DataRoad · IT Services and Consultancy
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Clear answers to the questions that companies, hotels, clinics and organisations ask us before working with DataRoad — no jargon, no empty marketing.
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Clear answers about our managed IT services.
We have gathered here the questions that managers of companies, hotels, clinics and organisations most frequently ask us before starting a collaboration with DataRoad.
If you cannot find the answer you are looking for, we are available to chat.
DataRoad is a MSP (Managed Service Provider) certified based in Lisbon and with a presence throughout Portugal. We provide services of Managed IT, 24/7 technical support, cybersecurity, network management and cloud to hotels, clinics, embassies, universities and international companies. This page answers the most common questions we receive — honestly and without empty marketing.
DataRoad is a Portuguese company IT Managed Services (MSP), based in Alfragide, Lisbon. We specialise in the complete management of the technological infrastructure of companies and organisations that need reliable, secure and well-managed technology — without having to build an internal IT team.
Our service model is based on three pillars:
proactive monitoring (we detect and resolve problems before they affect your operation), agile technical support (helpdesk and on-site intervention with guaranteed response times) and strategic management (technology consultancy, infrastructure planning and vendor management).
We are certified partners of Microsoft, Cisco, Fortinet, Sophos, VMware, Dell and Ubiquiti — which guarantees us privileged access to manufacturers' technical support, preferential commercial terms and continuous training in the platforms we manage.
1 – What DataRoad is and what we do
DataRoad is a Portuguese company IT Managed Services (MSP), based in Alfragide, Lisbon. We specialise in the complete management of the technological infrastructure of companies and organisations that need reliable, secure and well-managed technology — without having to build an internal IT team.
Our service model is based on three pillars: proactive monitoring (we detect and resolve problems before they affect your operation), agile technical support (helpdesk and on-site intervention with guaranteed response times) and strategic management (technology consultancy, infrastructure planning and vendor management).
We are certified partners of Microsoft, Cisco, Fortinet, Sophos, VMware, Dell and Ubiquiti — which guarantees us privileged access to manufacturers' technical support, preferential commercial terms and continuous training in the platforms we manage.
MSP means Managed Service Provider — that is, a provider that proactively manages your company's technological infrastructure through a service contract with a defined SLA.
Unlike the traditional reactive support model (calling when something breaks and paying by the hour), an MSP continuously monitors, maintains and optimises your infrastructure. The result is less downtime, greater security and predictable costs.
Compared with internal IT, DataRoad offers:
- Access to a team with multiple specialisms (networking, security, cloud, servers) for the cost of one or two internal technicians
- 24/7 coverage with no shifts, holidays or sick leave
- Up-to-date knowledge and continually renewed certifications
- Enterprise-grade management and monitoring tools that an SME would find difficult to justify acquiring on its own
- Immediate scalability — our capacity grows with your business
Our clients are mostly organisations with above-average availability and security requirements — companies where technology is critical to day-to-day operations and where an IT failure has immediate consequences for the business or its reputation.
We regularly serve:
- Hospitality — boutique hotels, hotel groups and luxury tourism establishments
- Cheers — clinics, consultations and diagnostic centres
- Education — universities, international schools and training centres
- Diplomacy — embassies, consulates and international organisations
- Corporate — offices of multinational companies and Portuguese business groups
The common denominator is high standards: our clients do not accept technology that fails, slow responses or makeshift solutions.
DataRoad holds partner certifications from the following market-leading manufacturers:
- Microsoft — cloud, Microsoft 365, Azure and business licences
- Cisco — enterprise networks, switching and collaboration
- Fortinet — cybersecurity, firewalls and secure networks
- Sophos — endpoint protection and managed security
- VMware — server and infrastructure virtualisation
- Dell Technologies — servers, storage and enterprise hardware
- Ubiquiti — wireless and LAN networks for high density
These certifications translate into privileged access to tier 2 and tier 3 technical support from the manufacturers, which directly benefits our clients in critical incident situations.
