Application Service Virtualization

Application service virtualization refers to the process by which software applications are deployed, accessed and monitored from remote web servers. Using service virtualization techniques, applications can be installed over the Internet in the same way as applications can be installed natively.

This process allows SaaS or Software as a Service through tools and technologies which enable access to applications across the web. It does not entail any installation by end-users or clients; each virtualized application can be provided as a service for multiple users which are connected to each other at the same time. In this process, there is a remote virtual or physical server, an application virtualization hypervisor and the particular application. The hypervisor controls user sessions, backend application management and allocates resources.

With application service virtualization, your Development teams can continue using virtual machine services instead of mainstream production services, thereby enabling occasional and comprehensive testing of application even when some of the components are missing in the system architecture. Emulating the characteristics and behavior of the critical components that need to be present in the final environment facilitates integration and testing that will be present in a final production environment, service virtualization allows otherwise tedious applications to undergo integration and testing at a much earlier stage than it would normally undergo. Removing key bottleneck operations that tend to delay production and increase market time for apps under test has a rather positive impact in speeding processes that take a huge amount of time to finalize. The development of enterprise-level apps relies on a mixed array of components that work together in unison. Service virtualization also fills in the missing pieces of the system components that collaborate by simulating responses to show how the components interact. 

This can prove to be especially useful in the complex development processes such as cloud-, API-, and some robust SOA-based systems. The feature has also been brought to use in cycles where the necessary components aren’t available for testing. 

More and more businesses have started using application service virtualization. This move has rightfully increased the so-called productivity, testing costs, and facilitated deployment of high-quality applications in a much shorter timeframe. Besides the emulation of major apps, outsourced third-party services, and the entire backend, the virtual sources are also reliable modes of production that facilitate extremely efficient development practice. By quickly removing dependency constraints across your business through virtualization techniques, you can gain top-of-the-line benefits when compared to other companies.

Testing teams usually wait for the application to (nearly) complete applications. Such applications undergo testing before being fully deployed to make sure the same is bug-free when deployed at client's end. Different project teams are responsible for producing different components of a system or application, one piece at a time. The pieces then assemble into a single working product, allowing the associated testers to work their own way.

Testing nearly finished applications is one of the most crucial things in the development cycle that needs to be taken care of. When all the components are firmly integrated with a UI the app can be said to be in the near launch phase. This is where you are certain to encounter most bugs. Components that once seemed bug-free may not perform the way they should have when integrated with other components. Although testing is an essential component of the development cycle, it is not at all viable to wait so long for the entire app to finish, given today’s priority is developing applications. In current times the priorities seem to have shifted a bit from developing apps to rapidly developing and deploying applications, so it might not be practical enough to wait so long until the applications are fully functional. 

Until and unless your business has enough resources to provide your employees with every component required in a production system, virtual services remain the only option to undertake the same with a comprehensive approach in mind. Software development teams can leverage application service virtualization when it is needed the most, especially when it does not seem at all practical to repeatedly test the same against dependent third-party components. 

With simulated or virtualized data and software at the place, your development responses will double, paving way for new and rapid application deployment without the need to deploy additional resources. Your efforts will also proceed freely and without restraint, so you can conduct tests as often as desired.