Datadog · Network monitoring

Network monitoring tool: Datadog traffic and device monitoring in Saudi Arabia

A network monitoring tool should answer two different questions: which of your services and hosts are talking to each other, and whether the routers, switches and firewalls between them are healthy. Datadog answers the first with Cloud Network Monitoring, which many buyers know as Network Performance Monitoring, and the second with Network Device Monitoring. Interkey, an official Datadog partner, sells Datadog licences in Saudi Arabia, sets both up, and provides technical support after go-live.

In short

  • Traffic between workloads: Cloud Network Monitoring shows network flows between services, containers, availability zones and any other Datadog tag, and DNS server metrics.
  • Network devices: Network Device Monitoring discovers on-premises and virtual devices such as routers, switches and firewalls, and reports bandwidth and whether each is up or down.
  • How data is collected: by the Datadog Agent. Devices send SNMP, traps, syslog and NetFlow to an Agent, which sends the data to Datadog over HTTPS on port 443.
  • Who it is for: network and infrastructure teams that need to see traffic and device health beside applications and servers.
  • Where the data goes: to your Datadog site. As of November 2026 Datadog lists no site in the Middle East.
  • What Interkey does: licences, Agent placement, device discovery, alerts, residency design and technical support.

Traffic monitoring and device monitoring are different jobs

Teams often buy one network tool and expect it to do both. Datadog keeps them separate, and most estates need both.

Datadog Cloud Network Monitoring compared with Network Device Monitoring
Cloud Network Monitoring (NPM)Network Device Monitoring (NDM)
Question it answersWhich services, containers and hosts talk to each other, and where connections failAre my routers, switches and firewalls up, and how busy are their interfaces
What it seesConnection data at IP, port and process level, aggregated into dependencies between client and server endpointsDevices found on the network, their bandwidth use, bytes sent and up or down state
Collected byThe Datadog Agent on your hostsAn Agent on a host with network access to the devices
Also coversDNS server metrics, TCP failures, cloud load balancers, Network Path testsSNMP profiles, device maps, configuration changes, NetFlow and syslog
Group and filter byContainer, task, pod, cluster, deployment or any Datadog tagDevice, device profile and tags

Cloud Network Monitoring: what it needs and shows

Datadog's documentation names this product Cloud Network Monitoring. It maps network dependencies between endpoints and helps with client-side and server-side DNS problems, and with spotting outages at a cloud provider's region or a third-party tool. With Failed Connections enabled it also records TCP resets, refusals and timeouts.

Cloud Network Monitoring requirements

Check the requirements first, because they decide where it can run:

  • Agent: Datadog Agent 6.14 or later; Windows hosts need 7.27.1 or later.
  • Linux: it uses eBPF, so it needs kernel 4.4.0 or later, or a distribution that backports it. CentOS and RHEL 7.6 are documented exceptions, without the DNS resolution feature.
  • Windows: Windows Server 2012 R2 and later, hosts only, not Windows containers. macOS is not supported.
  • Containers: Kubernetes through Helm, the Datadog Operator or a DaemonSet, plus Docker and Amazon ECS. ECS Fargate is documented as a preview.
  • Cloud load balancers: AWS and Azure load balancers are resolved through their Datadog integrations.

Datadog recommends starting on a subset of infrastructure that includes at least two hosts.

Network Device Monitoring: how devices are brought in

Network Device Monitoring covers on-premises and virtual devices. Install the Datadog Agent on a host that can reach the devices, ideally not one of the monitored devices. SNMP monitoring can be enabled device by device or through Autodiscovery, and the SNMP check can also send ICMP pings. Devices can send syslog, SNMP traps and NetFlow records to the Agent on ports you can change.

Read more
  • Device profiles define which metrics and tags a device type produces. Datadog ships profiles for supported devices, and you can edit them or build your own.
  • Device maps show a network's physical and geographical connections, and device health can be read against configuration changes.
  • NetFlow views show top sources, destinations, protocols and ports.
  • High availability: you can designate an active and a standby Agent, and the standby takes over within 90 seconds if the active one fails.

Datadog's pages do not list SNMP versions or vendors in the overview, so we check your device models against its Supported Devices list before quoting.

Network data and where it is stored

Flow data records addresses, ports and process names, and device data describes every device in your estate. Both are sensitive to your security team even when no customer data is involved. Datadog is SaaS, and as of November 2026 its documented sites are in the US, Germany, Japan, Australia and the UK. Agree with your security team which networks and devices are monitored and what may leave, before agents are deployed. Our Datadog data residency guide covers the options.

Interkey also works with the network path: the Agent's route to Datadog, and the ports devices use to reach the Agent, are agreed with your security team rather than worked around.

How Interkey sets up network monitoring

  1. Inventory.

    Hosts, clusters, device models and the links the business notices first.

  2. Quote the licences.

    Datadog licences for the hosts and devices in scope, with implementation and technical support.

  3. Check the requirements.

    Kernel and Agent versions for traffic monitoring, and Supported Devices for device monitoring.

  4. Place the Agents.

    Agents on hosts for traffic, and dedicated Agents with a standby for devices.

  5. Agree the residency design.

    What is monitored, what leaves your network, and the path it takes.

  6. Build alerts and dashboards.

    Alerts that name the affected link or device and the first thing to check.

  7. Operate or hand over.

    Interkey operates the platform from Riyadh, or hands it over with documentation and stays on as technical support.

Questions buyers ask

Is Network Performance Monitoring the same as Cloud Network Monitoring?

Datadog's current documentation uses the name Cloud Network Monitoring for monitoring traffic between services, containers and hosts. Network Device Monitoring is a separate product for routers, switches and firewalls.

Do we need both products?

Many estates do. Traffic monitoring shows how workloads connect. Device monitoring shows the health of the equipment between them. We scope each on its own.

Does it work on Windows servers?

Yes, on Windows Server 2012 R2 and later with Agent 7.27.1 or later. It covers Windows hosts, not Windows containers. macOS is not supported.

Can network data stay inside the Kingdom?

Data you send is processed on your Datadog site, and as of November 2026 none is in the Middle East. Decide with your security team what may be monitored and sent before deployment.

Can Interkey supply the licences?

Yes. Interkey sells Datadog licences in Saudi Arabia and quotes them together with implementation and technical support.

Next step

Plan network monitoring

Tell us what runs where, which network devices you have, and whether Datadog is already in your estate. We can quote the licences, the set-up and technical support together.

Required field

By sending this form, you agree to our Privacy Notice.

Or directly

+966-11-2180999 [email protected]

Tawuniya Towers, North Tower, 7th Floor, King Fahad Highway, Olaya, P.O. Box 56835, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia

or Traffic or devices: which one

Published by Interkey. Last updated . Interkey is registered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia under commercial registration 1010156897.