QualiSystems announces the release of its TestShell 5.1 test and lab infrastructure automation platform. The enhanced version has been updated with multiple new features to enable engineering and test organizations to manage continuous integration across hybrid cloud environments. New features include a collaborative self-service portal that supports automated start-up provisioning, calendaring and tear-down of hybrid cloud test environments; enhanced test automation scheduling and queuing; and an upgraded version of the InSight real-time business intelligence and reporting platform.

TestShell’s integrated test lab management, test workflow automation and self-service portal capabilities with embedded self-help tools make it possible for IT departments to offer self-service devtest access to hybrid test environments including traditional and virtualized infrastructure as well as public cloud resources. This flexibility enables enterprises to support migration of traditional applications and infrastructure to public and private clouds, maximize infrastructure utilization and optimize costs by leveraging dynamic public cloud resources.

The new self-service portal features a new dashboard to deliver a more user-friendly and more intuitive way to work with heterogeneous test environments and topologies. Architects can model and design test topologies and publish them to the self-service portal. Engineering staff can reserve test topologies via the portal in just 3 clicks and activate full provisioning automation. Engineers can collaboratively use shared topologies and view changes made by others to the environment in real-time. Topologies can be configured with automated tear-down provisioning once testbed activities are finished, to return infrastructure to a baseline state and make them available once more.

Test automation has been enhanced to add greater flexibility in calendaring, scheduling and queuing. Combined with TestShell’s visual workflow design and integration with testbed environment scheduling, engineers can build continuous integration test processes that dramatically decrease time to market and increase quality outcomes.

The new InSight’s business intelligence dashboards enable users to keep track of lab efficiency and automated test completion in real time. InSight’s enhanced job history page displays historical data rapidly with a link to execution details.

“The latest version of TestShell makes hybrid cloud testing a reality for any IT or technology organization that wants to take advantage of cloud agility but must also maintain quality processes around traditional infrastructure,” says Alex Henthorn-Iwane, vice-president of marketing for QualiSystems. “TestShell now offers the ease of use, collaboration tools, business intelligence and ease of integration of traditional and cloud infrastructure needed to enable continuous integration for the real world enterprise environment.”

TestShell 5.1 is now available to customers.