SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Launcher and Launchpad

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud is a comprehensive Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution designed to help organizations manage user access to critical systems and applications efficiently and securely. Within IdentityNow, Launcher and Launchpad are key components that enhance user experience and streamline access management processes.

Launcher

Launcher is a feature within IdentityNow that allows users to manually initiate interactive processes related to access management. It is tied to entitlements and can be assigned to users through regular governance practices. Here’s how it works:

  • Manual Initiation: Users can manually start processes such as access requests, certifications, and reviews.
  • Entitlements: The launcher is linked to specific entitlements, ensuring that users have the appropriate permissions to initiate these processes.
  • Governance Integration: It integrates with IdentityNow’s governance framework, allowing for seamless management and oversight of access-related activities.

Launchpad

Launchpad is a centralized interface within IdentityNow that provides users with a single point of access to various identity management tasks and applications. It offers a user-friendly and intuitive way to navigate and manage identity-related activities. Key features include:

  • Centralized Access: Users can access different identity management functions from one place, improving efficiency and ease of use.
  • Customization: The launchpad can be customized to meet the specific needs of an organization, allowing for personalized dashboards and workflows.
  • Self-Service Capabilities: Users can perform self-service tasks such as password resets, access requests, and profile updates directly from the launchpad.

Creation Flow for Launcher and Launchpad

Together, Launcher and Launchpad enhance the user experience by providing intuitive and efficient ways to manage access and identity-related tasks within IdentityNow.

In the video below, I have thoroughly explained Launcher and Launchpad, along with Forms and Workflow, using a simple presentation:

In this video, I have vividly explained the entire process of Launcher and Launchpad using real-life analogies:

Machine Identity Management in SailPoint Identity Security Cloud

The age of AI and automation is here. With organizations all around the globe leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, more and more tasks and processes previously done manually, are now being automated. This leads to the creation of several machine accounts dealing with Robotic Process Automation (RPA), privileged service accounts for authenticating requests from an external system, and the like. Consequently, organizations are spending more time and resources managing the access held by these non-human accounts in every application, which can often lead to complicated situations as there is no centralized view of the same.

As described above, organizations are automating mundane processes, and thus more machine accounts are being created. These accounts can be difficult to manage and govern in a standalone environment, considering the lack of ownership and effective ways to control and manage their access. The following are some statistical insights on machine accounts shared by SailPoint: –

This gives a clear picture as to how AI, Automated Scripts and Robotic Processes are taking over the workplace, which signifies the difficulty as well as importance of managing these machine accounts.

This is where SailPoint’s Machine Identity Security jumps in. It offers a robust set of features to:-

  • Discover any accurately configured machine account on any source
  • Classify the accounts as machine accounts, by using an account attribute/set of attributes (eg, in Active Directory, if there are machine accounts containing the word “bot” in their sAMAccountName, we can use this account attribute to classify these accounts as machine accounts in SailPoint)
  • Assign a human owner to a machine account. This identity will be responsible for reviewing the access held by the machine account in a certification campaign
  • Correlate the machine accounts to machine identities
  • Certify the machine account’s access using Certification Campaigns

The diagram above depicts SailPoint Machine Identity Security, which aggregates machine accounts from various applications such as Active Directory, SAP and Web Service and manages them under a single platform i.e., Identity Security Cloud.

There are several advantages to using SailPoint Machine Identity Security: –

  • It provides clear visibility and insights on all machine accounts across various applications.
  • It provides tools to automate the management of machine accounts. This eliminates the need to maintain and manage these accounts and their access manually, such as on excel sheets.
  • Human owners can be assigned to machine accounts, ensuring accountability, risk detection and mitigation.
  • Access reviews via Certification Campaigns help ensure that machine accounts follow the principle of Least Privileged Access Control.

Let’s have a close look at how SailPoint Machine Identity Security works in the following video: –

The following video is a deep dive demonstration of SailPoint Machine Identity Security: –

Hope this blog gave you some insights into how you can use SailPoint Machine Identity Security to effectively classify, manage and govern machine accounts from any source. Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment box below.

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SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Multi Host Groups

Introduction:

Modern Enterprises have huge infrastructure and configurations, governing and managing them in complex and difficult.

