Not every tech job offers the flexibility to work full time while training for the Olympics.

Luckily for Nick Guarino, Technical Support Expert at Datto offers that and more. “Datto allows me a better chance to train than many other jobs would,” he said. “Whether it’s the benefits or flexibility, the previous companies I worked for don’t come close to Datto.”

Nick has been running since he was a young kid. More recently, at the State University of New York At Fredonia, Nick earned a degree in Computer Information Systems and History while he pursued his track career, all the way to a Division III National Championship.

“One of the things I love about running is that anyone can do it,” Nick said.

Although anyone can run, not everyone can compete at the elite level Nick has thrived in. Of course, that includes finding a proper balance between work and training. For Nick, it comes down to time management, a skill he learned while competing in college. While training may not be as convenient as it was in college, Nick says Datto makes it much easier than it was with his previous employers.

On top of the flexibility Datto offers, Nick also cites his work family as a huge source of support and encouragement. The entire Rochester office knows Nick’s story, and his manager, Jason Elston, refers to him as the residential runner in Rochester.

Nick is hoping to qualify for 800 and 1500 the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nick splits his training into three macrocycles. From late summer through Fall, Nick focuses on endurance training to build a strong base for track season. Late Fall to early Winter consists of the indoor season, concluding with the Portland Indoor Championships. From now until July, Nick will increase his training and attempt to qualify for the Olympics Trials at The University of Oregon.

“Running in the Olympics has been one of my big dreams forever,” he said.

For this week’s Tech & Culture Blog, Associate Trainer, Dan Newman, talks about Datto’s Disaster Demo Challenge. 

Love them, hate them, tolerate them—managers have a big impact on employees. In fact, managers are often cited as the main reason an employee stays or leaves a job. Ideally, they should be incredible, but there’s enough examples of when they aren’t. Or are just okay. Or are getting better, but don’t seem to be making much progress.

Instead of leaving managers to their own devices, organizations should invest time and resources in their management. We believe Datto is a place where people can do their life’s work and do it exceedingly well. So, we developed a robust leadership and management training program to cultivate great managers.

One priority we made at the outset was framing this training as professional development, not punitive development. We didn’t assume anyone was in need of remediation or was already a terrible manager. We wanted to frame this training as an investment in great people. Because this was so important to us, the Training Team and HR collaborated over five months to develop a multi-pronged approach to management and leadership development at Datto:

• First, we brought all new managers up to speed on common skills and techniques so they could all speak a common language. We partnered with the American Management Association (AMA) to produce a high-quality three-day training course covering a suite of basic management skills and knowledge.
• Second, we conducted application-analysis for managers who had received this training a year ago. It’s easy to forget or neglect concepts when faced with real-world situations; this refresher revisited core concepts while discussing how practice differs from theory.
• Third, we created a resource library around leadership and management. A lot of talented managers and leaders work at Datto and they all have wisdom to share. We designated part of our company intranet for evergreen management knowledge.
• Finally, we developed a series of offerings and programs with a holistic approach to leadership and management. Datto is a unique place where unique kinds of leaders flourish; so, for training to be effective it must be diverse, multi-modal, and frequent. This was accomplished by company-wide challenges, small-group discussions, cohort-based communities, and speakers talking about leadership.

We used the fourth prong as a way to uncover latent talent in high-potential employees that are not in management roles yet. By design, it connects employees from all different walks of life and allows them to share their challenges. We think it’s important to provide grapple points for talented employees to grow their skills and network, so they can be awesome when they inevitably grow into management roles…#win

Datto is always striving to be better. Nobody is exempt from being the best they can be, whether they’re a manager or an entry-level employee. In the same vein, we measure and analyze the impact of these initiatives to grow and change to the always-adapting teams. We’re willing to completely change the way we do this if the data convinces us because, frankly, that’s what it takes to be awesome.

