LaaS is the practice of sharing test lab resources across different organizations that are sometimes located within the same campus and other times separated by thousands of miles. Historically, each organization that performed device or application testing owned and maintained their own test lab infrastructure including test tools, network switches, and systems under test. Even with only modest organic growth, this type of test lab can quickly lead to huge costs attributed to inefficient use of these resources within the lab. With faster growth, for example through acquisition, a holistic look at a company’s annual investment in test labs shows larger than expected expenses.
LaaS takes the opposite approach where test lab resources are managed centrally and are shared across organizations that require those resources. Since use of the equipment can be scheduled by multiple teams in different time zones, equipment that may have otherwise sat idle can now be utilized more efficiently. Although implementing LaaS requires initial investment in test lab automation infrastructure, the return on investment is significant. A LaaS environment:
Allows remote access from multiple locations to test lab infrastructure
Utilizes resources much more efficiently by reducing idle time
Increases test cycle throughput by eliminating the need for manual topology configuration using patch panels
Reduces OPEX overhead incurred by maintaining multiple independent labs (power, heat, maintenance…)
Builds network topologies using Layer 1 technology to eliminate the need for manual patch panels and layer 2/3 network configuration
Enables remote access to lab resources and working from home