Why You Need an NTP Server

Why Do We Need A NTP Server?

While there's no question that a device on a network needs to show the correct time, it's also important that all network devices are synchronized to GPS for legally traceable timestamping.

Accurate timestamping is key to root-cause analysis, determining when problems occurred and finding correlations. If network devices are out of sync by a few milliseconds or—in extreme cases—a few seconds, it can be very difficult for network administrators to determine the sequence of events.

Intrusion analysis is another area where pinpoint accuracy is needed. Network security is a concern for any network, and logs can help analysts determine which areas of a network hackers accessed first. This can help uncover the vulnerabilities being exploited. If network logs are not accurate or there is a large variance in the times, this process can be difficult, if not impossible.

Is Time Synchronization Required by Law?

For some organizations, accurate timekeeping is required by law. The FDA, FINRA’s OATS Reporting Technical Specifications, and MiFID II mandate that financial institutions keep accurate time.

Per FDA 21 CFR Part 11, the “use of secure, computer-generated, time-stamped audit trails to independently record the date and time of operator entries and actions that create, modify, or delete electronic records” is mandated. If audited, failure to comply can lead to hefty fines.

Currently, FINRA Rule 7430 requires synchronization of all business clocks used to record the date and time of market events. All clocks, including computer system clocks and time-stamping devices must remain accurate within 1 second of the National Institute of Standards’ (NIST) atomic clock. Proposed changes to OATS will tighten this requirement to 50 milliseconds. MiFID II will require granularity of 1 microsecond.

Issues with Using Internal Clocks and Public NTP Servers

For some organizations, accurate timekeeping is required by law. The FDA, FINRA’s OATS Reporting Technical Specifications, and MiFID II mandate that financial institutions keep accurate time.

Per FDA 21 CFR Part 11, the “use of secure, computer-generated, time-stamped audit trails to independently record the date and time of operator entries and actions that create, modify, or delete electronic records” is mandated. If audited, failure to comply can lead to hefty fines.

Currently, FINRA Rule 7430 requires synchronization of all business clocks used to record the date and time of market events. All clocks, including computer system clocks and time-stamping devices must remain accurate within 1 second of the National Institute of Standards’ (NIST) atomic clock. Proposed changes to OATS will tighten this requirement to 50 milliseconds. MiFID II will require granularity of 1 microsecond.