2 – Services and Geographical Coverage
DataRoad's service portfolio covers all the critical IT areas of a modern organisation:
- Helpdesk and user support — by telephone, email, remote access and on-site support
- 24/7 infrastructure monitoring and management — servers, network, security and devices
- Network management and maintenance — LAN, Wi-Fi, VLAN, switching and routing
- Managed cybersecurity — firewall, endpoint, email, MFA and user training
- Cloud and Microsoft 365 management — licences, configuration, migration and support
- Server management and virtualisation — installation, maintenance and optimisation
- Backup and disaster recovery — solution, monitoring and periodic testing
- Supplier and telecommunications management - liaison with ISPs and other providers
- IT projects — infrastructure renewal, migrations, new facilities
Yes. DataRoad has a physical presence and local teams in Lisbon (headquarters), Porto, Faro, Funchal and Évora, covering mainland national territory and Madeira. The hybrid support model — remote for the vast majority of situations, on-site for interventions that warrant it — allows us to provide an effective response to clients anywhere in the country.
For multinational organisations with operations in Portugal, we provide local IT support integrated with the group's policies and systems, acting as those companies« »IT Portugal". We have already coordinated IT projects with teams in various European and American countries.
As regards on-site support outside Portugal, we assess each case individually — particularly for clients with sites in Portuguese-speaking or European countries.
DataRoad focuses exclusively on the segment business and institutional. We do not provide support to individuals. Our service model is designed for organisations — with a helpdesk, SLAs, reporting, asset management and a point of contact for IT managers or directors.
The minimum client size we usually work with is between 5 and 10 users, although we can assess specific situations. There is no upper limit — we serve everyone from small hotels to corporate groups with hundreds of users spread across multiple sites.
Those who have already asked these questions — and chose DataRoad
Companies that compared us with others, made their decision and chose us
DataRoad support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year — including weekends, bank holidays and the Christmas period. This availability is not marketing: it is a real necessity for the sectors we serve.
A hotel doesn’t close at 6 pm. A clinic cannot wait until Monday for its booking systems to be up and running again. An embassy cannot tolerate network downtime during official events. That is why our monitoring and response capabilities are truly round-the-clock.
24/7 support includes a response to critical incidents, active monitoring of the entire managed infrastructure, and automatic alerts escalated to on-call technicians outside business hours.
Our contracts define clear SLAs by incident severity level:
- Critic (service completely inoperative) — initial response in 1 hour, immediate escalation
- High priority (significant impact on operations) — response within 4 hours
- Normal priority (limited impact, workaround available) — response within 1 working day
- Low priority (optimisation issues, requests for information) — reply within 2 working days
These times refer to the initial response — the moment a technician takes charge of the issue and begins the diagnosis. The time taken to resolve the issue varies depending on its technical complexity, but we keep the customer informed of progress at all times.
The proactive monitoring we carry out enables us, in many cases, to, detect and resolve issues before the customer even notices them — which in practice means that many potentially critical incidents never end up affecting the operation.
DataRoad customers have access to a range of ways to contact our support team:
- Helpdesk portal - opening and tracking of online tickets, with a complete history of incidents
- Dedicated telephone line — for urgent situations and critical incidents, with human customer service
- Email - for non-urgent requests, with automatic ticket creation and receipt confirmation
- WhatsApp — with ticket incident response
- Immediate remote access — with the user's authorisation, our technicians can access the device for diagnosis and resolution
Each customer has a dedicated account manager who knows the infrastructure, equipment and specific needs of the organisation.
Do not start every call from scratch explaining the context.
DataRoad uses tools from RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) enterprise-grade that install a lightweight agent on managed devices — servers, workstations, switches, firewalls and other network equipment.
This agent continuously collects performance and status metrics: CPU usage, memory, storage, temperature, service status, security logs, backup status and much more. When a value falls outside the normal parameters, an alert is automatically generated, which our team monitors and manages — even at 3 am.
