IBM buys software testing vendor Green Hat

IBM is buying Green Hat, maker of automated testing tools for integration, SOA (service oriented architecture) implementations and cloud-based deployments, the company announced on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not provided.

Green Hat offers a virtual test environment platform that allows development teams to test applications without the need to set up multiple physical labs, saving them time and money, according to IBM. The faster development cycles necessitated by the rise of smartphones and tablets has exacerbated developers' need for greater speed and flexibility, IBM added.

The Green Hat products will be rolled into IBM's Rational division, which already offers a wealth of software development and testing tools. But the deal looks additive for IBM, according to one observer.

"I think Green Hat has extended capability over what Rational Quality Manager currently has," Forrester Research analyst Jeffrey Hammond said via email. "As an example, dedicated support for SAP NetWeaver and Oracle Fusion Middleware."

Green Hat's website also lists support for middleware from Tibco, Software AG and Progress Software, among others.

"Also I think the support for REST functional testing is a net add for the Rational group," Hammond added. "With the proliferation of JSON and XML based web services we're seeing as companies build corporate engagement platforms, functional regression testing for these APIs is going to become more and more important."