According to an article in informationweek, IBM have announced plans to introduce a hardware/software set for Integrated Product Management as well as software testing in the cloud.

The announcement was made at Innovate 2010, IBM’s, convening of the Rational Software user group.  The event is currently in its 13th year and opened in Orlando on Monday.

According to Scott Hebner, VP of marketing of IBM, A new availability of software testing tools will be available.  Instead of paying a fixed price for a tool or set of tools, customers will buy credits or “tokens” for tool use.

“You can exchange tokens for the tools you need when you need them. There’s no procurement process, which normally loses valuable time as you await fulfillment,” said Hebner. The approach, based on the “pay for use” concept associated with cloud computing, allows customers to decide on what tools they want to use as they get into a project, rather than forcing a purchase beforehand.