Practical examples of what we proactively detect:
- Server disk nearing 90% capacity — we took action before a failure occurred
- Silent backup failure — we identified and fixed it before needing to recover data
- Suspicious network access attempts — we blocked them before a potential security breach
- Critical security update pending — we apply it in a controlled and documented manner
4 – Enterprise Cybersecurity
Cyber security is one of DataRoad's core areas. Our portfolio includes:
- Managed firewall (Fortinet FortiGate) — perimeter protection, access rules, VPN and traffic inspection
- Endpoint protection (Sophos Intercept X) — behaviour detection, anti-ransomware and incident response
- DNS and web filtering — blocking of malicious domains and categories of inappropriate content
- Email protection — anti-phishing, anti-spam and suspicious attachment sandboxing
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) - implementation and management of MFA across all critical services
- Patch and vulnerability management — controlled update of operating systems and applications
- User training — phishing awareness, social engineering, and security best practices
- Monthly security reports - visibility of detected threats, incidents and the general status of the security posture
This is one of the questions we hear most — and the answer is always the same: yes, and probably more than you think.
Cyber attacks do not discriminate by company size. In fact, SMEs are increasingly frequent targets precisely because attackers know they have fewer resources dedicated to security. A ransomware attack can cost a small business between €20,000 and €500,000 in lost data, downtime, recovery and reputational damage — figures that often threaten business continuity itself.
What has changed in recent years is that the effective cybersecurity is no longer exclusive to large businesses. The solutions implemented by DataRoad are affordable, managed externally by us (without any hassle for the customer) and scaled to suit the size of your organisation. The cost of protection is a fraction of the cost of an incident.
Yes, the technical component of compliance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) This is an area that we address directly in our service contracts.
From an IT perspective, this includes:
- Data encryption at rest and in transit
- Access control and the principle of least privilege
- Audit trails and data access logs
- Data retention and secure disposal policies
- Security incident notification and response procedures
- Technology supplier (sub-processor) risk assessment
Important: DataRoad does not provide legal advice on the GDPR. For the legal and documentary component, we recommend working with a DPO or a specialised lawyer. Our responsibility is to ensure that the technological infrastructure technically supports data protection requirements.
5 – IT Networks & Infrastructure
Yes — this is one of our areas of greatest specialisation. DataRoad designs and implements wireless network infrastructures for high-density environments such as hotels, event spaces, university facilities and multi-storey office buildings.
We mainly use the ecosystem Ubiquiti UniFi, complemented with Cisco solutions when the project justifies it. Our process includes:
- RF survey of the space to ensure ideal coverage and performance
- Network design with VLAN segmentation (guests, staff, management, IoT)
- Seamless roaming configuration between access points without session drops
- Custom-branded guest captive portal
- Centralised monitoring of all access points
- Continuous management and periodic performance optimisation
A well-implemented Wi-Fi network is one that guests don't remember — because it just works, always, in every part of the space.
One firewall it is the device (hardware or software) that controls network traffic between the internet and your company's internal infrastructure — deciding what passes, what is blocked and what needs to be inspected more closely.
The modern firewalls that DataRoad implements (Fortinet FortiGate) go far beyond the basic concept: they include deep packet inspection (DPI), content filtering, intrusion prevention (IPS), network antivirus, application control and VPN management for secure remote access.
Any company with an internet connection and sensitive data needs a well-configured firewall. A home router — which many SMEs still use — does not offer adequate protection for a business environment. DataRoad configures, manages and monitors its clients' firewalls on an ongoing basis, including security signature updates and regular reviews of access rules.
Yes. DataRoad manages server infrastructure in multiple models:
- Physical servers - installation, configuration, maintenance and monitoring of Dell and other brand servers
- Virtualised environments — management of VMware vSphere infrastructure, with creation, migration and optimisation of virtual machines
- Cloud servers — VM management in Azure, AWS or other cloud providers
- Hybrid environments — where part of the infrastructure is on-premises and part is in the cloud, with integration between both environments
Our VMware certification ensures that virtualised environments are implemented with best practices in redundancy, performance and recovery. For physical hardware, our partnership with Dell enables us to recommend and procure the right equipment for each workload with support guaranteed.
6 – Cloud & Microsoft 365 and G Suite
Yes — Microsoft 365 is one of the platforms we manage most for our clients. Our service in this area includes three phases:
- Licences — assessment of real needs and recommendation of the correct plan (Business Basic, Standard, Premium or Enterprise), avoiding over-licensing or under-licensing
- Migration — migration of email, calendars, contacts and files (from on-premise Exchange servers, Google Workspace or other platforms) with zero or minimal downtime
- Continuous management — administration of users, groups, security policies, MFA, SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive; end-user support and training in the tools
As Microsoft partners, we benefit from direct technical support for complex situations and access to training and certification resources that keep us up to date with the constant developments of the platform.
