AI Runtime
Operations.
AI Runtime Operations is the AI expansion layer of Managed Runtime Assurance. We make AI workloads, agentic workflows and model-serving infrastructure observable, governed, cost-controlled and production-safe, while your team keeps ownership of the application, model and business logic. Critical Cloud delivers it as a Datadog AI operations partner: the world's first Powered by Datadog accredited MSP.
Ship AI fast. Stay in control. We operate the stack. You own the product.
We operate the stack. You own the product.
We operate, secure, and govern the stack your AI runs on. We never touch your app, your model, or your business logic. That boundary is what makes us a trustworthy, impartial layer: we have no agenda over your product, so we can stand behind whether your operations are sound.
Ship AI fast. Stay in control.
Your product sits above the line. The reliability, security, and accountable governance that keep it in control sit below it. Explore the layers we own.
Explore what we own
You ship AI fast. We keep you in control of everything beneath the surface. Hover, tap, or focus a layer to see what each one does.
Five layers, from the boundary down to the Datadog core.
Agents own the analysis. Humans own the outcome.
Agents are good at the labour: root-cause analysis across telemetry no human can hold in their head, surfacing correlations, drafting fixes. What does not automate is ownership of the outcome. A human evaluates the plan, weighs the context the agent lacks, and stays accountable for accuracy, trust, and compliance.
In control of failures Datadog Bits AI detection and remediation, operated under our governance model.
Datadog Bits AI detection and remediation, under our governance
In control of the attack surface AI Guard and runtime protection, operated by us on your behalf.
AI Guard and runtime protection, operated by us
In control in production Agent Observability and the Agent Console, giving you full visibility in production.
Agent Observability and the Agent Console
The foundation The full Datadog platform we are accredited to operate, end to end.
The full Datadog platform we are accredited to operate
Around 75% lower than building an in-house team. This is budget reallocation, not net new spend: the cost of recruiting, paying, tooling, and rota-ing an internal team for 24×7 cloud operations, redirected into a managed service that already runs at that standard.
The foundation beneath the trust layer
The trust layer is not a slogan. It is delivered by Critical Support, our 24×7 DevOps and SRE managed service, with Datadog as the operational platform. We are the world's first and only Powered by Datadog accredited MSP and a Datadog Advanced Partner, certified ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.
AIOps, AI Ops and AI Operations: what is the difference?
These terms are used interchangeably in the market. They mean different things. AIOps, short for Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations, uses machine learning and AI to improve how teams run technology infrastructure: detecting anomalies, correlating incidents, reducing alert noise and accelerating root-cause analysis. AI Operations is the broader operating model for teams running AI in production: reliability, security, observability, governance, cost control and accountable human oversight of autonomous systems.
Critical Cloud sits at the intersection of both. We use AIOps tooling, including Datadog Watchdog and Bits AI, inside our operations service. And we operate the stack that AI systems depend on in production, with human governance of what agents do. We use AI inside operations, and we operate the stack AI runs on.
AIOps explained What AIOps is, how it reduces MTTR, and how Critical Cloud uses it inside managed operations.
What AIOps is, how it reduces MTTR, and how Critical Cloud uses it inside managed operations
AI operations management The operating model for running AI systems safely in production: reliability, observability, security and governance.
The operating model for running AI systems safely in production: reliability, observability, security and governance
Managed AI operations 24×7 managed service for the stack your AI depends on, delivered through Critical Support.
24×7 managed service for the stack your AI depends on, delivered through Critical Support
AI operations governance Human accountability for what autonomous systems do in production.
Human accountability for what autonomous systems do in production
AI incident response 24×7 response to AI-specific failures: hallucination signals, prompt injection, cost runaway, agent misuse.
24×7 response to AI-specific failures: hallucination signals, prompt injection, cost runaway, agent misuse
Datadog for AI LLM observability, agent tracing, AI Guard and AI-powered operations on the Datadog platform.
LLM observability, agent tracing, AI Guard and AI-powered operations on the Datadog platform
FAQ
What is AI Operations?
AI Operations is the operating model for running AI systems reliably and safely in production. It covers reliability, security, observability, governance, cost control, incident response and human accountability for the stack AI runs on. Critical Cloud delivers this as a managed service, 24×7, powered by Datadog.
What is AIOps?
AIOps, short for Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations, uses machine learning and AI to improve how teams run technology infrastructure. Core capabilities include anomaly detection, event correlation, incident triage, root-cause analysis and alert noise reduction. We use Datadog Watchdog and Bits AI as AIOps tooling inside our managed operations service.
What is the difference between AIOps and AI Operations?
AIOps is a technique: using AI to improve IT operations. AI Operations is the broader operating model for running AI systems in production. Critical Cloud does both. We use AIOps inside our operations, and we operate the infrastructure, observability, security and governance layer that AI systems need in production.
What is the trust layer for AI operations?
The accountable layer that lets a company ship autonomous systems fast and stay in control of them in production. We operate, secure, and govern the stack the AI runs on, so the team can stay focused on the product.
What is an AI operations partner?
A provider that takes ongoing operational responsibility for the stack a company's AI runs on: reliability, security, compliance, and accountable governance, 24×7. Critical Cloud delivers this through Critical Support, powered by Datadog.
Does Critical Cloud manage our AI model or application?
No. We operate, secure, and govern the stack your AI runs on. We never touch your app, your model, or your business logic. That boundary is what makes us an impartial, accountable layer.
How does Datadog support AI Operations?
Datadog provides LLM Observability for tracing model calls, Agent Tracing for monitoring autonomous agent behaviour, Watchdog for automatic anomaly detection, Bits AI for AI-assisted root-cause analysis, AI Guard for runtime security, and Cloud Cost Management for AI cost attribution. As the world's first and only Powered by Datadog accredited MSP, we operate these capabilities on behalf of customers.
Who is accountable when an AI agent proposes a production change?
A human. Agents propose and draft; a Critical Cloud engineer evaluates the plan, weighs the context the agent lacks, and stays accountable for accuracy, trust, and compliance. Nothing changes in production without human ownership of the outcome.
Can Critical Cloud help with AI incident response?
Yes. We respond 24×7 to AI-specific failure modes: latency spikes, token cost runaway, hallucination signals, prompt injection, tool misuse by agents, data exposure, and model or provider outages. A named engineer owns every incident.
Are you an AI consultancy or an AI security company?
No. We are a managed service. We operate, secure, and govern your operational stack 24×7. Compliance and security are part of how we keep you in control, not separate advisory lines.
Ship AI fast. Stay in control.
Tell us what you are shipping. We will show you how the trust layer would work for your stack.