Can the channel fill rising need for carbon tracking and measurement?

Microsoft partner Akari is one of the latest to launch carbon-tracking app, which aims to help companies 'gamify' the quest to hit sustainability targets

"They have set sustainability objectives. But how do they then record that internally, and measure progress towards those objectives? That's where I think the technology companies - and in fact - Akari, comes in."

That's the assessment of Margaret Totten, founder of Glasgow-based Microsoft partner Akari Solutions, which is one of a growing number of channel partners bringing sustainability measurement or carbon tracking solutions to market.

UK organisations are coming under increasing pressure to both report and reduce their carbon footprint.

The recently introduced Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting regulations have forced large unquoted companies to begin divulging their scope one and two emissions in their annual accounts. And according to new rules unveiled at November's COP26 summit in Glasgow, all UK-listed companies must publish net zero plans by 2023.

Tech sector to the rescue?

Tech companies clearly believe they have a major role to play in helping companies respond to this increasing regulatory challenge.

Looking at the major IT services providers, already in 2022 Accenture has acquired London-based ESG measurement and analytics specialist, Avieco, Deloitte has announced a $1bn investment in a new Sustainability & Climate practice (which will help clients "embed sustainability into their operations"), and EY has launched a sustainability service offering - EY Carbon - which will advise clients as they "prepare their net zero plans ahead of independent scrutiny and verification".

Atos was among the first to get the ball rolling back in 2020 by acquiring carbon reduction strategy consulting firm EcoAct, and last year spoke to CRN about its introduction of ‘decarbonisation level agreements'.

Microsoft, meanwhile, outlined decarbonisation as one of five sustainability areas it feels its partners are uniquely positioned to capitalise on. In its report, it highlighted partner Telematicus Services, which last year launched an application designed to help companies capture and manage the data needed to reduce their scope one, two and three emissions using smartphones, as a prime example.

Microsoft and Google partners, including Ultima and Ancoris, have been quick to launch tools helping clients calculate the carbon footprint of their cloud consumption.

Sustainability gamification

Only founded in December 2018 and with approaching 50 staff, Akari is another Microsoft partner proving that you don't have to be a global IT services behemoth to develop a sustainability measurement or tracking offering.

Already launched internally, Akari's EnviroTrak is designed to complement Microsoft's newly launched Cloud for Sustainability offering, and is currently going through the Microsoft AppSource co-sell ready process.

Talking to CRN, Akari business development director Natalie Bell said the app stemmed from a proof of concept carried out for a large broadcasting agency in the run up to COP26.

"They asked us to come up with a solution using the Microsoft stack that would record their carbon footprint. Once that was created, we reflected on the experience and thought about how we could take it to the next level and make it applicable across all verticals.

"Obviously, sustainability is so high on the agenda for organisations at the moment. And what a lot of our customers are finding difficult is tracking their sustainability objectives, and then driving end users and the wider organisation to work towards those objectives."

EnviroTrak utilises Microsoft Power BI and Teams, Bell explained.

"Not only does it visualise the data, but it then creates data-driven decision making, because of the action that's driven through Microsoft Teams, which encourages the collaboration and the communication that comes off the back of that visualised data. So for example, if we are looking at a project, and we can see that the project is not performing very well, or the estimates for the carbon footprint, which started at the beginning of the project, have actually almost been achieved before the project ended, we can send a notification to the people involved in that project."

EnviroTrak breaks down employees into three ‘personas', namely individuals, team leaders and C-suite executives.

"It's about how you can drive that action across the business to make sure everyone is incentivised by being part of this sustainably project. The way we've done that is by creating elements of gamification through Teams," Bell explained.

The app will align to Microsoft Sustainability for Cloud, managing director Totten explained, meaning it will soon measure not only carbon footprints but also water and waste.

"We will very much be complementing the metrics that are part of that bigger picture for Microsoft customers," she explained.

"Microsoft is obviously dealing with the bigger picture for these large corporate global organisations. But what we can do is break it down into those personas, and help the end users get on board, because this isn't just a technology change - it's also a huge cultural shift."

Purchasing pecking order

A majority of end-user respondents surveyed by CRN last year said they are actively pursuing both an ESG strategy and carbon reduction plan. In two years' time, sustainability will be almost as important a driver for how IT decision makers select IT suppliers as price, performance and cost savings (it currently ranks a distant fourth), the research also found.

"We worked with one of the industries and had a call with their Microsoft team a couple of weeks ago. They told us their top five priorities for the industry, and sustainability ranked at number four," Bell agreed.

Although EnviroTrak's pipeline is predominantly large, global enterprise customers, Totten (pictured above) stressed that the tool is aimed at companies of all sizes.

Reflecting its focus on sustainability, as well as inclusion and accessibility, Akari recently rebranded as ‘Akari: the partner with purpose', at the start of the year.

"We've won tenders against bigger partners and cheaper prices because of that focus," Totten said.