Datto

At a Glance

Industry

Internet, Software, Hardware and Technology Services

Project Type

Commercial Energy Efficiency

Year

2021

Location

Norwalk, CT

Summary

In 2020, Datto Inc. made a commitment to integrating ESG into their business strategy. Soma Ramalingam was entrusted with laying the foundation and baselining Datto’s emission from operation.

Goals

Datto has always been motivated to do well by doing good. Going public in 2020 was just the push Datto required to make a commitment to ESG. Soma, an EDF Fellow, was given a whiteboard to help define Datto’s Greenhouse Gas accounting strategy:

  • Validate the data collected for baseline year (2019) and gather missing data.
  • Gather emission data for 2020-21
  • Create a repeatable framework for carbon data collection.
  • Compare carbon accounting platforms for cost, efficiency and features and recommend the best fit for Datto.
  • Provide carbon reduction strategy and next steps for Datto’s ESG journey.

Solutions

Soma approached the challenge ahead of her through meticulous planning and taking a parallel approach to the different goals:

  • Validating 2019 data: The baseline data gathered by Datto was entered into a tool for GHG calculation. The first step was to identify the gaps and manual validation of the emission calculated by the tool.
  • Creating a repeatable framework: Soma worked with the different stakeholders to understand what data is available and how best it can be gathered. She documented the approach which became Datto's Carbon Strategy document. Any gaps in the availability of data were addressed by providing alternatives for estimating usage data.
  • Gather data for 2020-2021: Soma created a Carbon Inventory sheet to track the different sources of emission from Datto's operation. Working with the relevant stakeholders, 20-21 data was gathered and tracked in the inventory sheet. Carbon reduction strategies and next steps were recommended as a part of the strategy document.
  • Identify carbon accounting platform: Datto was using a free version of an accounting tool that provided limited functionality. Soma facilitated demos of different tools, compared the pros and cons, and negotiated. Finally, she helped Datto identify the best fit in terms of features and budget.
  • Provide ESG overview: Soma presented an overview of ESG to some of the key stakeholders at Datto, which helped them understand and appreciate the importance of the work they will continue to do at Datto.

Potential Impact

Soma identified that the reporting tool used by Datto was overestimating emissions from shipping by 87%, resulting in savings of over 920,000 ton CO2e from Datto’s baseline year. 

She was also instrumental in fitting within budget the GHG accounting tool to be used by Datto in the future saving dollars and man hours.

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