Software Deployment Trends: Evaluating the SaaS Option for ePayments Testing Solutions

As organizations look for ways to increase efficiency and lower costs, many are reconsidering their software deployment options and choosing Software as a Service (SaaS). Particularly for organizations with a global presence, SaaS promises to reduce the time and effort spent maintaining multiple copies of desktop software and the systems that support them. But is SaaS a workable solution for ePayments testing? This article investigates how payments system testing via a SaaS offering could save some organizations time, frustration—and money.

Tough economy demands efficiency

As financial organizations weather a tough global economy, they increasingly focus on controlling costs and improving overall efficiency. Financial organizations must also react to a steady demand for frequent testing in response to changing regulations, frequent network mandates, maintenance of existing financial transaction processing systems, the addition of new products, and more. With fewer resources spending less time on testing, how can organizations ensure that their testing is precise, and that their results are valid? Successfully conducting rigorous QA, regression, and certification testing is exponentially more difficult when organizations are faced with logistical issues such as multiple time zones, a shortage of network certification personnel, or limited access to a local test lab. Organizations unable to meet the demand for testing can fail to reach their business objectives.

The software deployment evolution: desktop, server-based, SaaS

Advances in technology coupled with a growing number of global corporations have led to an evolution in the methods used to deploy software. Initially, software installed on PCs freed testers from the confines of a lab and the limitations of the number of physical test terminals and cards available. More recently, the server-based software model was adopted by many institutions, taking advantage of the increased simplicity of installing and maintaining ePayment testing software on a single server accessed by a number of testers.

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