Micro Focus offers SilkPerformer for mobile web app testing

Micro Focus has adapted its SilkPerformer platform for testing of mobile web applications, in a effort to help users improve performance, the company said.

The growing popularity of smartphones isn't just a challenge to mobile operators. It also puts pressure on enterprises to build mobile websites that can handle a growing number of users, and not buckle under peak loads, according to Micro Focus.

To help enterprises test how their sites behave, Micro Focus SilkPerformer now offers simulation capabilities for a variety of mobile devices, including smartphones based on Android, Apple's iOS and Research In Motion's Blackberry OS.

The tool can be used in the cloud, on premise or both, the company said. When used in the cloud, enterprises pay for only the generated traffic load used whether the application scales to meet peak loads or fails to scale, according to Micro Focus' website.

SilkPerformer also simulates the bandwidth limitations of mobile network connections and can handle a plethora of different network technologies including older ones such as GPRS and newcomers HSPA+ (High-Speed Packet Access) and LTE (Long-Term Evolution).

The Mobile Browser Simulation emulates mobile device traffic from different parts of the world.

However, SilkPerformer doesn't just simulate traffic loads but also helps to diagnose potential problems, according to Micro Focus. That information can then be used to optimise site performance, it said.