To overcome this problem, SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Multi Host Groups allows easier management of infrastructure and related integrations.

Multi Host Groups helps bulk source creation of infrastructure components and server configurations from a centralized location.

Basically, it is a container which holds sources and associated account aggregation and entitlement aggregation groups. So that we can aggregate all the sources at once, instead of doing one at a time.

From the diagram we can see, without multi host group, we need to aggregate all the sources, one at a time, which will be redundant and time consuming, but using multi host groups we can aggregate a group of sources once.

Features:

Below, is the list of available features in SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Multi Host Groups:

  • Bulk Source Integration
  • Support for MS SQL Server and Oracle Database Connector use cases
  • Aggregation Groups
  • Centralized integrations

In this blog, we will be discussing about the Identity Security Cloud Multi Host Group in detail. The following are the key topics that are discussed as part of the blog.

  1. What is Multi Host Group?
  2. Key Features of Multi Host Group.
  3. Creating and Viewing Multi Host Groups.
  4. Editing, Testing and Deleting Multi Host Groups
  5. Managing Account and Entitlement Aggregation Groups
  6. Limitations and Best Practices

In the video blog of SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Multi Host Groups, we will be discussing above mentioned topics.

Video:

Detailed demo on managing multi host groups is present in the following video.

Video:

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Loopback Connector

Problem:

In SailPoint Identity Security Cloud, we often face challenges in managing and governing user level permissions and governance group membership effectively, which may lead to unauthorized access and audit failures. Governing access inside Identity Security Cloud is important.

Current blog helps govern access in Identity Security Cloud using Identity Security Cloud loopback connector.

Solution – Loopback connector:

The purpose of loopback connector is used to manage Identity Security Cloud user levels and governance groups as entitlements.

Users can request for elevated user levels permissions and governance groups as entitlements through request center. Once that is approved user will get required higher permission or governance group membership based on requested entitlement.

Supported Operations:

Below are the supported operations in loopback connector:

  • Account Aggregation
  • Governance Groups Aggregation
  • User levels Aggregation
  • Provisioning
  • Add Entitlement
  • Remove Entitlement

Operations and APIs

Below is the list of endpoints we used for each operation in loopback connector:

S. NoOperationsEndpoints
1Account Aggregation/v3/accounts
2Governance Group Aggregation/beta/workgroups
3Provisioning/v3/accounts
4Authentication/oauth/token
5Add Entitlement for User Levels/v3/auth-users/:id
6Add Entitlement for Governance Groups/v3/workgroups/accessId/members/bulk-add

In this blog, we will be discussing about the Identity Security Cloud Loopback Connector in detail. The following are the key topics that are discussed as part of the blog.

  1. Problem statement
  2. What is loopback connector and what we can achieve from that?
  3. Use cases we can achieve using loopback connector
  4. What are the supported operations?
  5. End points used for each operation.

In the video blog of SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Loopback Connector, we will be discussing above mentioned topics.

Video:

Detailed demo on developing & testing loopback connector is present in the following video.

Video:

All the mentioned technical components are only available for internal use. However, refer to the below table for an overview on different technical components, which can be used to develop the loopback connector.

S. NoComponent NameUse
1Java ProgramThis program is used to take details like tenant id, client id, client secret and source id and update all rules with provided input data.
2Account Aggregation RuleThis is Webservice After Operation Rule. Users can build this rule in such a way, where they can read all the available accounts from the respective tenant.
3User Levels Aggregation RuleThis is Webservice After Operation Rule. Users can build this rule in such a way, where they can read all user levels available from the respective tenant.
4Governance Groups Aggregation RuleThis is Webservice After Operation Rule. Users can build this rule in such a way, where they can read all the available governance groups from the respective tenant..
5Add EntitlementThis is Webservice Before Operation Rule. Users can build this rule in such away, upon entitlement request, respective governance group membership or elevated permissions are assigned to users
6Remove EntitlementThis is Webservice Before Operation Rule. Users can build this rule in such away, respective governance group membership or elevated permissions are removed from users.