For this week’s Tech & Culture Blog, Wendy Durica, SQA Automation Team Lead and founder of the Datto Women In Technology Group, discusses STEM and her recent experience as a Lobbyist for a Day. 

As a woman working in the technology field, one of the things I’m most enthusiastic about is inclusion and diversity in STEM (science, technology, education and math). It’s imperative that women go out and show themselves as role models in the technology industry. As part of the Society of Women Engineers, I recently had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. to be a “Lobbyist for a Day” and support this cause.

As a ‘lobbyist’, I was placed in a small group with nine other women engineers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Our day of preparation started with some pep talks from various congressional staff members and meeting in small groups with politicians to discuss the importance of women in technology and STEM. Our goal was to promote diversity, inclusion and awareness.

In addition to politicians, I met 99 other women in the technology field. It was a unique experience that allowed people from various backgrounds to share experiences and work together for our common goal.

To me, it comes down to looking at the next generation. Seeing the numbers of women in technology decline, we must try new things and do our part. If this helps get more money into education and subsequently more kids interested, then we’re doing something right. As we say, we’re going to keep doing this until people say coding is ‘a girl thing’.

49 kids, flying drones, virtual pets, and Nerf guns may sound like a recipe for disaster, but at Datto, we call it Kid’s Day.

For our second annual Kid’s Day, Datto families spent the day in our Norwalk office to enjoy some fun activities and learn about the company.

The day featured an office tour, a Q&A session and drone flight with CEO, Austin McChord, building and programming a Petduino, and a Nerf battle to top it all off.

Dan Fuhry, Senior Software Engineer, created and organized the event.  “When I was 15, I pictures of the Googleplex and said, ‘I want to work there.’  Well, five years later, I made it into an even cooler company.  I want to inspire kids to feel the same way I do about loving your job and working in an awesome environment,” he said.

While flying drones and Nerf fights are certainly fun.  Fuhry wanted to incorporate actual programming for the kids with the Petduinos.

“We wanted a discovery process similar to how Datto’s software engineers work on a day-to-day basis.  What better way to do it than with a cute little virtual pet?  The kids were thrilled to see their Petduinos light up with their own names on them.  I’m hopeful that Kids Day was just the beginning for a new generation of makers and developers,” said Fuhry.

What do you get when you combine Datto, Connecticut microbreweries, and some great food? DattoFest, of course!  

Our first-ever DattoFest is a great opportunity to network, tour Datto’s Norwalk office, learn about our departments, and enjoy some great food and beer.

“People can see what Datto is like with the incredible backdrop of some Connecticut microbreweries,” said Mike Mueller, Senior Director, Talent Acquisition.

“It’s a chance to build interest in the company as part of a long-term talent attraction strategy. We want to create excitement around the company and how joining Datto can enhance one’s career. Maybe they’re interested, but not ready to change venues. However, maybe they will six months from now or a year from now. DattoFest showcases the organization as a Best Place to Work.” he said.

Mueller and his team are already brainstorming for an event next fall, as well as possibly expanding the event to some of the other Datto offices such as Rochester and Boston.

If you’re a Datto employee interested in bringing a referral, learn more and sign up here. For outside attendees, more info can be found here.

Prepare to see Datto all over your television screen. With the kick-off of the AVP/FIVB Cincinnati Open beach volleyball tournament this week, we’re thrilled to be the official sponsor of the only Olympic qualifier in the United States.

“Our partners have told us that the more we can get the Datto name and brand out there, the easier it makes things when they suggest Datto to their customers,” said Brooks Borcherding, Datto CRO. “This tie-in to the upcoming Olympic games offers great visibility for Datto that will benefit all our partners. We can’t wait to hear their feedback in the weeks and months to come.”

Olympic medalist, Kerri Walsh Jennings, and her partner, April Ross, will be among the competitors fighting for their spots in this year’s games. Datto’s 20 by 20 sponsor tent will feature drawstring backpacks, sunglasses, and other fun giveaways for attendees. Datto’s logo will appear on the net and in court-side signage, and live television coverage on NBC Sports will include the debut of Datto’s first-ever TV commercial!

