Companies, today, are finding that costs can be significantly reduced by moving test environments to the cloud and implementing automated testing and infrastructure. The temporary nature of test environments creates opportunities to reduce the time it takes to cycle through individual tests. If hours can be shaved down to minutes in the process of setting up an environment, running a test and tearing down the environment, then budgets for test environments can be cut considerably.

The impact of cloud adoption on test environments is a valuable advancement in both cost savings and agility. The on-demand model takes advantage of public cloud APIs requiring only payment for the time needed to run automated tests. In this framework, success depends on two things: automated infrastructure and automated acceptance tests. If these two goals can be achieved, the cost savings from reduced infrastructure spend and the increase in agility will more than pay for the cost of both automation initiatives.

Automation Is the Key to Cloud-Based Cost Savings
However, moving to the cloud isn't a blanket fix. To fully take advantage of cloud-based test environments, it's necessary to change the way the environments are viewed. They should be fully automated, and dev teams should be able to stand up and tear down an environment quickly.

If environments can spin up and spin down as needed, and if the setup of test data is automated, then a continuous deployment pipeline, which views the creation of a test environment as just another step in a build pipeline, can be developed. The key is to remove the need for manual testing so that test environments don't have to exist any longer than it takes to execute a test suite.

Take for example, an application that runs on Tomcat. Source code is tracked in Git, applications are built with Jenkins, and a build artifact is published to a repository such as Nexus. This creates a continuous integration server running 24/7. Any time a developer pushes a commit to a repository, the system kicks off a build, and runs a comprehensive suite of unit tests.

In the past, teams were satisfied running continuous integration that ended with unit tests. When a project neared release, a QA team would run a series of manual checks against a static QA environment. This required a QA environment to be maintained 365 days a year, even if it was only used for 30 days a year. The process proved to be inefficient, and QA experienced constant issues in configuration and management.

As continuous deployment becomes more common, teams now extend the build pipeline to create QA environments only when needed. A QA team is also committed to building out automated test suites that can be run as part of a continuous deployment pipeline. In this new environment, QA testers never need to run tests; the entire, end-to-end test suite can be automated. Instead of worrying about keeping a separate environment running, the build pipeline creates it automatically, runs the test suite automatically, and then tears it down when testing is complete. All of this can be done using public cloud APIs on a service such as Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Rackspace.

Using cloud-based infrastructure APIs alongside deployment automation tools means that payment is itemized per use. A static QA environment might have cost close to $30,000 a year to maintain, while a new, dynamic approach runs for only a few hours a week keeping the effective annual cost under $5,000. Another benefit is that multiple test environments can be created simultaneously without conflict. If the project is experiencing heavy development, your new pipeline can spin up a new, ephemeral test environment for multiple commits on multiple branches at the same time, and it can be done for a fraction of the cost of a dedicated test environment.

Cloud Test Environments: Shift to OpEx, Cut Costs
This approach is the future of test environments. If a software project requires a full QA regression test, and a script is created to automate both the execution of the tests and the creation and tear down of an isolated test environment, then everything about test environment management has changed. In this scenario, a code commit can trigger the dynamic creation of parallel test environments in the cloud which may only need to exist for a few hours. In a pay-as-you-go environment on a public cloud, budgets are calculated not by how much rent costs in an environment for a month or a year, but how much transient cloud-based resources cost during a single regression test.

It could cost $1,000 per month to run a QA environment. Think about the cost savings of running several environments for only a few hours at a specific time in a given month. During busy development weeks, you might spend $12 per test suite execution and run a regression test twice a day. During a slow week, you might not run any tests at all. Cloud-based infrastructure and automation allow for a reduction in the ongoing costs associated with test environments dramatically.

In a landscape where operating agility and cost efficiencies can create an edge for companies, it is vital to be able to track the efforts required to support, create and tear down test environments. By identifying the environments that benefit the most from a migration to an automated, cloud-based infrastructure, companies will be able to see which environments are most in demand, and which projects are the biggest drivers of both environment demand and environment conflict. If companies begin to do this, they will come to understand the real cost of keeping several test environments running 24/7 for projects that may only need them for a few hours a week.

DXWorldEXPO LLC, the producer of the world's most influential technology conferences and trade shows has announced the conference tracks for CloudEXPO | DXWorldEXPO 2018 New York.

DXWordEXPO, colocated with Cloud Expo will be held November 11-13, 2018, in New York City.

Digital Transformation (DX) is a major focus with the introduction of DXWorldEXPO within the program. Successful transformation requires a laser focus on being data-driven and on using all the tools available that enable transformation if they plan to survive over the long term.

A total of 88% of Fortune 500 companies from a generation ago are now out of business. Only 12% still survive. Similar percentages are found throughout enterprises of all sizes.

Register for Full Conference "Gold Pass" ▸ Here (Expo Hall ▸ Here)

DXWordEXPO 2018 New York and Cloud Expo 2018 New York agenda presents 222 rockstar faculty members, 200 sessions and 22 keynotes and general sessions in 10 distinct conference tracks.

