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Meet Monica

Find out what makes the role of our Managing Director Norway at Ardent Data Centers so special.

 

3 MIN READ.

 

Monica Christine Larsen talks about Norway, ESG and women in the tech-industry.
Monica (1)
Ardent Data Centers

Monica, you are located in Norway and managing some of our Ardent Data Centers. What makes Norway a special location for IT infrastructure?

"When it comes to ideal data center locations, Norway is one of the main destinations in Europe – the latest TikTok plans are further proof. The climate is ideal since it allows efficient, state-of-the-art data center cooling such as air cooling or the use of the redundant fjord water cooling system – an operation we utilize in the Lefdal mine for our cloud region. Norway also has a lot of talented IT experts and – like our northern country neighbors – we follow a mindset that does things a bit differently in order to speed up economic and societal innovations. In this regard, I would like to mention how proud we are of our female politicians and leaders in the country."

How does Ardent Date Centers as a brand of Northern Data Group fit in?

"I’d say it’s a perfect match. Ardent Data Centers stand for green IT as much as Norway does. We innovate data center cooling and keep on optimizing our PUE – the ratio that describes how much electricity is used for the actual workload and how much is “wasted” to operate cooling systems or the facility. Furthermore, Northern Data Group in general is very keen on ESG factors and committed to the Norwegian regions we are located at. For example, we sponsored the local handball school team in Norway and IT workshops in schools in Sweden. Our core values “Together”, “Inventive” and “Dynamic” reflect pretty much my Norwegian perception of life – further topped off by co-working with a lot of women in leadership positions."

“At Ardent Data Centers we experience an extremely open, low hierarchy culture.”

So, would you encourage women to work in IT?

"Of course, I would! I can only encourage women to work in IT. It is a very open and diverse branch – your knowledge is what counts, not your sex or any other stereotyped background. To me, it is a very liberal industry that has defined standards that have swept into more traditional industries. At Ardent Data Centers, the doors are always open for women to start their careers in tech and IT infrastructure. Even if you have never heard of cloud or data center or digital asset technologies, our colleagues will bring you up to speed in no time. Long story short: There are no noobs. There are only people that want to learn, grow, and develop. And we all know, such people have no limits and there is no end to what they can achieve…”