The tournament runs from May 17-21, and you can catch the finals on NBC Sports Network or stream live on Saturday, May 21, from 3:00-5:00 pm ET.

“Datto is proud to be the official sponsor for the upcoming Cincinnati Open,” said Austin McChord, founder and CEO of Datto. “We’re excited to be involved with such an outstanding event and pleased to extend this fabulous co-marketing opportunity to our Managed Service Provider partners. Best of luck to all the athletes at the Cincinnati Open as they compete to earn a spot in the Olympics in Rio!”

Datto’s Business Development team is one of the hardest working teams in the IT channel (as displayed at ASCII Milwaukee), and a few members were recently honored for their contribution.

Christine Gassman, Manager of Partner Development, and Sam Ciaccia, Channel Engagement Manager, were named to CRN’s 2016 Women of the Channel. The list honors women whose expertise and vision have positioned their companies for success. CRN editors select the Women of the Channel honorees on the basis of their professional accomplishments and ongoing dedication to the IT channel.

In addition to the Women of the Channel honor, Gassman was included in the CRN Power 100, an elite subset of its prestigious annual list. According to CRN, this list identifies an exclusive group of channel influencers drawn from the larger pool of CRN’s 2016 Women of the Channel who played a unique role in the advancement of her own organization and the IT channel at large.

To read more about Sam and Christine’s honor, head over to CRN.

Datto is typical of many high growth technology companies. We have benefits and perks galore for our employees. From free lunches every Friday to flexible working environments and tons of opportunity for professional growth, there’s a lot of amazing reasons to work at Datto. Where Datto also falls in line with other technology companies is the male to female employee ratio. It’s quite common that most tech companies have always been traditionally more male dominated. Software engineers coding away along with customer support tech reps are predominantly men. Women can be found on these teams in Datto but oftentimes it’s difficult to see them among a sea of men.

Given the disproportionate amount of women at Datto, I was excited by a recent opportunity to attend Yale’s inaugural Women in Leadership program back in April as part of Yale’s School of Management executive education. One thing Datto does really well – invest in their employees. Datto not only cares about educating employees on Datto’s technology but also about offering training that goes beyond a Datto device to give employees the chance to develop and grow professionally. This is significant. Not all companies are willing to provide employees with so many development opportunities.

At Yale’s Women in Leadership program, four women from Datto, including myself, participated in three full days of sessions on all things leadership taught by Yale’s top professors from the school’s MBA program (one of the best programs in the country). Immediately after taking the course, it was decided that the four of us should share our recent knowledge with our fellow colleagues. We set about organizing a Women’s Leadership Lunch and Learn at Datto and invited all of the offices to attend.

During our first ever Women’s Leadership Lunch and Learn, we presented four sessions to our coworkers directly from the Yale program including:

• “SorryNotSorry” a session dedicated to improving body language and strengthening vocabulary for women in the workplace
• “Decision Making for Leaders” a session discussing various leadership styles
• “On Teamwork” a session designed to improve meeting efficiency and effectiveness
• “Influence without Authority” a practical session on how women can improve their negotiating skills

The big takeaways? It’s critical to recognize certain areas, such as negotiation, where women still lag behind their male colleagues. We can however learn a great deal from one another and should continuously support each other. When we share what we’ve learned, tips for improvement, the best ways to manage various situations, our success stories, etc. the outcome will be more women in leadership roles and hopefully more women in leadership roles at technology companies.

To better understand every aspect of Datto, and innovate new ways to improve the customer experience, the Tech Support team started “invading” other departments. Lead by Kevin Methe, Technical Support Supervisor, the invasions give techs the chance to work with other departments to better understand how they operate and use this knowledge to improve their support to partners.