• Cloud-Native | Serverless
• DevOpsSummit
• FinTechEXPO - New York Blockchain Event
• CloudEXPO - Enterprise Cloud
• DXWorldEXPO - Digital Transformation (DX)
• Smart Cities | IoT | IIoT
• AI | Machine Learning | Cognitive Computing
• BigData | Analytics
• The API Enterprise | Mobility | Security
• Hot Topics | FinTech | WebRTC

Register for Full Conference "Gold Pass" ▸ Here (Expo Hall ▸ Here)

2018 Conference Agenda and Tracks, November 11-13, New York City

CloudEXPO covers all of these tools, with the most comprehensive program and with 222 top world-class speakers throughout our industry presenting Keynotes, General Sessions, Breakout Sessions along 10 focused tracks, as well as our signature Power Panels. Our Expo Floor brings together the world's leading companies throughout the world of Cloud Computing, Digital Transformation, and all they entail.

As your enterprise creates a vision and strategy that enables you to create your own unique, long-term success, learning about all the technologies involved is essential. Companies today not only form multi-cloud and hybrid cloud architectures, but create them with built-in cognitive capabilities.

Cloud-native thinking is now the norm in financial services, manufacturing, telco, healthcare, transportation, energy, media, entertainment, retail and other consumer industries, as well as the public sector.

CloudEXPO is the world's most important, independent event where technology buyers and vendors meet to experience and discuss the big picture of Digital Tranformation and all of the strategies, tactics, and tools they need to realize their goals.

FinTech Is Now Part of the DXWorldEXPO / CloudEXPO Program!

Register for Full Conference "Gold Pass" ▸ Here (Expo Hall ▸ Here)

Accordingly, attendees at the upcoming 22nd DXWorldEXPO | CloudEXPO November 11-13, 2018 in New York City will find fresh new content in two new tracks called:

• FinTechEXPO
• New York Blockchain Event

which will incorporate machine learning, artificial intelligence, deep learning, and blockchain in two distinct tracks.

Financial enterprises in New York City, London, Singapore, and other world financial capitals are embracing a new generation of smart, automated FinTech that eliminates many cumbersome, slow, and expensive intermediate processes from their businesses.

FinTech brings efficiency as well as the ability to deliver new services and a much improved customer experience throughout the global financial services industry. FinTech is a natural fit with cloud computing, as new services are quickly developed, deployed, and scaled on public, private, and hybrid clouds.

More than US$20 billion in venture capital is being invested in FinTech this year. DXWorldEXPO / CloudEXPO is pleased to bring you the latest FinTech developments as an integral part of our program.

CloudEXPO is accepting submissions for this new track, so please visit www.CloudComputingExpo.com for the latest information or contact us at [email protected].

Register for Full Conference "Gold Pass" ▸ Here (Expo Hall ▸ Here)

Download Slide Deck ▸ Here

Only CloudEXPO brings together all this in a single location:

Attend CloudEXPO. Build your own custom experience. Learn about the world's latest technologies and chart your course to Digital Transformation.

22nd International CloudEXPO, taking place November 11-13, 2018, in New York City, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Download Slide Deck: ▸ Here

Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy. Meanwhile, 94% of enterprises are using some form of XaaS - software, platform, and infrastructure as a service.

With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing Cloud strategies, now is the perfect time to attend and learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is on the right path to Digital Transformation.

Every Global 2000 enterprise in the world is now integrating cloud computing in some form into its IT development and operations. Midsize and small businesses are also migrating to the cloud in increasing numbers.

Download Slide Deck: ▸ Here

Companies are each developing their unique mix of cloud technologies and services, forming multi-cloud and hybrid cloud architectures and deployments across all major industries. Cloud-driven thinking has become the norm in financial services, manufacturing, telco, healthcare, transportation, energy, media, entertainment, retail and other consumer industries, and the public sector.

CloudEXPO is the single show where technology buyers and vendors can meet to experience and discus cloud computing and all that it entails. Sponsors of CloudEXPO will benefit from unmatched branding, profile building and lead generation opportunities through:

• Featured on-site presentation and ongoing on-demand webcast exposure to a captive audience of industry decision-makers.
• Showcase exhibition during our new extended dedicated expo hours
• Breakout Session Priority scheduling for Sponsors that have been guaranteed a 35-minute technical session
• Online advertising on 4,5 million article pages in SYS-CON's i-Technology Publications
• Capitalize on our Comprehensive Marketing efforts leading up to the show with print mailings, e-newsletters and extensive online media coverage.
• Unprecedented PR Coverage: Unmatched editorial coverage on Cloud Computing Journal.
  
• Tweetup to over 100,000 plus Twitter followers
• Press releases sent on major wire services to over 500 industry analysts.

For more information on sponsorship, exhibit, and keynote opportunities, contact [email protected].

Speaking Opportunities

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The upcoming 22nd International DXWorldEXPO | CloudEXPO, November 11-13, 2018 in New York City, NY announces that its Call For Papers for speaking opportunities is open.

Submit your speaking proposal ▸ Here or by email [email protected].

About DXWorldEXPO LLC

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DXWorldEXPO LLC is a Lighthouse Point, Florida-based trade show company and the creator of DXWorldEXPO® - Digital Transformation Conference & Expo. The company produces and presents @CloudEXPO®, @DevOpsSummit®, FinTechEXPO®- Blockchain Event, the world's most influential conferences and trade shows.

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