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If the multicloud movement has staying power, Kubernetes is the technology that will make it happen. NetApp added a Kubernetes service to its hybrid cloud product strategy Tuesday by acquiring StackPointCloud, a Seattle startup that offers an easier way to deploy Kubernetes.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but this is likely a nice win for StackPointCloud CEO Matt Baldwin, who bootstrapped the company from its inception in 2014, he said in a blog post announcing the deal. “We did all of this while continuing to run in the black and without outside investment — driven by our belief in small, highly efficient and talented teams,” he wrote.

StackPointCloud’s software-as-a-service makes it easier to deploy Kubernetes clusters, which is an increasingly in-demand skill within modern software development shops. As more and more companies realize the benefits of containerized application deployment, Kubernetes offers a way to manage those containers, and over the last few years it has quickly become a de facto standard for container management.

It has a deserved reputation as difficult to use, however, which is where companies like StackPointCloud come in. Its service works with all major public cloud providers and allows customers to manage Kubernetes deployments across those providers: “Our goal is to harmonize features across providers, abstracting the provider to a degree which enables users to focus on their application,” Baldwin wrote.

Baldwin and the StackPointCloud team will stay on with NetApp, based in Sunnyvale, Calif. The StackPointCloud product will now be known as NetApp Kubernetes Service, adding to the company’s roster of products for hybrid cloud customers.

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