SD-WAN and network performance provider Infovista has hired a new chief executive with growth in mind.

The Ashburn, Virginia-based vendor announced Tuesday that José Duarte is its new CEO. The company calls the former “non-executive” board member an expert in helping technology companies scale. Infovista and its competitors are battling to grow their customer bases in a crowded SD-WAN market.

Infovista’s Jose Duarte

Gilles Rigal, Infovista’s chairman, credited Duarte for his “ability to transform teams into an engine of growth and realize maximum potential.”

“This is the perfect time for José Duarte to become Infovista’s next CEO,” Rigal said. “We’ve selected a very strong leader at a pivotal time when Infovista is positioned for accelerated growth in the SD-WAN and 5G spaces.”

Duarte succeeds Philippe Ozanian, who had led the company since 2008. Ozanian steered Infovista into the areas of SD-WAN and 5G, where the company intends to compete long-term. He will work as Duarte’s senior adviser during the transition.

Duarte has worked in a variety of leadership roles for companies all over the globe. He spent 18 years at SAP, serving the Latin American, European, African, Middle Eastern and Indian markets during various stints. He served for two-and-a-half years as CEO of the Dutch software company Unit4, and he most recently led the educational publishing company, Infinitas Learning.

Duarte notes in his LinkedIn profile that his customers have ranged from small to large sizes over the years, and his sales methods have included direct and indirect.

Infovista announced an “all indirect, all the time” strategy last fall and is working to attract more VARs and integrators into its channel program, which has a foothold in the MSP channel. The company recently formed a partnership with the distributor Westcon-Comstor.

“It’s a great time to be joining Infovista,” Duarte said. “The opportunity that lies ahead to capitalize on the fast-growing demand for SD-WAN and 5G solutions and further grow in key sectors worldwide is immense. The ability to lead this next phase of growth is both exhilarating and humbling.”

Infovista brands its SD-WAN solution as one that optimizes application performance. Its “deep packet inspection” evaluates and manages workloads for peak efficiency, and other vendors have taken notice. Ecessa last month announced that it is adding deep packet inspection to its platform.