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Rainforest Offers On-Demand Testing Resources to Expand Coverage
The emergence and growth of Rainforest QA has shone a different light in a market that is dominated by big-name players like HP and IBM. Rainforest streamlines test design and management and expands test coverage through its extensive tester network.
Significant funding from venture partners motivated Rainforest QA to make large investments in the development and maturity of its core platform and its integrated products, (Test Designer, Test Manager, Quality Analyzer) and supporting services (Expert Engine, Automation Engine). The key differentiator of Rainforest QA is its Expert Engine, which delegates test cases to the thousands of active testers the company employs. These testers then report the results back to the users with their results. The success of these tests is largely dependent on the accuracy and clarity of the provided test cases. Unfortunately, false positives and negatives are not entirely unavoidable given that the testers are not intimately familiar with the product or with the test case owners. While it is frustrating to some Rainforest users, the additional test coverage through an intuitive interface may offset the headaches and costs.
Recent updates to the Rainforest QA platform has made the test design, planning, and management easier to complete, such as adjustments to the user interface and the automation of test-case creation. Rainforest is making strides to address the realities of fragmented delivery toolsets by improving the collaboration and integration with other third-party delivery, testing, and deployment tools. Even if the Expert Engine is not used, Rainforest QA can help better manage testing activities, but it is still just one piece of the larger application lifecycle management picture.
Our Take
Rainforest QA gives users the benefits of a large pool of testers without the headaches of managing outsourced resources. Users must be very clear on the scope of their tests given the quality concerns of completed tests. With the significant injection of investors’ money, the market has yet to see how Rainforest will use it to innovate its products.