Managed Runtime Assurance for AI-era software.
Managed Runtime Assurance is the accountable operation of production applications, cloud platforms and AI systems so they stay observable, secure, resilient, cost-controlled and evidence-ready. Critical Cloud delivers that outcome through Critical Support, Managed Observability, Runtime Evidence and AI Runtime Operations, powered by Datadog.
01: Why now
Software is easier to build. Production is harder to operate safely.
AI-assisted development, agentic workflows and faster release cycles increase the amount of software reaching production. The bottleneck is no longer only building the thing. It is keeping the runtime observable, secure, resilient, cost-controlled and evidence-ready once customers depend on it.
02: The definition
What Managed Runtime Assurance means
Customers are not buying a tool, a ticket queue or a traditional support wrapper. They are buying one managed outcome: production stays healthy, incidents are handled, controls are enforced and evidence is ready when customers, auditors or regulators ask for it.
03: The boundary
We operate the stack. You own the product.
We never touch your app, your model or your business logic. That boundary is what makes us trustworthy: we have no agenda over your product, so we can stand behind whether the operating layer is sound.
You own
- →Product idea
- →Application code
- →Model behaviour
- →Business logic
- →Customer experience
- →Product roadmap
Critical Cloud owns
- →Observability
- →Cloud runtime operations
- →Incident response
- →Security operations
- →Cost control
- →Runtime evidence
- →Runbooks and escalation
- →Human governance for AI-assisted operations
04: What is included
The operating layer behind mission-critical software
05: The flagship service
Critical Support is the flagship service.
Critical Support delivers Managed Runtime Assurance today for AWS and Azure environments. It combines incident ownership, observability, improvement engineering, security operations, cost control, governance and operational reporting.
It is more than a ticket queue. It is the operating model behind your production platform: Datadog-powered observability, incident response, runbooks, escalation, cost control, security operations, evidence and monthly improvement engineering.
06: The substrate
Datadog is the operating substrate. Managed Runtime Assurance is the business.
Datadog provides telemetry, dashboards, traces, logs, alerts, security signals, incident workflows, cost visibility and AI observability capabilities. Critical Cloud turns those signals into an accountable operating model.
Datadog certified one managed provider globally. We are it.
07: Runtime Evidence
Runtime Evidence turns operations into assurance.
Good operations should produce evidence. Critical Cloud helps maintain incident records, operational reports, access governance, recovery evidence, change context and SLO reporting so customers can show how their runtime is controlled.
We operate and evidence the runtime controls that support your compliance obligations.
08: AI Runtime Operations
AI Runtime Operations extends the model.
AI workloads create new runtime questions: what happened, what did it cost, which system was involved, what data was touched, what changed and who approved the action. AI Runtime Operations brings observability, governance, cost control and human accountability to those production workflows.
Agents own the analysis. Humans own the outcome.
09: Who it is for
Built for tech-led SMBs and regulated scaleups.
- →SaaS and software companies
- →Fintech and financial services platforms
- →Healthtech and healthcare software providers
- →Insurtech and insurance platforms
- →AI-native and AI-adopting teams
- →Regulated or compliance-sensitive B2B software companies
10: How to start
Start with the problem you have today.
You do not need to be AI-native to need Managed Runtime Assurance. Start with Datadog adoption, noisy alerts, incident response, cloud operations, runtime evidence or AI workloads moving into production. The destination is the same: an operating model that keeps production trustworthy.
FAQ
Common questions
What is Managed Runtime Assurance?
Managed Runtime Assurance is the accountable operation of production applications, cloud platforms and AI systems so they stay observable, secure, resilient, cost-controlled and evidence-ready.
Is Managed Runtime Assurance the same as cloud managed services?
No. Cloud managed services usually focus on infrastructure and support. Managed Runtime Assurance focuses on the operating layer behind mission-critical software: observability, incidents, controls, evidence, resilience, cost and human governance.
Does Critical Cloud take over our product?
No. Your team owns the application, model, business logic and product roadmap. Critical Cloud operates the stack around it: cloud, observability, incidents, security operations, evidence and governed automation.
How does Datadog fit?
Datadog is the operating substrate. It provides the telemetry, alerts, traces, logs, incident workflows, security signals and AI observability capabilities. Critical Cloud turns that platform into a managed operating model.
Can this support compliance obligations?
Critical Cloud does not make customers compliant. We operate and evidence the runtime controls that support customer, auditor and regulatory obligations.
Do we need to be AI-native to use it?
No. Many customers start with cloud, observability, incident or evidence problems today, then build toward AI Runtime Operations as their software and risk profile evolves.