Duo Two-Factor Authentication for SailPoint Identity Security Cloud

What is Duo

Duo is a two-factor authentication solution that helps organizations boost security by verifying user identity, establishing device trust, and providing a secure connection to company networks and applications.

Why Duo

Duo is fast, easy and flexible. Passwords and even basic Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) aren’t enough to keep you safe from today’s attackers. Duo gives you the extra layers of protection you need for secure access management. With this setup, Duo two-factor authentication (2FA) is added as a verification option for account unlocking and password resets.

Prerequisites to integrate Duo

  1. Configure SailPoint Web application and copy ClientID, secret and hostname these details are required for SailPoint integration.
  2. Add users and enroll them in the application. User should have an account in SailPoint.

Technical Overview:

Here’s the technical demonstration on the integration of Duo

Use case Demonstration – Integration flow:

Please refer to the below video to have an understanding about Duo integration

SailPoint configuration

  1. The steps to be done in SailPoint tenant for duo integration
  2. First in SailPoint, integrate the Duo and then check the test connection after successful test connection
  3. Enable multifactor Authentication in Identity profile
  4. And select duo web in Password Reset and Unlock Settings
  5. Now you are all set to use duo authentication

Duo 2FA for Identity security cloud password reset

  1. With duo integration user can reset his password
  2. First user has to proceed to reset password
  3. Enter the username
  4. Then you should enter the passcode received from duo after successful duo authentication you can able to set new password

Duo 2FA for Identity security cloud Unlock account

  1. If the user account got locked, then he can unlock his account with duo integration
  2. First user has to proceed to unlock account
  3. Enter the username
  4. After successful duo authentication your account will be unlocked

 

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Transforms

Introduction

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Transforms are configurable objects that allow us to manipulate attribute data while aggregating from or provisioning to a source. Sometimes transforms are referred to as Seaspray, the codename for transforms. Identity Security Cloud Transforms and Seaspray are essentially the same.

As we can see from the below diagram, we will be providing input to transform, transformation occurs and output will be returned. So, the way transformation occurs depends on the type of operation used. Some of the transform operations are Concatenation, Conditional, Date Format etc.

Transform REST APIs

In order to create the transform, get transform details, update transform or delete any tranform, we can make use of REST APIs available for transforms.

There are 5 REST APIs are available for transforms in V3 and Beta APIs.

Rest APIsDescription
List TransformsList Transform API is used to get list of all available transforms from the tenant
Create TransformCreate Transform API is used to create a new transform and upload it into the tenant.
Transform by IDTransform by ID is used to get the details of a particular transform.
Update TransformUpdate a transform API is used to update any existing transform.
Delete TransformDelete transform API is used to delete any transform using transform ID.

Transform Operations:

In order to make use of transform according to the use case, we should understand various transform operations that are available.

Below are the various types of operations that are available in transform. Each of these operations performs specific task, we can use them according to our needs.

Transform OperationDescription
Account Attribute TransformAccount attribute transform used to look up an account for a particular source on an identity and return a specific attribute value from that account. 
Base64 Decode TransformThe base64 decode transform allows you to take incoming data that has been encoded using a Base64-based text encoding scheme and render the data in its original binary format.
Base64 Encode TransformBase64 transform will take an input, this input is given to base64 encode transform and the encodes string is returned as output.
Decompose Diacritical Marks TransformDecompose diacritical marks transform to clean or standardize symbols used within language to inform the reader how to say or pronounce a letter.
E.164 Phone TransformUse the E.164 phone transform to convert an incoming phone number string into an E.164-compatible number.
Identity Attribute TransformTransform is used to get the users identity attribute value.
Lower TransformThis transform is used to convert input string into lowercase character.
Upper TransformThis transform is used to convert input string into uppercase characters.

In below series of 4 videos, we comprehensively cover all the details around the transforms including basic syntax of transforms, APIs around transforms and all the types of transforms.

Transforms Series – Video 1 of 4:
Below video is the first video in a series of 4 videos about transforms. This part contains an introduction to transforms, syntax of transform, types of Inputs, REST APIs and API Responses.

