This article is about stress testing, load testing, and performance testing. The question is "can you get away with not doing these things when you are ready to launch a new website?"

"Can you get away with not implementing software performance testing?
Software performance testing exists to make sure that any system your business uses is able to cope with the demands placed on it by having multiple users engage with it simultaneously. If your business depends on a stable website or piece of software to operate then software performance testing is absolutely crucial. Overlooking the importance of testing could lead to very costly problems further down the line.

Software performance testing techniques such as endurance testing makes sure the systems you use to keep your online business running can handle its expected workload on a continual basis. However, this is only the first step of testing, as there are certain times when a system will be pushed to its limits – in the weeks before Christmas for example.

This can be done by stress testing – seeing how your internet applications react to an unexpectedly high number of users. If software performance testing shows that your internet applications would not cope with such high numbers you can do something about it before hand. Otherwise you’ll only find out about it when you’ve missed out on bumper sales, or customers have rushed to another online retailer to get the latest product because your site stopped responding.

When you consider the potential costs that could result from customers having to turn away from your website because it is not able to process requests properly, you’ll see why software performance testing is not something you can afford to ignore.

Rather than trying to patch up a problem once it becomes apparent, make sure your internet applications are fit for purpose before you launch them. Doing so will not only ensure that you don’t lose out on potential customers, but that your brand isn’t negatively affected by being taken offline temporarily. While you might be able to cut certain corners to make efficiency savings, choosing to ignore software performance testing is far too costly."

http://elucidate.org/2012/02/can-you-get-away-with-not-implementing-soft...