Conference Presentations

Reduce Risk Using Security QA Automation Techniques

Security QA testing is still in its infancy, yet the number of vulnerabilities found in applications is increasing-up by 75 percent in 2001 according to Gartner Group. Although software teams are learning about the types of coding and configuration errors that expose vulnerabilities in an application, a comprehensive QA methodology must be applied to reduce security risk. This means testers need a security policy that can serve as the basis for automated tests. Security experts can define these policies, but testers need to know how to effectively run the security tests in an automated environment to locate vulnerabilities, evaluate their results, and enter bugs for failed tests in a defect tracking system. By automating security tests, organizations can significantly reduce risk and maximize existing resource productivity.

  • Reduce the cost of development by finding security holes early in the cycle, before release
Alexander Mouldovan, Cenzic Inc
Assessing Automated Testing Tools: A "How To" Evaluation Approach

You've been assigned the task of evaluating automated testing tools for your organization. Whether it's your first experience or you're looking to make a change, selecting the "best" automated testing tool can be a daunting task. With so many toolsets available, we sometimes make decisions that don't provide appropriate functionality. This presentation takes you through a number of steps that should be understood--and addressed--prior to acquiring any regression or performance-based toolset.

  • Learn to correlate your organization's requirements and existing framework with the toolsets available
  • Examine how integrated components help to identify potential problems
  • Determine what to ask/require from each vendor before committing to a purchase
Dave Kapelanski, Compuware Corporation
Obtaining Management Buy-In and Support for Your Test Automation Efforts

The success of your test automation efforts often depends not only on you and your team, but on your management as well. The number one complaint from test automation teams is that they don't have management support for their test efforts. But what can you do to get through to them? Communicating with management on their terms will go a long way towards making your case. By putting yourself in their frame of mind, you can speak on their terms, thereby increasing the likelihood your message will be understood. This session illustrates how you can objectively show facts and data that support your business case. The instructor also covers business tools and metrics.

  • Find out what works and what doesn't when it comes to "getting through" to management
  • Learn how to make a business case and use metrics like ROI to show results
Eric Patel, RapidSQA
A Formula for Test Automation Success: Finding the Right Mix of Skill Sets and Tools

Not sure what elements to consider now that you're ready to embark on the mission of automating your testing? This session explores the possibilities-the key mix of skill sets, processes, and tools-that can make or break any automation effort. The instructor shows you how to develop an informed set of priorities that can make all the difference in your effort's success, and help you avoid project failure.

  • Create better, more reusable tests to improve efficiency and effectiveness
  • Increase the value and reputation of QA within your organization
  • Establish a closer relationship with developers based on mutual respect
Gerd Weishaar, IBM Rational software
Total Reliability Management- Test Automation to Production

Most companies organize their application development teams in a manner that reduces communication. However, the end result of this is that the application is released with more defects and on a delayed schedule. Total reliability management is a new approach to ensuring product quality and timely release. This presentation focuses on how quality assurance can be applied to each phase of the software development and deployment processes. Attend and learn how total reliability management can be achieved, and how your organization can benefit from it.

  • Learn why reliability can't be put in "after the fact"
  • See how production monitoring can provide extremely valuable information
  • Bridge the information gap so development teams can get valuable information from the QA and production teams
Rohit Gupta, Segue Software Inc
Application Performance and Reliability Management - 24x7

Managing system performance and reliability has never been as significantx0151or as challengingx0151as it is now. These days, most organizations have multi-technology, multi-vendor, multi-tier environments. In other words, it’s a world rife with 24-hour, alwaysx0151on complexity. Add to this the need for continual changes to react to shifts in business conditions, technology advances, and mixes of demands and you have a recipe that calls for the highest level of performance and reliability possible. But getting there is next to impossible. However, new concepts emerging from research labs are delivering usable products such as flexible computing, autonomous computing, and self-tuning systems. These possibilities have revolutionary potential for performance management.

  • Examine recommended suites of tools and their limitations
  • Look at the major innovations and trends, such as self-tuning systems
Ross Collard, Collard and Company
Implementing an Enterprise Monitoring Solution: Testing and Operations Deliver Together

Achieving high levels of availability and scalability for large server environments is a challenge that impacts all aspects of application design, development, testing, deployment, and operations. In this presentation, Nancy Landau provides a real-world case study of a successful implementation of a multi-layered enterprise system that supports 600-plus servers in multiple sites. You'll see how a wide assortment of monitoring tools were integrated together to assess the health of server farms, the individual components within the environments, and the applications themselves. Learn how test engineers and operations staff work together to improve performance and reliability.

  • Discover how the team overcame process and tool challenges
  • Dissect the case study to determine what led to the project's success
Nancy Landau, Fidelity Information Services
Rating Scheme = Disrupted Team

Need a place to go to get the solutions you've been craving? Management Fix is what you've been looking for. In this issue, find out how to manage when you're asked to grade on a curve.
Esther Derby's picture Esther Derby
October 13, 2004
Passing the Baton: Transitioning from Development to Maintenance

Stumble-free code and knowledge transfer requires a facilitated, structured process. Learn how to ease the transition from development to maintenance.
Patrick Bailey's picture Patrick Bailey
October 12, 2004
Lightweight Development. Heavyweight QA

Need a place to go to get the solutions you've been craving? Management Fix is what you've been looking for. In this issue, find out how to bring old-school QA practitioners into the new world of development.
Elisabeth Hendrickson's picture Elisabeth Hendrickson
September 29, 2004

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