Video:

Transforms Series – Video 2 of 4: Below video is the second video in a series of 4 videos about transforms. This part contains use cases, transform operations like account attribute transform, base64 decode transform, base64 encode transform, concatenation, conditional, date format, date math, date compare, decompose diacritical marks, first valid, generate random string

Video:


Transforms Series Video 3 of 4:
Below video is the third video in a series of 4 videos about transforms. This part contains about transform operations like  get end of string, get reference identity attribute, identity attribute, index of , ISO3166, last index of, left pad, look up lower, name normalizer, random alphanumeric, random numeric

Video:

Transforms SeriesVideo 4 of 4:
Below video is the fourth video in a series of 4 videos about transforms. This part contains about transform operations like reference, replace all, replace, right pad, rule, split, static, substring, trim, upper, username generator, UUID generator

Video:

SailPoint IdentityNow Rules

INTRODUCTION:

  • Generally we write Rules when the required goal cannot be achieved by using transforms.
  • It is a Code based Configuration option.
  • A flexible framework that allows for very advanced or complex configurations.
  • You can just think of it as basically just writing Java code.
  • Technically it is Bean Shell however, it is much similar to Java, such that if you are familiar with Java, you will be familiar with Bean Shell.
  • Just like with transforms, the use cases drive the need for a rule and thus we have many different rule types.
  • Rules are very powerful but due to the IdentityNow architecture there are some special considerations regarding rules.
  • Essentially, rules must be very high-quality code because they are being deployed into a multi-tenant service.

Rule Execution :

There are two primary places where you can execute rules one is CLOUD EXECUTION RULE & other one is CONNECTER EXECUTION RULE .

Let us have an overview on the difference between the cloud rules & connector rules

Cloud Executed rules are running in the cloud within the Identity Now tenant. Connector rules run on the virtual appliance which is on-premise inside the customer’s data center

Cloud Execution Rule :

  • Cloud executed rules, as the name implies, are executed within the Identity Now multi-tenant environment.
  • They typically have independent functions for a specific purpose.  For example, calculating an Identity attribute value.
  • Cloud executed rules typically need to query the Identity Now data model in order to complete their work.
  • The rule might need to guarantee uniqueness of a value and it would generate a value and query Identity Now to determine if that value already exists.
  • Access to any Identity Now data is read-only and you can’t make any calls outside of Identity Now such as a REST API from another vendor service.
  • Because they run in a multi-tenant environment,  the are put in a very restricted context and there is a great deal of scrutiny taken during the required review process for rules.
  • We will cover the review process that is required when a cloud-executed rules is submitted later in the presentation.
  • Of course, this all makes sense as you cannot allow rules to effect other tenants if they are poorly written.
  • You also have to restrict the rules context so they can’t access any data from another tenant and things along those lines.

Connecter Execution Rule :

  • Connector executed rules do not run in the cloud which is fairly obvious based on the name.
  • These rules instead run on the VA itself. So they are running in the customers data center and therefore they are not running side by side  with services from another tenant.
  • They are usually extending the connector capabilities. The functions that they perform are quite complex.
  • They do NOT have access to the Identity Now Data Model because they are executing on a virtual appliance.
  • The huge difference here is that they are not subject to a review process by SailPoint. These rules can be uploaded via the REST API and are significantly easier to work with. With that said you still want these rules to be well written.
  • The simple fact is that the possible negative effect of a poorly written connector rule is limited because it is not running within the Identity Now tenant.

SailPoint Provides us with six APIs to perform connector rule operations mentioned below :

  • GET, LIST, CREATE, UPDATE, DELETE, VALIDATE are the APIs that are currently used for connector rule operations.
  • A token with ORG_ADMIN authority is required to perform any operation.

Rule Examples

Example usage:

  • Calculate complex identity attributes. 
  • Calculate complex account attributes. 
  • Provide connector logic

Connector rule Example – If there is a requirement to disable the account based on the number of entitlements or the account should be disabled automatically based on role revocation, this can be achieved by writing a connector rule

Cloud rule Example– This can be used for generating a unique email id which can scan the existing email id’s and generate a unique id for every joiner.