It is a legitimate and frequent concern, especially in sectors such as healthcare, diplomacy and finance. The short answer is: It depends on how it's handled.
Platforms such as Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 offer levels of physical and logical security that the vast majority of companies could never replicate in-house — geographic redundancy, security certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2, etc.), end-to-end encryption and dedicated security teams.
The real risk in the cloud is not in the platform itself, but in the inappropriate configurationoverly permissive settings, lack of MFA, poorly defined sharing policies or a lack of access monitoring. It is precisely there that DataRoad adds value — ensuring that our clients' cloud implementation follows security best practices and is continually monitored.
7 – Backup & Business Continuity
Yes — and backup monitoring is, for us, as important as the implementation itself.
A backup that is not regularly verified is merely an illusion of security.
Our backup service includes:
- Design of the backup strategy tailored to data criticality (3-2-1 policy or variants)
- Implementation of local, cloud or hybrid backup solution
- Daily monitoring of the status of all backup tasks
- Immediate alerts in the event of failure — we don't discover the problem when data needs to be recovered
- Regular restore tests to ensure that data is actually recoverable
- Monthly report on the status and history of backups
The question we always ask new clients is: «When was the last time you tested a backup restore?» The answer is almost always revealing.
Ransomware is now one of the most serious threats facing businesses of all sizes. A successful attack can encrypt all of an organisation’s data and systems, rendering them inaccessible until a ransom is paid — with no guarantee of recovery even after payment.
DataRoad’s approach is to multi-layered prevention — a firewall with traffic inspection, endpoint protection with anti-ransomware behaviour detection, email filtering and user training. This approach drastically reduces the likelihood of a successful attack.
However, if, despite everything, an attack does occur, our incident response protocol is activated immediately: isolating the affected systems to contain the spread, carrying out a forensic analysis to determine the point of entry, cleaning up the compromised systems, and restoring data from a clean, verified backup. A robust backup strategy is the ultimate safeguard against ransomware — and that is why the continuous monitoring of backups is non-negotiable in our contracts.
8 – Specific Sectors
The hotel sector is one of our preferred segments, with several hotels and accommodation units in our client portfolio. Our accumulated experience enables us to understand the IT specificities that this sector demands:
- Integration with hotel management systems (PMS) such as Opera, Protel or similar
- High-density Wi-Fi networks for guests, with a captive portal and traffic segmentation
- Absolute mission-critical availability — a network failure at 2 am in a hotel that is open for business is a serious incident
- Network segmentation between management systems, the guest network and access control systems
- Support for TV systems, IP telephony and other integrated systems
- Compliance with guest data protection requirements (GDPR)
Our experience in the hotel sector means we don't need to learn our client's business — we arrive with knowledge of the industry and its technical specifics.
Yes. The healthcare sector is one of the most demanding in terms of IT — and one of those that most requires a partner with real experience in this context. DataRoad serves clinics and medical centres, with full awareness of the particularities that this environment imposes:
- Strict protection of health data (the GDPR as applied to the clinical context)
- Integration with clinical management systems and electronic health records
- High availability of the appointment, billing and clinical records systems
- Enhanced security for the protection of sensitive patient data
- Management of medical equipment with IT components (medical imaging, etc.)
- Compliance with sector-specific legal requirements in healthcare
Yes. Diplomatic missions are a sector we are proud to serve, precisely because of the high standards and sensitivity they require. The IT needs of an embassy differ from those of a commercial enterprise in several key respects:
- Above-average physical and logical security requirements
- Integration with the head office’s IT systems and policies (often based outside Portugal)
- Secure VPN management for communication with the capital and other missions
- The need for discretion and confidentiality in all interactions
- Compliance with the specific requirements of the country represented
- Availability and a rapid response, regardless of diplomatic working hours or events
Our team is accustomed to working in this environment with the professionalism and confidentiality it requires.