In their most recent invasion, members of the technical support team joined the Business Development team at ASCII Milwaukee. Over the course of the two-day event, the techs met with prospective partners and embedded themselves in the Business Development team.

“It’s important for us to understand how other parts of Datto work, and how these road shows generate new buying partners. In support, we don’t always get to see how the product is sold or brought to market, so this was an incredible opportunity, really an eye-opening experience,” said Methe.

In addition to seeing other departments in action, the techs also enjoyed interacting with partners and hearing their praise.

Our techs often hear second-hand how great their support is, but it isn’t often they get positive feedback in person. “It was nice to hear how much our partners like our support, and that they appreciate a local company,” said Taylor Palmiere, Technical Support Expert.

According to Stephen Riccio, Technical Support Expert, “it was nice to interact with the Datto partners and get some positive feedback. We also had the chance to really impress them with the Datto solution.”

As the techs agreed, it was incredible to see Rob Rae and his team in action. Whether it’s talking to partners or running an entire show, it’s nothing short of impressive.

Kyle Wagner, Technical Support Expert, says, “Rob is amazing, he’s on a different level. When you compare his presentation to other vendors, it’s like night and day. His energy and experience shows how devoted Datto is to our partners.”

Datto unveiled our first-ever commercial last weekend! We couldn’t be more excited to make this big release, and it was no easy task. Datto’s video production team, Fuji Panjali, Eric Vondell, and Sara Talbot, worked hard to make this a reality.

We’ve covered some of the video production team’s recent work, such as the SIRIS pancakes video or the hilarious spoof trailers for our private Star Wars showing.

On this project, Datto worked with Optic Sky Productions, a Rochester-based production company specializing in television and online advertisements. “Optic Sky was a perfect fit because they had already worked with Datto on a previous project, so they knew the company very well,” said Fuji Panjali, Datto Videographer.

The Datto video team worked along with Datto CEO and founder, Austin McChord and Optic Sky to produce a script and storyboard, and after various rounds of pre-production, it was showtime. The team managed to shoot the entire commercial in a single day, and had a blast doing it.

“It didn’t really hit me that we were making a commercial until we were on the set in Rochester. It was incredible to see how many people were involved to make this happen. We’re used to Eric, Sara, and I working on projects, so to have a 40-person crew was a great opportunity,” said Fuji.

Optic Sky brought in local professionals for the talent, lighting, visual effects, electrical, set design, etc. This gave Datto the chance to work with people who have worked on shows such as “Gotham” and “Saturday Night Live”.

As a little Easter egg, the team snuck in a few Datto references throughout the video. See if you can spot them.

Attracting top tech talent to Connecticut is a concern that Datto and the Connecticut Technology Council share. At the inaugural HR Forum hosted at Datto, HR professionals gathered to discuss best practices for attracting and retaining millennial tech talent in Connecticut.

For the CTC, that involves connecting with the top tech companies as well as the local universities. According to the CTC, for Connecticut to remain globally competitive in the tech sector, we must work together to generate, attract and retain a robust talent pipeline. The forum is designed to bring people together and generate discussion on key issues. To attract the premiere talent, it often takes more than competitive compensation and benefits. As the CTC has found out, there are other factors such as work/life balance, room for growth, and a community atmosphere. The millennial workforce wants to feel that the company is investing in them and is in tune with their goals.

The forum panel included Betsy Gilbert, Director of Human Resources, iDevices; Patti Moran, Director of Career Placement, College of Arts & Sciences, Sacred Heart University; Ashley Pederson, Internship & Co-op Program Coordinator, UConn Center for Career Development; and Chrissy Semenza, Manager of Talent Acquisition, Enterprise Holdings.

Each of the members discussed what their respective companies or universities are doing to connect the top tech talent with the premiere tech companies across the state. To learn more about the CTC forum head over to their website.

In an effort to build an even better relationship with our partners, the Datto Customer Experience team has implemented the Partner of the Quarter program, and our very first honoree is Jim Beach of Clare Computer Solutions.