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SailPoint IdentityIQ Custom Connector

Introduction

Connectivity is critical to successful IAM deployments. SailPoint is committed to providing design, configuration, troubleshooting and best practice information to deploy and maintain connectivity to target systems. SailPoint IdentityIQ enables you to manage and govern access for digital identities across various applications in your environment. Connectors are the bridges that IdentityIQ uses to communicate with and aggregate data from applications. SailPoint IdentityIQ provides a wide range of OOTB connectors that facilitate integration with variety of systems, applications and data sources. These connectors are designed to simplify the process of managing Identity information and access across different platforms.  

In SailPoint IdentityIQ, a Custom Connector is a specialized integration component that allows the IdentityIQ platform to connect and interact with external systems, applications, or data sources that are not supported by the standard OOTB connectors. Custom connectors extend the capabilities of IdentityIQ by enabling it to manage identity-related information in a wider range of systems. 

High level architecture of Custom connector 

Custom Connector Development

Developing Custom connector in SailPoint IdentityIQ involves creating a Java-based implementation that adheres to the connector framework and API provided by SailPoint.  

This allows you to define the interaction between IdentityIQ and the specific external system you want to integrate with. A typical development of custom connector includes 4 steps – 

  1. Creating a new implementation of functionality and packaging it into JAR file. 
  • The custom connector uses the openconnector framework provided by SailPoint in the openconnector package where there are lot of methods provided for different type of operations.  
  • The custom logic which you want to implement using this custom connector shall be developed in the specified methods.  
  • Once code development is completed, Custom connector code with all the classes must be compiled and packaged to a JAR file.  
  • And the JAR file must be placed in WEB-INF/lib folder of IIQ Installation directory 
  1. Defining Connector type in Connector Registry 
  • Connector Registry is an XML file present in IdentityIQ as Configuration object. This file contains the information about all the different connectors and their related details.  
  • Now that we have created a new connector in our IdentityIQ, we have to declare its information and details in Connector Registry.  
  • Here we will create an xml file consisting of the details pertaining to our custom connector. Once we Import this xml file into IdentityIQ, it will be merged with the existing Connector Registry file in IdentityIQ database allowing IdentityIQ to create a new entry in the list of connectors.  
  • Alternatively, the Connector Registry could be manually edited through the Debug page
  1. Defining .xhtml page which specifies required and optional connection parameters. 
  • Usually, some parameters are required to define the connection to the target resource (e.g. host, port, username, password, etc.).  
  • To allow these parameters to be specified through the UI for each application that uses this connector, an .xhtml page must be written to define how the Application Configuration user interface will request and record those parameters.  
  • This file must be placed in the [IdentityIQ Installation Directory]/define/applications/ directory and must be referenced in the application definition’s XML as the “formPath” entry.  
  1. Testing the connector by Creating an application which uses this connector. 
  • Finally, after completing all the development related activities, one must start the application server which is hosting IdentityIQ.   
  • An Application object must be created for using the IdentityIQ’s UI. Select the configured custom connector as application type to tie it to the connector registry configuration and specifying any connection parameters through the configuration. 
  •  Once the application is onboarded, we can perform all the configured functionalities in it and verify back the results within the targeted external application.  
  • Alternatively, Application connector can be tested from the integration console (run iiq integration from the [IdentityIQ Installation Directory]/WEB-INF/bin directory).  
  • This console can be used to test the various features of your connector including Aggregation and Provisioning

The following presentation gives you clear understanding of custom connector development in detail.

Now let’s have a demo on building custom connector, deploying it into SailPoint IdentityIQ and using it. 

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SailPoint IdentityNow Workflows

About SailPoint IdentityNow Workflows:

IdentityNow workflows are a way to automate processes related to Identity Security Cloud. These processes when carried individually are manual, error prone and laborious in nature.

Here are a few examples of the power of workflows.

  1. Design workflows that can handle a growing number of users onboarding requests, ensuring scalability as the organization hires new employees.
  2. Design workflow to raise tickets in ticketing system to automate the resolution of access-related issues reported by users, ensuring a streamlined process.
  3. Modify an existing workflow to include new steps for managing temporary access during a special project, adapting to changing business needs.
  4. Implement a workflow for access reviews that automatically identifies and revokes unnecessary access rights, ensuring that users only retain permissions relevant to their current roles.
  5. Streamline access request procedures including approval steps for access approval or modification.
  6. Send email alert when an identity changes group in end application.
  7. No human involvement while configuring and activating certification campaign when identity changes department and also send email alert to reviewer.

