If you’ve work in an office, you’re probably heard all kinds of tired sayings about time: time is money; on-time is early and late is on-time; practice time wisely and use good time management, etc.
As much as companies preach efficiency and try to work efficiently, doing it can be easier said than done. That’s especially true of companies that work in tech fields. Getting a network time server to sync up for proper network time synchronization is essential to keep a server as free of issues as possible.
How can companies do this? One way is to use a Network Time Protocol (NTP). NTP keeps computers and other technologies synchronized and functioning correctly. Network Time Protocol (NTP) is one of the oldest Internet protocols still in use today and has been in use since before 1985. NTP can be effective, especially for a network clock, because it keeps devices paired together within a few milliseconds of one another. This helps avoid any issues where some computers or devices are showing one time and others are showing a time that’s off by minutes or even hours.
So how does NTP work to help set a network clock? Let’s say you work for a branch of a national company like a bank. Odds are at some point, you’re going to have to talk to and communicate with another branch of that bank, which might hundreds, if not thousands of miles away. NTP keeps time extremely accurate as devices such as computers communicate across time zones. Most NTP networks operate on Coordinated Universal time, also known as UTC. As network clocks go, UTC is ideal because it’s kept accurate by using atomic clocks, which in turn makes NTP accurate.
In today’s world, much of the way companies do business is technology-based and year after year, the pace of that business seems to get faster and faster. That means companies need an accurate network clock to keep track of time. An accurate and synchronized NTP network means your company can conduct business without fearing that issues that going to continuously delay that work.
One of the best benefits of NTP as a network clock is that time is the same everywhere. What does that mean for your company? It means you can conduct online transactions without fear of running into errors and with an accurate degree of security. With the absence of accurate time, it’s very easy for hackers and malware to wreak havoc on a network. Fortunately, a network with NTP blocks unwanted users from getting into your system, preventing irreversible damage to your network.
As efficient as NTP can be, it can be tricky to find the right time server for your company. Some servers only synchronize to a single machine, which works well if you’re operating a small business. But for bigger companies, they’re going to need servers that sync with multiple machines and devices and keep them all in order. A time server and network clock with GPS functionality gives your server just one more tool to keep everything in order.
Time servers with NTP can ensure that your office time is always accurate and your company can conduct its business without fear of constantly running into issues.