The program is designed to reward Datto partners who have modeled excelled spirit and work well with our tech support personnel during issues. This will allow us to continue building a strong rapport with our partners by showing our appreciation through sharing these great experiences with the entire Datto family.

How does it feel to be honored as Datto’s first partner of the quarter?

I am very humbled with this honor. I truly enjoy everyone I encounter at Datto. I appreciate that I was nominated and then voted as the partner of the quarter. I would like to thank everyone at Datto for their support and what you do to help us thrive. If it wasn’t for that support, I wouldn’t be able to support my clients with the high-level support they expect and deserve.

What does it mean to be a Datto Partner?

To me, it means that we are both trying to achieve the same goal, which is to provide our customers with a great product, along with high-level support. Datto allows us to do that in the best way possible.

What is your relationship with Datto like?

Everything about my relationship is great. My interactions have been nothing but positive, I really can’t say I’ve had a negative interaction when working with anyone at Datto. Everyone is willing to help and explain any issues I may come across. They are willing to educate me on issues that I have so I can become a better partner working with Datto products.

Remember, Datto Tech Support employees can nominate partners in Homepool.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, my knowledge of technology began and ended with this fact: in order to restart an iPhone, one must press down and hold the power button. After starting my internship at Datto and training with Dan Newman, I’m happy to say that my knowledge bank has expanded significantly, but I’ll get to that later.

I was completely lost on my first day at Datto. When I say lost, I mean it in the most literal sense of the word. I was emailing someone in human resources to help me figure out where to park. After I squared away the parking, I made my way over to the security desk. The woman there greeted me as friendly as ever and helped me get the coffee stain out of my new top (my luck).

Three bathroom visits and a can of seltzer water later, I had begun my first day of training, wet top and all. I had no idea where I was going, but eventually found my way. There were folders and bags placed at each seat with our names on them. I found my spot and got started on my paperwork. One of the women from human resources came over and asked how it was going, probably because she saw me asking Eric, the poor kid who sat next to me, every question imaginable about how to fill out a W-4 form.

A few hours later, Dan was in the zone. He told us  about every piece of the computer, which he compared to a kitchen. I had charts filled out, pages of  notes describing what a virtual machine disk (VMDK) is and learned about how Backupify is going to save my butt next time I accidentally delete the wrong email. We went into the different types of backups, restoration options, the cloud, local and hybrid virtualization, and the difference between recovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO).

As Dan went on, he noticed a few of our brains were turning to mush, and switched into conversations about dinosaurs! Everyone in training was divided up into teams and had to use Legos to build a dinosaur or develop a product to control dinosaurs. There were a lot of Legos. My group came up with an idea to make a nanotechnology pill that could control the dinosaur and save the human race. We won.

From there, we went deeper into Datto technologies such as Inverse Chain Technology and Screenshot Backup Verification. Later, we rejoined our groups for a few more activities and learned about Datto’s product suite.

Before I knew it, day 1 was over and I was on my way back home, calling my grandma to let her know that I would be doing a whole lot more than sitting in a cubicle and fetching coffee all summer.

To be continued…

The Training Team loves tackling slightly impossible projects, such as preparing 600+ people in various roles on product launches and improvements for five product lines that won’t be finalized until a few days before a conference with about a month to plan. THIS IS WHAT WE LIVE FOR.

With this project, we designed a four-pronged strategy:

1. Company-wide Pep Rally featuring interviews and explanations by engineers, product owners, marketing leadership, and sales managers.
2. Audience-specific training sessions on the largest changes.
3. Physical and virtual Office Hours leading up to conference.
4. Up-to-date library of release notes and video walkthroughs.

The most intricate piece of this strategy was the Pep Rally. We wanted to showcase the products AND the people behind them. The Training Team believed that a multidisciplinary approach at a high level was important for every employee to experience, regardless of your role. Every sales professional should know some basic technical stats, every tech support should know why we’re selling a particular product, and every role that doesn’t interact with partners should know how and why we’re improving the experience for partners.

