Terms of Use

23 May, 2024

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of Step SaaS (“Services”), which is operated by exense GmbH. Throughout the site and this policy, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to exense GmbH. By accessing or using Step SaaS, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using our Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use our Services.

User Conduct

You agree to use our Services only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You further agree not to engage in any activity that violates any applicable laws or regulations or infringes upon the rights of others. A breach or violation of any of the Terms will result in an immediate termination of your Services.

Intellectual Property Rights

All content, features, and functionality available through our Services are the exclusive property of exense GmbH and its licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

Functionality

In a cloud cluster, our platform supports the full range of functionality offered by Step’s REST services and web application. This means that customers can create and upload keywords targeting applications in a public network zone, design, execute, and schedule plans, as well as analyze results, similar to how they would on an on-premise cluster.

When purchasing a cloud cluster, customers have the option to select one or more predefined technical scenarios from the following list:

Browser automation: Utilizing Selenium, Playwright, or Cypress-based keywords, with chromium offered as pre-installed browser (Playwright and Cypress are able to install other browsers on the fly).
HTTP: Utilizing any of Step’s HTTP plugins (JMeter, SoapUI, or standard Java keywords based on the Apache client).

Step SaaS Enterprise

If none of these predefined scenarios meet their requirements, customers can opt for a “Custom” tier, which involves custom pricing and requires interaction with our pre-sales team.

Android: Utilizing Appium, the Android SDK, and a dedicated emulator. Direct access to the Android host is not provided; operation tasks are performed using Step keywords through Appium.
PDF Compare: Utilizing Step’s proprietary plugin.
Java clients: Utilizing Oryon for Swing or FX automation.

Computing Power

Each cloud scenario is priced based on a carefully thought out and tested infrastructure topology. This topology aims to address popular automation needs expressed by our customer base. Consequently, a specific and limited set of resources (CPU, Memory, Disk & Network I/O) is automatically allocated to different components of the Step architecture, including the controller, database, and each agent node.

For each scenario, predefined agent resources are allocated as follows:

Browser (1 VU / agent): 2GB RAM, 1.8 CPU
HTTP (100 VUs / agent): 2GB RAM, 1.8 CPU
Android: 3GB RAM, 2 CPU
PDF Compare: 512MB RAM, 1 CPU
Java client: 1GB RAM, 2 CPU

Additionally, network and disk I/O, as well as storage costs, are included in the overall pricing. These features come with a default allocation of 50GB on the database host, 50GB on the controller host, and 10GB on each agent host.

In the event of particularly resource-intensive client code, such as a JavaScript application requiring an unusually large amount of memory or CPU, agent sizing can be redesigned and adapted to fit that criterion. This service can however only be provided as part of a “Custom” scenario, meaning that custom pricing will apply.

Intended Use

Clusters are provided under a fair-use agreement, wherein the customer agrees to adhere to the following guidelines: Avoid any reckless or malicious use of the cluster.

Assume full responsibility for any damages caused to third parties due to cluster usage.

Operate within the parameters of the purchased technical scenario.

Stay within the recognized and supported domains of Step, including:

CI/CD/DevOps
Functional Testing
Load Testing
Synthetic Monitoring
RPA

Delivery & Support

Standard clusters can be ordered by the customer on the Step Portal directly and are provisioned automatically. The provisioning time of custom clusters depends on current demand and specific agreements.

Issues related to both the Step software as well as the underlying infrastructure managed by exense GmbH on behalf of the customer (such as hardware or system failures) are covered as part of the initial purchase and support is included in the price displayed by the cloud calculator and for the duration of the commercial agreement.

However, issues related to inefficient keyword code or misuse of the Step software will either be rejected or investigated at the cost of an hourly compensation.

Support requests typically receive a first reply within 48 hours, as per the default Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Termination and Suspension

We reserve the right to terminate or suspend your access to our Services at any time, with or without cause, and without prior notice. Upon termination, your right to access or use our Services will immediately cease.

Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

The Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis, without any warranties of any kind, express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

In no event shall exense GmbH be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the Services.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless exense GmbH from any claims or damages arising from your use of the Services, including but not limited to any violation of these Terms.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Switzerland, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Switzerland.

Changes to the Terms

You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time at this page. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Use. Any changes will be effective immediately upon posting the updated Terms on our website. Your continued use of our Services after the posting of the updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Privacy Policy

By using our Services, you also agree to our Privacy Policy, which outlines how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. You can review our Privacy Policy here.