Reading a recent Network World issue, I was struck by how two dissimilar articles, one on virtualization hypervisors and the other on Windows 7, highlighted a common but rarely highlighted need for end-users: software testing.  There is considerable debate over which leading virtualization software has the strongest set of enterprise capabilities.  Is it VMware?  Citrix?  Microsoft?  The most obvious way for an end user to determine what product is best suited for their IT environment is to conduct a production test of the software.

Planning a corporate migration to the upcoming Microsoft operating system, Windows 7, has similar challenges.  Application compatibility will be an issue when migrating to Windows 7.  One way to address the complications associated with software migrations is to test before deployment.

The challenge most users face with QA testing is that their test & development environments never match their production environments.  Lacking capacity, throughput and bandwidth in one’s test & development infrastructure often results in slow and costly migrations as well as application downtime.   End-users must therefore work to have a flexible and scalable test environment.   Acquiring hardware (server, storage or network elements) on a short term basis (i.e. rental) can fill this need without a large capital expenditure.  Most users are unaware of this option and few systems integrators provide this type of solution.  Certain integrators like Canvas Systems have the capability of providing enterprise class hardware at a cost-effective price point thus enabling users to create a test environment that matches production but without the expense.