Expect the unexpected – what have we learned in 2020

When a local radio station describes 2020 as having been written by Stephen King, with the video produced by Quentin Tarantino, you know we have all been through a year that can literally be described as being extraordinarily abnormal. For many of us, it has meant living through dramatic changes and unexpected behaviors that have been driven by forces that aren’t always clear. As a result, people from all backgrounds and walks of life have tried to escape by moving out of cities, even fleeing into the remote wilderness and living in the trees. Fun for a while perhaps, but not effective in the long-term.

In the latest post to the Paragon Edge Blog, Expect the unexpected – what have we learned in 2020, these dramatic changes in behavior have also affected the world’s payment systems. With all that has occurred this year and the resultant impact on this mission critical infrastructure, it is surprising to see how many organizations still rely on manual testing processes. As we watched transaction volumes decline precipitously and then climb out of sight within a few short weeks, it seems abundantly clear that automated testing is no longer a “nice to have” it is an absolute necessity for any organization looking to survive and thrive in these uncertain times.

Certainly the COVID-19 that has changed our perception of “normal” and is teaching us a lot about ourselves and the way we work. Who could have imagined that words like ZOOM and Hybrid Workforce would have entered the business lexicon so quickly and so pervasively, or that we would be spending as much time as we currently do working from improvised offices staring at computer screens (perhaps while the kids scream or the dogs bark in the background). The recent announcements that an effective COID-19 vaccine is in sight has dampened some enthusiasm over Zoom’s sky-high stock price, but the lesson we are all learning is that there is  little likelihood of returning to the ways we worked less than twelve months ago.

When it comes to network traffic and access to the bandwidth required to support virtual events for thousands of participants, the strain is evident throughout the globe. This is an issue that strikes particularly close to home for those of us working in the NonStop community. We have all grown to understand the importance of network availability and the impact outages can have on businesses supporting online access to commerce.

The COVID event has clearly shown that many of the systems we are familiar with – technology, economic and human – systems that we once regarded as robust and reliable, have proven to be inadequate in the face of new and unexpected change. As the final pages are turned and the curtain drops on 2020, the year will likely go down in history as one of the most significant transitional years of in human history. Entire industries have been impacted in ways that they will not survive, while at the same time, many new and unexpected markets have been created.

As we finally roll into 2021, it is hard to imagine how any organization in the payments industry can survive without a comprehensive testing strategy that includes support for a remote workforce, robust automation capabilities and API level integration capabilities. If your organization is ready to expect the unexpected, we would appreciate the opportunity discuss your testing requirements and see how we can help.

To read the complete post and to learn why automated testing is mission critical follow the hyperlink (above) or simply cut and paste the following URL into your browser –

https://www.paragonedge.com/blog/expect-the-unexpected-what-have-we-learned-in-2020

To read additional posts on automated testing and continuous delivery, turn to the Paragon Edge Blog at –

https://www.paragonedge.com/blog