stages integrates key business processes and functions such as finance, manufacturing, purchase, production planning, human resources, sales and marketing.

A successful implementation of ERP software can result in medium-term business benefits. Top management are able to get real-time insight into business activities and operations across locations and can adjust short-term strategic objectives and goals. Employees can access and manage enterprise applications on demand. Over time, businesses learn to be more quick, competitive and productive.

Cloud computing has emerged as a better way to run your business. Instead of running your applications yourself, they run on a shared data center. When you use any application that runs in the cloud, you just log in, customize it, and start using it. That’s the power of cloud computing.

Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. These services are broadly divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that’s often used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams.

The majority of cloud computing infrastructure, as of 2009, consists of reliable services delivered through data centers and built on servers with different levels of virtualization technologies. The services are accessible anywhere that provides access to networking infrastructure. Clouds often appear as single points of access for all consumers’ computing needs. Commercial offerings are generally expected to meet quality of service requirements of customers and typically offer SLAs. Open standards are critical to the growth of cloud computing, and open source software has provided the foundation for many cloud computing implementations.

A cloud service has three distinct characteristics that differentiate it from traditional hosting. It is sold on demand, typically by the minute or the hour; it is elastic — a user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time; and the service is fully managed by the provider (the consumer needs nothing but a personal computer and Internet access). Significant innovations in virtualization and distributed computing, as well as improved access to high-speed Internet and a weak economy, have accelerated interest in cloud computing.

A cloud can be private or public. A public cloud sells services to anyone on the Internet. (Currently, Amazon Web Services is the largest public cloud provider.) A private cloud is a proprietary network or a data center that supplies hosted services to a limited number of people. When a service provider uses public cloud resources to create their private cloud, the result is called a virtual private cloud. Private or public, the goal of cloud computing is to provide easy, scalable access to computing resources and IT services.

Businesses are running all kinds of apps in the cloud these days, like CRM, HR, accounting, and custom-built apps. Cloud-based apps can be up and running in a few days, which is unheard of with traditional business software. They cost less, because you don’t need to pay for all the people, products, and facilities to run them. And, it turns out they’re more scalable, more secure, and more reliable than most apps. Plus, upgrades are taken care of for you, so your apps get security and performance enhancements and new features—automatically.

Finally, cloud applications don’t eat up your valuable IT resources, so your CFO will love it. This lets you focus on deploying more apps, new projects, and innovation. In nutshell, Cloud computing is a simple idea, but it can have a huge impact on your business.

Q3 Technologies is a large diversified technology company offering technology consulting and outsourcing software products and applications development services to the global IT industry, will be exhibiting at the OutsourceWorld 2009 that is going to be held in New York (USA) from 11^th Nov’09 to 12^th Nov’09. This will be Q3 Technologies’ second participation at the OutsourceWorld.

OutsourceWorld is a pure-play business trade platform for executives who have a need to outsource business services. OutsourceWorld is the premier industry event, which focuses on sourcing and globalization and provides an excellent platform for software companies to reach out to the global market. OutsourceWorld is an event crafted for business leaders charged with strengthening their organization, improving competitiveness and increasing profit margins in an economy that has undergone significant structural changes.

At Global Sourcing Forum and Expo (GSFE), participating companies would get an opportunity to learn from influential leaders, executives, and practitioners who are leveraging global services to tackle economic challenges and to strategically grow their business.

This event is unique as it brings academics, thought leaders, sourcing executives and global suppliers from over 25 countries, all in just 2 days under one roof to discuss debate and learn about the challenges and opportunities posed by changes in their industry. This event has a great significance for medium and large-sized companies that are increasingly adopting global sourcing and offshoring as a competitive tool.

Exhibitors like Q3 technologies use this platform as a launch pad for their latest products. This is a 2 day IT event that will have the largest presence of  IT and ITES (IT enabled companies) companies with their innovative IT products & services. In addition, Q3 will explore established and emerging client destinations and follow best practices to successfully source, manage and deliver global services.

At OutsourceWorld 2009, Q3 technologies would be showcasing its expertise across a gamut of innovative solutions built around cutting-edge technologies in Microsoft .Net, Java and other open source platforms.

The next few days will see hectic activities in the company’s development center (India) and overseas offices as preparations are made for OutsourceWorld 2009. Q3 Technologies will also be exhibiting at the ESC IT Meet to be held on 9^th Nov’09 at Bogota, Colombia. This meet will have presence of  software companies with their innovative IT products & services.

Network management refers to the activities, methods, procedures, and tools that pertains to the operation, administration, maintenance, and provisioning of the networked systems. Network management is a wider term that includes:

•Security: Ensuring that the network is protected from unauthorized users.

•Performance: Eliminating bottlenecks in the network.

• Reliability: Making continuous availability of the network to the users and correctly responding to the system malfunctions (if any).

Network management means different to different people. In general, network management is a service that uses a wide range of devices, tools, and applications to enable the network managers in efficiently monitoring and maintaining of the network.