To pull this off, myself and productions organized a schedule of interviews, predetermined questions, and set up a green screen studio. We pre-recorded a number of interviews beforehand to best organize ourselves on game day, as well as trim and edit the video to make our guests sound awesome. We made sure to spotlight people who don’t get a lot of airtime but have a large impact on our organization.

On game day, we queued up videos, superimposed a background on the green screen, threw on a bow tie, and turned on the all-company broadcast. We had coordinated with our event planner to have a candy bar in several offices and banners hung to amp up excitement, so while I was yukking away on video, employees were mingling and learning about the company in ways they don’t typically get to experience.

The Pep Rally also served as a great marketing technique for our internal employees to make use of our other three resources. The audience-specific trainings were packed, our office hours were visited by employees from every time zone we inhabit, and our library of resources was the most visited page on the company intranet.

It’s how we tackle slightly impossible projects: with a little pep.

Thinking about coming to work for Datto but not quite sold? Well listen up for just one more reason why you should apply to join Datto’s world.

Datto ranked in at number 8 among small organizations in  Computerworld 2016 Best Places to Work in IT list. Computerworld conducts a thorough analysis of the company’s benefits, career development, training, and retention through a questionnaire.

“The organizations on this year’s Best Places to Work in IT list excel at creating a dynamic and satisfying IT work environment,” says Scot Finnie, Editor in Chief at Computerworld. “In a competitive market for tech talent, these outstanding employers are able to attract highly skilled IT pros by offering great benefits, new learning opportunities, access to cutting-edge technologies and challenging, business-critical projects.”

In fact, this is Datto’s third year in a row making an appearance on Computerworld’s list, moving up in ranks from 20 in 2015, Datto is continuously working on making a happy, and safe work environment for all employees.

Check out the many perks of working at Datto here!

If Datto seems like the type of company you would like to be a part of, check out our careers page for our current job opportunities.

Datto has been more welcoming than my family at Passover.

While my brain was still half mush, I was excited to see everyone again so I got up, skipped my coffee, and put on something that was NOWHERE near as dressy as when I came in the first day. Side note, I wore a full suit and a silk top my first day…it was embarrassing.

After finally knowing exactly where to park, I followed the rest of the interns back up to our little corner. We all sat down, a little more relaxed than the day before, and got right into learning.

Before I knew it, it was 11 AM and it was time for all of us to take a little break and go to the Monroe build facility. This was the worst part. Everyone made it seem so easy, all you have to do is take the elevator to the lower level and the buses will be right there. Easy, right? Wrong. I got lost and wandered around until a member of the training team found me.

Sooner rather than later we were at the build facility. My crew and I (this is how I’ll be referring to all the new hires/ interns because everyone was pretty awesome) went on to explore the facility. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and although their team was small, they are top-notch.

Then came lunch time. As we settled in and had our lunches, the crew networked. Or at least I’m calling it networking. Okay fine, we all just talked and told each other our life stories.

The crew got back on the buses and came back to headquarters, where we finished our lesson for the day and said goodbye to everyone. I think I forgot to mention this before, but one of the coolest parts of Datto is the fact that they have a lot of different offices all over the world so there were people from Rochester, Boston, Canada, Australia, and the UK offices visiting for training.

To be continued…

If you thought the Forbes 30 under 30 award was impressive, wait until you find out Austin McChord, CEO of Datto’s, newest award.

Austin was the winner of EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 New York Award in Technology.

The judging panel, made up of previous winners, leading CEOs, and private capital investors along with other regional business leaders, looked at entrepreneurs who have made a significant mark on innovation and the economy.

“EY has had a tremendous history in honoring outstanding entrepreneurs over the past 30 years,” said Carmine Romano, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director for New York. “This year’s winners have not only taken their companies to the top, but they have also acted as mentors to their employees and made impressive contributions to their communities.”

Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic business, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries, according to EY.

Datto was created around Austin’s idea that he could make BCDR products cheaper than anyone else, and Datto is now a billion-dollar business in the data backup and disaster recovery industry. Check out the full list of winners here.

If Datto seems like the type of company you would like to be a part of, check out our careers page for our current job opportunities.

Back to the training crew. Days 3 and 4 of training were more specialized than the rest. Everyone had split up into their specialty and I joined the sales training team.

While it was not within my specific field, it was awesome to see everyone again and learn more from Dan. This crew was much more specific, so our group was only about four people. We were a big ol’ melting pot, compiled of one of the UK girls, one Australian boy, a Connecticut native and me, along with Dan.

Dan focused on everything we still didn’t understand and we spoke to a member of the Boston sales team. We also focused on the different portals like Homepool and Marketo along with what Hipchat is.

The crew and I were super confused with ransomware and virtualization, which are HUGE for Datto, but not as big as their business continuity (I told you, Dan, I totally got this).  We learned about the difference between the Boston office and the Norwalk office and how each department will intertwine with the others.

We got our lunch break, and this is where the fun really began. None of us really knew where to go or where people eat, but it was a Friday, which means free lunch Friday, or at least I think that’s what they call it. Basically, everyone comes down in different shifts and gets to munch on everything they put out, and it’s catered, so it’s pretty exciting.

Our sub-crew found some of the other interns, and sat down together to eat and talk about how work was going so far. The best part of working at Datto is that you’re always surrounded by new technology and exciting things. That’s where the virtual reality gaming system comes in. I don’t even know how to explain it, so you definitely have to stop by Datto’s 7th floor in Norwalk and check it out, but basically you put this helmet on that comes with goggles and earphones so that you think you’re in this other world. You can select a game with lasers or archery or even just sit around petting a virtual dog all day (my favorite part).

After lunch we went back to our training room and went over some last-minute questions and a presentation. Dan sent us some google doc help sheets and the crew said goodbye as we all went our own ways to our different departments.

What are my biggest takeaways you might ask? Protecting business data, no matter where it lives. See Dan, I finally got it! No, seriously he made us say this like 15 times. Not only did I learn a lot of the basics of technology and how your computer is secretly a kitchen, but I gained a confidence where if I have any problems and I need help in sales or biz dev (business development) I can go over to one of my new friends and ask them without being lost.

With countless benefits, free lunch Fridays, a fully stocked fridge accompanied by a fun, respectful work environment, it’s no secret that Datto is a great place to work. But what about Datto’s intern program? Surely interns can’t enjoy themselves that much, can they? Speaking from experience, I can assure you that they certainly do. In fact, the line between full-time employees and interns is very blurred. Interns are included in and assigned projects that full-time employees are involved with. You definitely won’t find any “coffee and donut” fetching here.  

It’s my second summer internship here at Datto and I couldn’t be happier to be back! It has not only served as an incredible learning opportunity, but as a personal growth experience as well. The support and respect amongst team members and coworkers is always present. Datto is the best example of a healthy and happy work environment, regardless of your title. But don’t just take it from me, let’s hear from some of our current interns!

Here’s the type of work environment you can expect:

“The first time I walked into Datto I felt at home. The employees were all so welcoming and the state of the art office spaces truly inspire creativity and innovation and an overall happy work environment. I have learned much more than I ever thought I would in such a short period of time. I have been treated like a regular full-time member of the Datto family and have been given legitimate responsibilities just like any other employee.” –Harris Nagle (Harris is a rising senior at Marist College. He works on our Infrastructure Engineering in Norwalk, CT)

“After working here as an intern for only two weeks, I already feel like a valued member of the Datto team. I am completing tasks that actually matter and are useful to the products, unlike  other internships where the interns just sit around all day and fetch coffee for the employees. I have been warmly welcomed by those around me, and the fact that interns have mentors who are always there to help makes the job that much more fun!”-Claire Pickhardt (Claire is a rising senior at Allegheny College. She works on our Software Engineering team in Norwalk, CT)

“I’ve been really satisfied with my experience here…everybody seems really kind. It’s crazy how much trust Datto has with their interns. Though, we learned in training that one of Datto’s core values is trust, so I suppose it makes sense.” –Anthony Liu (Anthony is a rising sophomore at MIT. He works on our API team in Boston.)