In this video blog, we will be discussing about the IdentityNow workflows in detail. The following are the key topics that are discussed as part of the blog.

  1. Why SailPoint introduced Workflow in IdentityNow
  2. Available platforms in IdentityNow to build a workflow.
  3. General terminology and use of Inline variables
  4. Simulating and testing a workflow
  5. Migrate workflows between sandbox and production.

The detailed discussion of Workflows, it’s terminology and configuration process are present in the following video.

Detailed demo on developing & testing workflows in all 3 possible ways is present in the following video.

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SailPoint IdentityNow Automation Testing

Introduction
Automation testing refers to the testing of the software in which tester write the test script once with the help of testing tools and framework and run it on the software.
The test script automatically tests the software without human intervention and shows the result.

Prerequisites for Automation:
To begin automation testing using Selenium, there are few prerequisites should have in place:

  1. Programming Language: Choose a programming language in which you will write your test scripts. Java, Python, C#, and Ruby are common choices for Selenium automation. You should have a good grasp of the chosen language.so we have chosen java.
  2. Integrated Development Environment (IDE): Install an integrated development environment (IDE) such as Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, or Visual Studio Code to write and manage your Selenium scripts. We have chosen Eclipse as IDE platform.
  3. Java Development Kit (JDK): If u opt for Java, you’ll need to install the Java Development Kit (JDK) on your system.
  4. Selenium WebDriver: Download the Selenium WebDriver for your preferred programming language. You can add the WebDriver libraries to your project using build tools like Maven.
  5. Web Browsers: Make sure you have the web browsers you intend to automate (e.g., Chrome, Firefox) installed on your system.
  6. Web Drivers: Selenium interacts with browsers through web drivers. You should have the appropriate web drivers for the browsers you plan to test with (e.g., Chrome Driver, Gecko Driver). These should be downloaded and configured. Ensure that your chosen IDE is integrated with the Selenium WebDriver, making it easier to write, run, and debug test scripts.
  7. Test Framework: Select a test framework such as TestNG or Hybrid. Test frameworks help structure your tests and provide reporting capabilities.

By meeting these prerequisites, you’ll be well. prepared to start automation testing using Selenium and create efficient, maintainable, and effective test scripts.

The following below video showcases a small presentation on automation testing:

Tools used for Automation testing.

  1. Eclipse:
    Eclipse is a digital workspace for automation testing. It’s a special software that makes creating and running automated tests easier. It is used by testers because it’s super flexible and works with different programming languages. It helps in writing, organizing, and running tests for finding problems or bugs in software, making sure everything works smoothly.
  2. Selenium:
    Selenium is an Open source, It Supports multiple languages like java, python, Ruby. Scripts can be run on Multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, IE, Microsoft Edge. It supports Multiple operating systems like Linux, Windows, MacOS. It can be integrated with third party applications like TestNG, Cucumber.
  3. TestNG:
    TestNG is a testing framework used with Selenium for automating tests. It allows for organizing test cases, running tests in a specific sequence. It offers annotations to manage test execution flow, such as @Test for defining test cases, @BeforeMethod and @AfterMethod as you can see the highlighted point in the picture for pre and post-test setups, and @DataProvider for parameterization. This combination of Selenium and TestNG helps in efficient and structured automation testing, enabling testers to create, manage, and execute test cases reliably. Generates HTML reports showing test execution details.
  4. Maven:
    Maven is an open-source tool. Maven allows to download all the JARs and Dependencies and manage lifecycle for a Selenium Java project. This makes it easier for the QA to configure dependencies for Selenium Java by automatically downloading the JARs from the Maven repository.

Advantages of Automation testing

Efficiency: Automation testing can execute repetitive and complex tasks faster than manual testing.
Accuracy: Automated tests perform the same steps precisely every time, reducing the chance of human errors.
Reusability: Test scripts can be reused across different phases of development and in various testing scenarios.
Faster Feedback: Automated tests provide rapid feedback on the software’s stability and functionality.

Let us see how we can execute the test cases in the below video: