HyperCare™
If the full LaunchPad implementation isn't needed but post-go-live issues are mounting, HyperCare is a focused two-week sprint targeting the most common problems.
HyperCare service detail →Adopt, LaunchPad™
Datadog implementation delivered
end to end, built right the first time.
Doing a Datadog implementation properly, tagging standards, RBAC, pipelines, SLO design, alerting, dashboard architecture, team onboarding, takes weeks of dedicated engineering time. Most teams don't have that time to spare on internal tooling, so it gets done under pressure and produces technical debt that takes years to address.
LaunchPad is a fully managed Datadog implementation across three phases: Assess, Pilot, Scale. Critical Cloud leads delivery end-to-end. You get a production-grade Datadog environment without pulling your engineers off the product roadmap.
Assess
Current state and architecture
Pilot
Representative services first
Scale
Full environment rollout
Production-grade
From day one, not rebuilt later
Quick facts
PhaseAdopt
StructureAssess → Pilot → Scale
AccessAdmin Datadog + cloud credentials + CI/CD access
Best whenYou're buying Datadog and need a clean, complete implementation you don't have capacity to run yourself
Related services
- Quick fix after go-live: HyperCare™
- Already on Datadog: HealthScan™ for independent assessment
The problem
Datadog implementation done under pressure produces technical debt
There are two ways a Datadog implementation goes wrong. The first: it gets done by the team under sprint pressure, agents installed, basic dashboards created, some monitors configured, team onboarding deferred. The result is a Datadog environment that technically works but doesn't match how the platform actually runs, and accumulates debt from week one.
The second way it goes wrong: implementation capacity doesn't exist. The team is fully committed to product work. The Datadog rollout gets assigned to whoever has the least on their plate, which means it gets a fraction of the attention it needs, and the result is the same, an environment that looks like it's set up but doesn't behave like it.
In both cases, the team ends up rebuilding the implementation six to eighteen months later, spending more time correcting the original work than it would have taken to do it correctly the first time.
LaunchPad is the answer to both scenarios. Critical Cloud leads the implementation end-to-end, your team participates in key decisions and receives full knowledge transfer, but the engineering capacity for the rollout comes from Critical Cloud, not from a team that's already committed elsewhere.
The output is a Datadog environment built to a standard that holds as the platform grows, consistent tagging, clean pipelines, working monitors, useful dashboards, team onboarding, without the rebuild that shortcuts produce.
Three phases
Assess, Pilot, Scale
LaunchPad runs in three sequential phases. Each phase has defined inputs, outputs, and a clear handover gate before the next begins.
Phase 01
Assess
Current environment audit, integration mapping, tagging strategy, architecture decisions, RBAC, agents, forwarders, pipelines. Rollout roadmap agreed before work starts.
Phase 02
Pilot
A representative subset of services instrumented to production standard. Core monitors and dashboards built and validated. Tuning and gap-closing before Scale.
Phase 03
Scale
Full environment rollout. SLO design and implementation. Team onboarding and runbook creation. Handover documentation. Production standard across the full estate.
What's included
A complete implementation, not just instrumentation
LaunchPad covers every element of a production-grade Datadog deployment, the pieces that get skipped under time pressure are the ones that cause the most problems later.
Tagging strategy and standards
A consistent tagging taxonomy across environments, services, teams, and infrastructure, the foundation that makes filtering, cost attribution, ownership mapping, and SLO assignment work.
Agent deployment and RBAC
Correct agent configuration across cloud and on-premise infrastructure. Role-based access control designed for the team structure, who can see and edit what, from day one.
Dashboards and monitors
Operational dashboards built around how the team actually works. Monitors configured to alert on real problems with thresholds appropriate to the environment, not defaults.
SLO design and implementation
Service Level Objectives designed around actual customer-facing reliability targets. SLOs that the team can track, communicate, and act on, not theoretical metrics.
Log and APM configuration
Log pipelines configured for the right ingestion, parsing, and retention. Distributed tracing enabled across services with accurate service maps.
Team onboarding and handover
Knowledge transfer to the team that will own the environment: what was built, why decisions were made, runbooks, and what good maintenance looks like going forward.
Outcomes
Production-grade from day one
- A Datadog environment that works from the start, not one that gets rebuilt 18 months later because shortcuts were taken during rollout
- Consistent tagging and standards across the estate, the foundation that everything else depends on, established correctly
- A team that knows how to use what was built, onboarding and knowledge transfer at the end of Scale, not documentation that nobody reads
- SLOs that reflect actual customer-facing reliability, not theoretical metrics added to check a box
- Your engineers' time on the product roadmap, not on implementation work that was never their core job
- A foundation for Managed Datadog or Critical Support, the right starting point for ongoing operations
FAQ
Questions about LaunchPad.
How long does a LaunchPad implementation take?
Duration depends on environment size and complexity. The Assess phase is typically one to two weeks. Pilot and Scale vary based on the number of services, teams, and cloud accounts. Critical Cloud scopes the timeline after the Assess phase review.
What's the difference between LaunchPad and just using Datadog's own onboarding resources?
Datadog's resources help you install agents. LaunchPad delivers a production-grade environment with consistent tagging, working monitors, SLOs, and a team that knows how to use it, which takes weeks of dedicated engineering time and is routinely de-prioritised in favour of product work.
Can LaunchPad work alongside an existing partial Datadog deployment?
Yes. The Assess phase maps the current state. If some services are already instrumented, we build from there. The goal is a consistent, complete environment, not necessarily a clean-slate rebuild.
What access does Critical Cloud need?
Administrative Datadog access plus cloud credentials for AWS and/or Azure accounts where instrumentation will be deployed. For RBAC, pipelines, and certain integrations, CI/CD tooling access is also needed.
Related services
Before and after LaunchPad.
HealthScan™
If you're already on Datadog and the implementation was done some time ago, HealthScan gives you an independent, read-only picture of what needs improving.
HealthScan service detail →Managed Datadog
After LaunchPad, ongoing monthly platform management from Critical Cloud keeps the environment clean and current as the platform scales.
Managed Datadog service detail →Planning a Datadog rollout?
Talk to Critical Cloud before the implementation starts. We'll scope LaunchPad against your environment and tell you honestly whether a managed rollout is the right fit.