Network management deals with the top-level administration and maintenance of widespread and large network area commonly seen in the field of computers or telecommunications that primarily includes user terminal equipment.

An element of network management, accounting management is the process of keeping and maintaining records. For example, in telemanagement system, the call accounting module of telecommunication keep tracks of the network usage based on call detail recording (CDR) records output by the telephone system. On the basis of that data, the call accounting system can calculate calling costs, which it passes to a cost allocation module that creates reports of calling activity.

Network management executes functions, such as security, control, allocation, monitoring, coordination, deployment, and planning. It is also governed by several protocols, which are basically present for its support, such as SNMP, CIM, CMIP, and WBEM.

Network Monitoring is about policing network traffic. In other words, network monitoring is spying for the benefit of smooth working of network management. Network monitoring is part of network management. Ideally, network monitoring must be performed on an ongoing basis. While the other systems are performing the functions assigned to them, one should set aside at least one computer to monitor network activity. This is network monitoring in a nutshell.

The computer performing network monitoring must be kept always on. It should have exclusive power lines or, backup generator facility. Everyone should understand that network monitoring system is the most critical part of any network. You can send alarm if something goes wrong with the help of network monitoring.

Network monitoring identifies the slow or failing systems and notifies the network administrator of such lapses. Issues such as, overloaded systems, crashing of servers, network connections being lost, virus infections, and power outages are dealt without losing time if network monitoring is in place.

Effective management is crucial for people operating in formal organizational groups. High availability, responsiveness and adequacy are non-negotiable requirements of global corporations – and require specific expertise and know-how.

In today’s volatile business world, IT infrastructure plays a key role in the successful scaling and managing of an organization’s infrastructure. Infrastructure is the physical hardware used to interconnect computers and users. IT infrastructure includes the telephone lines, transmission media, satellite, antennas, repeaters, routers and aggregators, and other devices that control transmission paths. Infrastructure also includes the software that is used to send, receive and manage the signals that are transmitted.

These days there are specialized IT infrastructure service providers available, to whom an organization can outsource this crucial function. IT Infrastructure companies play a significant role, both in terms of where the interconnections are placed and made accessible and in terms of how much information can be carried how quickly. It makes a lot of economic sense for small businesses to outsource this functional area to an IT infrastructure service provider. These service providers will in turn ensure that no viruses or spam harm your network of computers.

Important aspects of business includes, email connectivity, website accessibility, and firewall uptime that are taken care off by an IT infrastructure service provider. All these important aspects of the infrastructure are looked after by the specialized technicians, they ensure trouble free and smooth running of all business processes.

With robust IT infrastructure service providers, an organization can achieve cost efficiencies, remote manageability, high reliability, and accelerated time-to-delivery. You no longer need to worry about the administration part of your network of computers. Instead, you can concentrate on other key areas of your business including marketing and customer service.

With so many advantages on offer, it is no wonder that IT infrastructure is a term that is being increasingly heard across corporate boardrooms these days. Investments in infrastructure management has the largest single impact on an organization’s revenue.

Application management includes a complete design – build – operate program which rationalize and optimize application portfolio and develop and integrate applications. It takes significant efforts to implement Application management methodology as it covers applications from their inception stage to development, implementation, migration, integration, monitoring, upgrades and finally replacement with the new ones. Application management is all about measuring the application performance and end-user experience of business critical applications. It refers to a set of techniques or practices that focus on managing the key aspects of applications.

It is not a secret that effective Application management is essential for an organization success. In today’s economically challenging time, you may be wondering if it makes good business sense to outsource these IT functions. After all, these applications are important for the smooth daily functioning of the business. But not to worry; you are not alone.

Application management helps the business applications in the following ways:

•Reduction in Application total cost: Application management harnesses the advantage of minimal up-front cost and ensures reduction in application total cost of ownership. Based on pay-per-use and pay-per-performance models, your IT spending for routine administrative tasks becomes more predictable and the long-term cost of maintenance and upgrades is significantly reduced.

•Worry-Free, Full Lifecycle Management – Application management realizes the full value from your application investments through implementing full lifecycle management. With full lifecycle management services, you can experience smooth implementation, migration or upgrades.

•Confident Refocusing of Internal Resources on other Strategic Projects – You can free up your in-house resources to focus on other strategic projects and innovative enhancements. You get easy access to a vast pool of application management experts, resources and tools to leverage the full potential of your applications who keep your critical software systems up- to-date, high performance, and availability, as well as 24×7 monitoring and application management support either onsite or remotely.

Application management is a top-down, end-to-end, lifecycle support solution with the tools for constant monitoring and detecting problems in heterogeneous environment. Application goes through a life cycle of development and remains available to the business 100% of the time.

Application management and IT Infrastructure hosting can help small and medium-sized businesses in meeting their business application and technology investments. Application management solution enables them to answer comprehensively the key questions regarding application modernization.