“Datto is so fun that I actually enjoy waking up in the morning and coming into work.” –Jake Dulin (Jake is a junior at Rochester Institute of Technology and works on our Admin Portal Team as well as Software Engineering team in Norwalk, CT)

“The experience interning so far has been pretty great. I feel like I’ve been able to get up to speed reasonably quickly. The team has been very supportive, helping to teach me the code base and get me to be proficient in ruby.” -Will Hartman (Will is a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He works on our BREW team in Boston.)

How your downtime can be spent:

“Most of my coworkers tend to play a lot of video games and fool around with nerf guns. They invite me to the gaming room and have even given me a nerf gun of my own, so I join in whenever I can! We tend to have a lot of fun around here.” -Kubra Binici (Kubra is in her third year at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She works on our User Experience team in Norwalk, CT.)

What sort of assignments you can expect as an intern:

“The projects I work on are interesting, challenging, and meaningful. Even as an intern I have had the opportunity to work on sophisticated projects which will clearly benefit a large audience of users.” –Christopher Sprague (Christopher is a fourth year at Rochester Institute of Technology. He works on our research and development team in Norwalk, CT)

“Datto has the resources of a corporation but the feel of a startup. It’s a very friendly community with a lot of exciting work.” –Patrick Insinger (Patrick is a sophomore at MIT. He works on our Research and Development team in Boston.)

“The coolest part of being an intern at Datto is that you aren’t ‘just an intern’. You’re expected to work on the same projects as the full-time developers and you actually get treated just like a regular employee at Datto.” –Jake Dulin (Jake is a junior at Rochester Institute of Technology and works on our Admin Portal Team as well as Software Engineering team in Norwalk, CT)

Interning for Datto certainly provides an incredible opportunity to learn and gain real experience in the tech industry, but it also goes beyond the work you’re assigned. Interning at Datto gives you the opportunity to work at a company where you are valued as an employee and as a person. It allows you to work alongside people who care about your successes and professional growth. Sprinkle in some fun and it’s a recipe for a truly rewarding experience! Whether it’s the nerf gun fights, free lunches or the legitimacy of the assignments that entice you, interning at Datto truly is as good as it sounds.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a part of the Datto family, you can check out a list of current available internships here and full time positions here!

That’s right, Datto just won yet another award. Datto was the Bronze Winner in ChannelPro Readers’ Choice Award in the Best Backup and Disaster Recovery Vendor category. Datto is often recognized for their impressive Business Continuity, focusing on their partner-friendly solutions, services or programs in the channel via the publication’s website. Readers of ChannelPro-SMB were asked to select the option that best satisfies the unique business requirements, work styles, and budgets of their small and midsize business clients, as well as those that best serve their own partner organizations.

“We are gratified that such a large number of readers participated in our survey, underscoring their commitment to, and understanding of, the SMB market and the vendors, distributors, and professional associations with whom they partner,” said Cecilia Galvin, executive editor of ChannelPro-SMB. “The results are a true snapshot of the top IT product and service providers in today’s SMB channel.”

Among Datto, Apple,  Google, Microsoft, HP, Intel, and Dell, were some of the other big name winners. Over 500 channel VARs, MSPs, integrators, system builders, and IT consultants were compared for 55 categories.

If Datto seems like the type of company you would like to be a part of, check out our careers page for our current job opportunities.