Transparency & Ownership
You keep full access to your Datadog environment at all times. When something breaks, we own it to resolution, not to the first handoff opportunity.
Cloud Managed Service for Start-ups, Powered by Datadog
Critical Support Lite
Right-sized cloud cover that grows with you.
Critical Support Lite is built for start-ups and smaller single-cloud environments that need professional incident cover and engineering improvement, without the overhead of the full managed service. Same SRE-driven, Datadog-native model. Right-sized for where you are today.
15 min
SEV-1 response time
8–24 hrs
Improvement engineering/month
AWS + Azure
Single cloud per plan
Powered by Datadog
Full Datadog access always
Who it's for
- Start-ups with a single AWS or Azure environment and no dedicated ops team
- Scale-ups that need after-hours cover without a full 24×7 commitment
- Product teams that want proactive improvement but not the cost of Advanced
- Teams on a growth path to Critical Support as their platform matures
24×7 cover available as an add-on. Step up to Critical Support at any time.
Plans
Three plans, Monitor + Fix, Engineer Assist, Partner Plus
All plans cover a single cloud (AWS or Azure) with a single landing zone. Response times are contractual commitments. Recovery targets are targets. Talk to us for pricing.
| Feature | Monitor + Fix | Engineer Assist | Partner Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage hours | 09:00–17:00 Mon–Fri | 17:00–09:00 Mon–Fri + 24×7 weekends | 17:00–09:00 Mon–Fri + 24×7 weekends |
| Severity covered | SEV-1 | SEV-1 & SEV-2 | SEV-1 & SEV-2 |
| Response time | 15 min (SEV-1) | SEV-1: 15 min · SEV-2: 30 min | SEV-1: 15 min · SEV-2: 30 min |
| Recovery target (SEV-1) | 2-hr target | 90-min target | 90-min target |
| Improvement hours/month | 8 hrs | 16 hrs | 24 hrs |
| Monitored endpoints | 1 endpoint | 2 endpoints | 2 endpoints |
| Out-of-hours callouts | None | 2 per month | 2 per month |
| RCA & reporting | Basic RCA + monthly summary | Basic RCA + SEV review | Enhanced review + backlog follow-up |
Recovery times are targets, not contractual guarantees. Response times are the firm commitment. 24×7 cover is available as an add-on on all Lite plans.
What's included
The same operational model, right-sized
- Datadog instrumentation, we set up and maintain your Datadog environment; you retain full access at all times.
- Incident management, detection, triage, response, escalation, and recovery within contracted hours. Blameless RCA for SEV-1 incidents.
- Improvement engineering, monthly hours spent on the improvement pillars most relevant to your environment: reliability, security, cost, and governance.
- Monthly reporting, service review covering incidents, improvement work completed, and next priorities.
- SRE-driven, not traditional MSP, engineers who understand modern cloud architecture, not ticket-handlers.
- AI-augmented triage, Bits AI SRE and Watchdog assist our engineers. Humans approve all production changes.
- ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus, our security posture applies to every customer environment we operate.
- Customer retains admin control, IAM, access approvals, and material change decisions stay with you.
How we work
Five principles, the same ones whether you're on Lite or Advanced
Collaboration & Enablement
Shared backlog, visible work. Runbooks and governance standards stay in your environment, you should be less dependent on us over time, not more.
Growing beyond Lite?
Critical Support, the full 24×7 service
Critical Support adds full 24×7 coverage, 15-minute response for both SEV-1 and SEV-2, more improvement engineering hours, and support for multi-account and hybrid environments. The Datadog instrumentation, runbooks, and governance standards you built on Lite carry straight across.
FAQ
What is Critical Support Lite?
Critical Support Lite is a right-sized cloud managed service for start-ups and smaller single-cloud environments. It combines incident cover (daytime or evening/weekend) with a smaller improvement engineering allocation, using the same SRE-driven, Datadog-native model as the flagship Critical Support.
Does Lite cover AWS and Azure?
Each Lite plan covers a single cloud, either AWS or Azure. If you need multi-cloud cover, Critical Support Standard or Advanced is the right service.
Is 24×7 cover available on Lite?
Yes: 24×7 coverage is available as an add-on on all Lite plans. Alternatively, stepping up to Critical Support gives you native 24×7 coverage plus more improvement engineering hours.
What are "recovery targets"?
Recovery targets (e.g. 90-minute target for SEV-1) are our working objectives, we aim to achieve them, and they reflect our operational capability. They are not contractual guarantees, because recovery time depends on the nature of the incident. Response times (the time to first engineer contact) are the contractual commitment.
Right-sized cloud cover for where you are today.
Tell us about your AWS or Azure environment and we'll recommend the right Lite plan or tell you honestly if Critical Support is the better fit.