Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) vendor nlyte Software appointed Doug Sabella as its new permanent CEO, several months after its previous chief executive John Temple left the company and VP of marketing and product management Todd Goldman stepped in to lead the firm in the interim.

Sabella takes on leadership of one of the leading firms in the DCIM market after spending about seven years as CEO of Veraz Company. He took Veraz – a provider of network optimization and management solutions – through an initial public offering in 2007 and a major merger in 2010.

There will not be any significant changes in nlyte’s strategy or product pipeline in the near future, Sabella told DatacenterDynamics FOCUS. “I don’t think anything needs to be done differently,” he said.

“We’re going to be focusing on what we’re good at. We’re not going to be all things to all people.”

nlyte is going to stay a software-based business, “unlike so many [DCIM] companies that try to sell hardware or try to marry hardware to their business,” Sabella explained. “We’re not part of a bigger bundle.”

When asked where he wants the company to be within the next several years, the new CEO – besides market domination – has a very specific revenue level in mind. “We’d like it to be a US$100m business,” he said. “We see that for sure.”

He sees that because he thinks nlyte is “in the right place, at the right time, with the right product.” Like any other young industry, the data center space has reached the point when moving on without smart management tools is unwise and dangerous.

“You eventually reach a point where it’s difficult to manage,” Sabella said. “Then management realizes that it’s time to get some discipline about how you’re operating these cost centers, which are very strategic.”

That time has come for data centers and he believes nlyte is in a good position to capitalize on it.

The company’s software has data center asset management capabilities, visualization of power and cooling capacity, predictive modeling and automated asset allocation.

According to IDC’s 2011 MarketScape report for DCIM, nlyte’s functionality is strong in moves, adds and changes management, capacity planning and workflow. Where the software lacked – real-time data integration – nlyte chose to partner with OSIsoft to enhance this capability.

Overall, IDC put nlyte ahead of most in terms of capabilities, behind only CA Technologies’ DCIM solution, but weak on strategies.

“nlyte Software performed well in offering and go-to-market capabilities, particularly in its pricing model and cost competitiveness,” the report read. “It did less well in go-to-market capabilities and strategy – specifically customer service and sales.”