Aravolta vs Nlyte
Nlyte
Aravolta
The short version
Nlyte is a traditional DCIM focused on asset management and capacity planning. Aravolta is an integrated BMS, EPMS, SCADA, NOC, and DCIM platform that auto-discovers your equipment and deploys in days. If you're a colocation operator looking to consolidate your infrastructure tools into one system, Aravolta was built for that.
Nlyte has been in the DCIM market for a long time. But data center operators today need more than a database of their equipment. They need power metering, cooling management, supervisory control, 24/7 monitoring, and tenant billing to all work together. Here's where the two platforms differ.
| Category | Aravolta | Nlyte |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Unified BMS + EPMS + SCADA + NOC + DCIM | DCIM (asset management and capacity planning) |
| Deployment time | Days to weeks with auto-discovery | Months to years with professional services |
| Monitoring latency | Sub-second, real-time streaming | 5-15 minute polling intervals |
| BMS / cooling | Built-in: chillers, CRACs, sensors, fire suppression | Not included, requires separate BMS vendor |
| EPMS / power metering | Built-in: one-line diagrams, branch circuit monitoring | Basic power tracking, no one-line diagrams |
| SCADA | Web-native, any browser, no dedicated hardware | Not included |
| NOC operations | Built-in 24/7 monitoring, alerting, dispatch | Not included, requires outsourced NOC |
| Tenant billing | Automated, usage-based invoices via API | Not included |
| Customer portal | White-label, tenant self-service | Not included |
| Asset discovery | Automated via SNMPv3, Redfish, IPMI, BACnet, Modbus | Manual entry with limited auto-discovery |
| Protocols | SNMPv3, Redfish, IPMI, Modbus/TCP, BACnet/IP, gNMI, OPC-UA | SNMP, limited Modbus |
| API | REST API, webhooks | SOAP-based API |
| Pricing | Per-device, transparent | Quote-based, plus professional services |
As of March 2026. Based on publicly available documentation.
The core difference: DCIM vs. unified platform
Nlyte is a DCIM. It tracks assets, manages capacity, and helps you plan where to put things.
The problem for colocation operators is that asset management is only one piece of running a facility. You also need power metering (EPMS), cooling and environmental monitoring (BMS), supervisory control (SCADA), 24/7 alerting and dispatch (NOC), and tenant-facing tools for billing and self-service. With Nlyte, you're buying each of those from a different vendor and trying to get them to talk to each other.
Aravolta combines all of these into one platform. Your ops team gets one login, one dashboard, one vendor to call when something breaks. Your power data, cooling data, asset data, and tenant billing all live in the same system.
Deployment
Nlyte deployments require professional services and take months to years. You're entering assets manually, configuring monitoring, setting up integrations with your BMS and power systems, and training your team on the interface. For multi-site operators, this process repeats at every facility.
Aravolta ships a physical node to your facility. You plug it into your network and it auto-discovers every IP-enabled device: PDUs, UPS systems, chillers, switches, sensors. Devices are classified automatically, mapped to racks and rows, and monitoring starts immediately. Most facilities are fully operational within days.
Monitoring
Nlyte polls devices on 5-15 minute intervals. That's fine for capacity planning reports, but it means you're looking at data that's already several minutes old. If a breaker trips or a chiller goes down, you might not know for 15 minutes.
Aravolta streams metrics in real-time with sub-second updates. Alerts fire immediately. For colocation operators with SLA commitments to tenants, the difference between 15 minutes and 1 second of detection time matters.
Tenant billing and customer portals
This is where the platforms diverge most for colo operators. Nlyte doesn't do tenant billing. You'd need a separate metering system, a way to reconcile usage data, and a manual process to generate invoices.
Aravolta monitors every branch circuit and ties power consumption directly to tenants. Overage detection is automatic. Invoices can be generated via API. And your tenants get a white-label portal where they can view their own power usage, set up alerts, and submit support tickets without calling your team.
Cost and time to value
Nlyte is expensive. Licensing is quote-based and opaque, and that's before the professional services bill. Deployments routinely take months. For large enterprises, onboarding can stretch to over a year as teams manually enter assets, configure integrations with separate BMS and power vendors, and go through rounds of professional services engagements.
Aravolta uses transparent per-device pricing. No professional services required. The auto-discovery engine means you're not paying consultants to manually enter thousands of assets into a database. Most facilities go from node installation to production monitoring in under 48 hours.
Switching from Nlyte
If you're evaluating a move from Nlyte, Aravolta can run in parallel during the transition. The auto-discovery engine picks up your existing equipment without manual re-entry.
- Auto-discovery means no manual data migration for monitored devices
- Run both systems in parallel during evaluation
- Your team gets direct access to Aravolta engineers during onboarding
FAQ
Can Aravolta replace Nlyte and my BMS vendor?
Yes. Aravolta includes BMS capabilities (chiller monitoring, CRAC units, environmental sensors, fire suppression) alongside DCIM features. It connects to your existing BACnet, Modbus, and SNMP devices directly.
Does Aravolta work with the equipment I already have?
Aravolta is vendor-agnostic and supports SNMPv3, Redfish, IPMI, Modbus/TCP, BACnet/IP, gNMI, and OPC-UA. It works with equipment from Schneider, Vertiv, Eaton, Honeywell, Siemens, and others.
How long does deployment actually take?
Most facilities are fully operational within 48 hours of the node being plugged in. Auto-discovery handles device identification and classification. Your team validates the results and configures alert thresholds with guidance from our engineers.
What does tenant billing look like?
Aravolta monitors power at the branch circuit level and maps consumption to tenants. Overage detection is automatic. You can generate usage-based invoices via API or let tenants view their own data through a white-label portal.
Do I need to rip out my existing systems?
No. Aravolta can run alongside existing tools and pull data from your current BMS, power meters, and network devices. Many operators run Aravolta in parallel before fully transitioning.
Last updated: March 2026