9 – Contracts, Prices & Service Model
DataRoad contracts are based on a model of fixed monthly fee per user or per device, with a clearly defined set of services — with no surprises at the end of the month. This model allows companies to plan their IT budget with total predictability.
The standard contract IT Unlimited includes unlimited technical support via calls or remote interventions, 24/7 monitoring, preventive maintenance and the agreed core services. Longer onsite interventions, infrastructure projects and hardware procurement are handled separately with a prior quote.
The contract is documented with:
- Detailed scope of included and excluded services
- SLA table with response times by severity
- Inventory of managed devices and systems
- Escalation and incident communication conditions
- GDPR and confidentiality clauses
The price of our services is calculated based on several factors: number of users and devices, infrastructure complexity, desired SLA level and specific services included. That is why we do not publish fixed rates — each proposal is personalised after an analysis of the client's actual needs.
What we can say with confidence is that the managed service model is, for the vast majority of organisations, significantly more affordable than the alternatives:
- Compared to an equivalent internal IT setup: the cost of a senior IT technician in Portugal (salary, social security contributions, training, tools) frequently exceeds the cost of a complete DataRoad contract offering a multidisciplinary team
- Compared to reactive hourly support, the proactivity of the managed model reduces the number and severity of incidents, resulting in a lower total cost and less business impact
We offer a free diagnosis of the current infrastructure, following which we present a detailed and transparent proposal. No obligation, no small print.
DataRoad's contracts are typically established for 12-month periods, renewable automatically, which allows for the planning and implementation of solutions with an appropriate time horizon — providing stability for both our clients and our team.
Contrary to what it might seem, we prefer a long-term relationship based on results and satisfaction rather than on forced retention through penalising exit clauses. Our objective is to be the IT partner that our clients choose to renew — not the one they are obliged to keep.
The specific entry, exit, and renewal conditions are discussed transparently during the contract negotiation phase.
9 – How to Get Started Working with DataRoad
The DataRoad new client onboarding process is structured and frictionless:
- 1. Initial contact - by phone, email or web form. We reply the same day.
- 2. Analysis meeting — a conversation (in person or via video call) to understand your current infrastructure, needs and expectations
- 3. Diagnosis - technical audit of the existing infrastructure to identify the current status, risks and opportunities for improvement
- 4. Tailored proposal — presentation of a detailed proposal including scope, SLA and fixed monthly price
- 5. Signature and onboarding — contract formalisation and initiation of the technical integration process (installation of monitoring agents, infrastructure documentation, creation of access credentials)
- 6. Normal operation - from the completion of the onboarding, your infrastructure is being monitored and supported by DataRoad
The entire process, from initial contact to the start of operations, typically takes 1 to 3 weeks depending on the complexity of the infrastructure.
The diagnosis is a technical audit of your organisation's IT infrastructure, carried out by our team at no cost or obligation. The aim is to give you an honest and objective overview of the current state of your technology — identifying vulnerabilities, risks, inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.
The diagnosis typically covers:
- Network status and configuration (switches, access points, firewall)
- Basic security assessment (service exposure, password policies, MFA)
- Backup systems status and disaster recovery capability
- Analysis of software licences (Microsoft 365 and others)
- Hardware inventory and end-of-life equipment identification
- Operating system and application updates status
Ultimately, you receive a report containing the main conclusions and recommendations — it is a service of real value.
The IT supplier transition is a legitimate concern, but in practice it is much less disruptive than most clients fear.
DataRoad has a structured onboarding process designed precisely to minimise the operational impact of the change.
Our process includes a complete audit of the existing infrastructure (with or without the cooperation of the previous supplier), the documentation of all systems, credentials and configurations, and a parallel transition phase in which both entities coexist temporarily if necessary.
From the users' point of view, the transition is typically imperceptible — the next day, they call a different number and the support experience improves. The background work of inventory, documentation and migration is carried out by our team in an organised manner and without putting pressure on the end users.
Our suggestion is always to start with the diagnosis — which gives us the infrastructure knowledge necessary to plan a risk-free transition.
Some of the companies that trust us with their IT to operate with security, performance and business continuity
Who demands reliability, chooses DataRoad. References that speak for themselves
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