// PLATFORM: DATADOG
Datadog at full depth – with costs that stay in proportion
We introduce Datadog in a structured way and extend it with APM, Synthetics, RUM and the Software Catalog (formerly Service Catalog). We optimise existing installations until value and cost are back in proportion – with monitors that report the right things, tag governance that makes costs attributable to teams, and log pipelines that only collect what you actually analyse.
- Tagging governance from day one: every metric findable, costs attributed to the teams and services that cause them
- Custom metrics audit: we find the cardinality drivers eating your budget
- Log pipelines and sampling that save money without tearing open blind spots
- Success guarantee: agreed, measurable goals are stated in the proposal – if we miss them, it comes at our expense – noticeably so
First step: a short, free intro call – directly with a senior consultant, no sales chain. No strings attached – you decide afterwards.
Datadog unfolds its strength when structure comes before sprawl: consistent tagging, monitors with clear owners, log pipelines with a defined job. That is exactly the structure we build – during introduction, when extending with Synthetics, RUM and Software Catalog, and when optimising before renewal. Advised by a team that earns nothing on your licence.
// SERVICES
What we do for you with Datadog
Implementation & onboarding
Agent rollout, integrations, team onboarding: we introduce Datadog in an orderly way – with naming and tagging conventions that still hold up in three years.
Tagging & metrics governance
Consistent tags across hosts, containers and services – the foundation for usable dashboards, fair cost attribution and monitors that only fire on real incidents.
Cost audit before renewal
Committed vs. actually used capacity, custom metrics anatomy, ingest analysis: you walk into your next renewal with a documented negotiating lever.
Log management & pipelines
Exclusion filters, sampling, archive strategies: we reduce your log costs structurally – and define beforehand which logs you really need.
APM & OpenTelemetry ingestion
Datadog APM with an OTel foundation: we decide per service where OTel is enough and where the Datadog agent delivers features OTel can't (yet) – full depth today, an open exit path for tomorrow. Your instrumentation remains yours.
Monitors & dashboards as code
Terraform instead of click sessions: monitors and dashboards versioned, reviewable, reproducible – across teams and environments.
// OUR PROCESS
Introduce, extend, optimise Datadog
Introduction
Agent rollout, first monitors and dashboards, team onboarding: we set up Datadog so every team knows from the start how things are tagged, named and alerted.
Extension
From infrastructure monitoring to the full platform: APM, Synthetics, RUM and Software Catalog – rolled out in the order that brings your teams the greatest value.
Optimisation
Sharpening existing installations: de-noising monitors, catching up on tagging, putting log pipelines and custom metrics to the test – including a cost analysis before renewal.
// MIGRATION
In when it fits. Out when it pays off.
We migrate to Datadog from
- New Relic, AppDynamics and Instana – with OTel as the future-proof foundation
- Home-grown monitoring landscapes nobody wants to maintain any more
- Multiple point tools – consolidated onto one platform with clear governance
And when Datadog gets too expensive
- Structural cost analysis: overhaul or switch? We calculate both – every number derived traceably
- Exit path to Grafana/LGTM: where we instrumented with OTel, the switch is a routing question; agent-specific services are re-planned deliberately – we quantify the re-instrumentation effort up front
- Hybrid models: Datadog for the critical, open source for the bulk
// FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Datadog
Before the project starts we define measurable acceptance criteria in the proposal – for Datadog, for instance, a demonstrated reduction of an agreed cost dimension before renewal – custom metric cardinality or log ingest – against your signed-off baseline, with full preservation of the visibility defined as mandatory; alternatively, for a new introduction, demonstrated monitoring coverage of your services defined as critical against a target agreed up front.
If we miss them, our fee is reduced significantly; the terms are set out transparently in your contract.
The pricing model bills across many dimensions – hosts, custom metrics, ingest and spans. Each of them grows unnoticed without governance.
The most common drivers are controllable:
- uncontrolled custom metric cardinality
- unfiltered log ingestion
- forgotten integrations
In most existing installations, yes. The lever lies in the consumption dimensions themselves:
- capping cardinality
- steering log ingest via exclusion filters and sampling
- aligning retention with actual usage
What must remain visible is stated beforehand as an acceptance criterion in the proposal.
The total calculation decides that, not the list price. Self-hosted LGTM trades licence costs for operational responsibility – whether that is cheaper on balance depends on team size, skills and data volume.
We calculate both models in full – licence against operational effort, staffing included. We earn nothing on licences. Staying and overhauling is an equally valid outcome for us.
Yes, as Managed Observability: monitor tuning, cost monitoring and upgrade support – the response times are in the contract.
Let's talk about your Datadog costs
Whether it’s a new introduction, a cost overhaul or renewal preparation: the Datadog workshop shows you where your costs arise and which ones you can shed. With a success guarantee on the agreed goals.
First step: a short, free intro call – directly with a senior consultant, no sales chain. No strings attached – you decide afterwards.