The integration of instrumentation and cloud computing technology has become a new research topic recently. To integrate instruments into the cloud, the instrumentation equipment should be virtualized first. Based on the analysis of the application scenario of cloud computing, this paper carries out research on the virtualization technology for the instruments in cloud computing environment and tries to bring forward a new instrumentation virtualization method. Firstly the hardware virtualization technology of cloud computing is analyzed. Then current instrumentation virtualization technology is presented and, by exploring possible instrumentation scenario in the cloud, the IAAS service mode of instrumentation resources is determined. By analyzing characteristics of hardware virtualization technology in IAAS cloud computing mode and comparing the technology to the traditional instrumentation virtualization technology analyzed before, a new instrumentation virtualization method for IAAS cloud environment is put forward. This method uses only device connection information and creates virtual channels between instruments and the virtual machine in the cloud to virtualize instrumentation resources. Such method can provide great flexibility to remote measurement system developers, managers and users. Finally the physical architecture applying such virtualization method is designed, which is significant to push forward the research on integrating the instrumentation and the cloud computing technology.