Segmented, Secure Network
Separate Wi-Fi for visitors, staff and chancery
Managed firewall and access control
Certified cabling with warranty
24/7 Support (Premium 365) with Discretion
A dedicated team, no subcontracting
Out-of-hours and public holiday interventions
Confidentiality bound by contract
An embassy is not a company with a flag at the door. It is a State's representation on foreign soil, with its own confidentiality rules, communication channels to the capital, hours dictated by another time zone and high-level visits that cannot be postponed because the network went down. DataRoad has provided IT for embassies, consulates, diplomatic missions and international organisations in Lisbon since its early years, with one simple rule: the work is done by our own team, with no subcontracting, and the scope and people are identified in writing before we enter the building.
What is different about a diplomatic mission
Confidentiality as a baseline requirement
Anyone entering an embassy's communications room must be known, identified and the same person on every visit. We do not subcontract and we do not rotate engineers at random: the team assigned to each mission is fixed, named in the proposal and replaced only with prior notice. The infrastructure documentation stays with the mission, not with us, and remote access is logged and can be revoked at any time.
Two infrastructures in the same building
Most missions have a local administrative network — chancery, consular section, events, visitor Wi-Fi — and a communications network to the capital, managed by the State itself, which the local provider does not touch. Our work is the former, and our network design ensures the two never mix: physical and logical segmentation, separate racks where required, and no dependence on the local network for the restricted channels.
Historic buildings, modern demands
Many embassies in Lisbon occupy mansions and villas in Avenidas Novas, Restelo, Belém or Lapa. Thick walls, ornate ceilings, annexes separate from the main building and no provision for cable trunking. Outdoor cabling between buildings, cable routes that respect the architecture and Wi-Fi that gets through stone are problems we solve regularly.
Schedules and deadlines that are non-negotiable
A national day reception, a minister's visit or the opening of a consular period set dates that do not move. When necessary, work is carried out out of hours, at weekends and with a reinforced team, so the building is fully operational the following morning.
What we provide to embassies and international organisations
- Structured cabling and infrastructure renewal — removal of old cabling, CAT6/CAT6A — the two cable categories used in buildings today — and fibre, new trunking and outlets, an organised rack and certification of every point. See our cabling and networks page.
- Segmented Wi-Fi networks — separate internal, visitor and event networks, with guaranteed coverage throughout the building and annexes. See business wireless networks.
- Firewall, perimeter security and VPN — access control, filtering and secure remote access for staff on the move. See managed firewalls and cybersecurity for businesses.
- Servers, workstations and Microsoft 365 — installation, migration and management of the chancery and consular working environment, on Windows and macOS. See Microsoft 365 for businesses.
- IP video surveillance integrated into the network, with retention and access defined by the mission. See video surveillance for businesses.
- Backups and continuity — managed, tested backups and a recovery plan for local systems. See managed backups and disaster recovery.
- 24/7 monitoring (Premium 365) and ongoing support — through the IT Unlimited contract, with proactive monitoring, remote and on-site support, and service in Portuguese and English.
Real cases in Lisbon
DataRoad has installed and renewed network infrastructure at several diplomatic missions in Lisbon, all documented on our website:
- Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in Restelo — installation and expansion of a CAT6A 10 Gb structured network with around 4,000 metres of cabling and optical fibre, including outdoor cabling between buildings. To meet the deadline set by the mission, the project was completed in three days, with ten engineers working after hours.
- Embassy of the Republic of Korea — new network cabling, firewall and security, with IT Unlimited support.
- Consulate General of Brazil in Lisbon — installation of the new IT network, cabling, firewall, servers and IT Unlimited support.
- Embassy of Cyprus — complete cabling renewal, with removal of the old infrastructure, new CAT6 in every room, a new rack and new outlets.
DataRoad also counts among its clients the embassies of the State of Qatar, the United States of America, France and Morocco in Lisbon.
How we work with a diplomatic mission
| Phase | What happens | What the mission receives |
|---|---|---|
| Contact and scoping | Meeting with the head of administration; identification of the DataRoad team who will carry out the work | Named list of the team and preliminary scope |
| On-site survey | Technical visit to the building and annexes, without access to restricted areas | Survey report with photographs and network floor plan |
| Proposal | Fixed scope, schedule and out-of-hours intervention windows where needed | Fixed-price proposal and work plan |
| Delivery | A fixed, identified team, working out of hours if required | Certification of network points and as-built documentation |
| Operation | Monitoring, support and periodic reviews under the IT Unlimited contract | Monthly report, request portal, single point of contact |
DataRoad IT Unlimited
Talk to DataRoad. We assess your operation and propose the right plan.
What we put in writing
- The named team assigned to the mission and the rule for replacement with prior notice.
- The exact scope: which networks, equipment and spaces are DataRoad's responsibility and which are excluded, including the State's restricted channels.
- The as-built documentation: network floor plan, rack diagram, certification of every point and equipment inventory — handed over to the mission and updated with every change.
- Remote access: who has it, for which systems, with usage logging and immediate revocation on request.
- The confidentiality clause and, where the mission requires it, a specific non-disclosure agreement. The client is only referenced on our website with its knowledge.
Frequently asked questions
Do you work on the communications network to the capital?
No. That network is managed by the State itself and is outside our scope. Our work is the local infrastructure — administrative and consular networks, Wi-Fi, local servers, workstations, security and video surveillance — designed never to mix with the restricted channels.
Are the engineers always the same?
Yes. The team assigned to each mission is fixed and identified in the proposal. Any replacement is communicated in advance, with the person identified. We do not subcontract.
Can you work outside office hours?
Yes, and we often do. Cabling renewals and migrations are carried out at night, at weekends or during consular closure periods, so that the mission's operations are not affected.
Do you provide service in English?
Yes. Support, reports and documentation can be in Portuguese or English, according to the mission's preference. Many of our international clients work with us exclusively in English.
Can you sign the mission's own non-disclosure agreement?
Yes. We sign whatever confidentiality agreements and access terms the mission requires, before the first survey.
Do you provide ongoing maintenance or only projects?
Both, but always under contract. Infrastructure projects are carried out for missions with a support contract or as the first step towards one; ongoing operation is delivered through IT Unlimited, with 24/7 monitoring (Premium 365) and ongoing support.
Embassies and international organisations are one of the sectors in which DataRoad specialises, alongside hospitality, clinics, offices and multinationals, the public sector and schools and universities.
Where we operate
Almost all diplomatic missions in Portugal are located in Lisbon — Restelo, Belém, Lapa, Avenidas Novas — and in the neighbouring municipalities of Cascais and Oeiras. DataRoad's headquarters in Alfragide are less than 20 minutes from any of them. Consulates in other cities are served across our service areas, with support throughout Portugal.
Success stories and recommended plan
See how DataRoad operates large-scale networks with redundancy and a written SLA in the Ubiquiti success story (more than 138 sites), and discover IT Unlimited Premium 365, with 24/7 monitoring and an identified team for sensitive operations.
Talk to us
If your mission needs to renew its network infrastructure, strengthen its security or have ongoing support from an identified team, the first meeting comes with no commitment. Call +351 211 459 950* (weekdays, 9:30–13:00 and 14:00–18:30) or write to sales@dataroad.pt. *Call to a Portuguese landline.
How we work
This service is provided exclusively under an IT Unlimited contract.
DataRoad does not provide one-off (one-shot) assistance, nor does it sell equipment on its own. We work under a contract with a fixed monthly fee, taking full responsibility for the client's environment.
