October 7tn, 2003.

The dangers of poor network timekeeping.

You can hardly find a company that does not rely on computer networks nowadays. But too often the companies that thousands of dollars in computers and hardware fail to remember purchase atomic time keeping software. And as the result - they suffer, because most people mistakenly assume that computer clocks are inherently accurate. Here are the most common dangers of poor network timekeeping practices.

1. Operations Breakdown - there are a lot of processes, such as data backup or scheduled network tasks that rely on accurate timekeeping. Take that away and you are waiting for a disaster to happen.

2. Data Loss - The problem is way to common and occurs because system software like directory services erroneously saves an out-of-date version of a file as the latest version.

3. Breach of Security - These can occur both directly and indirectly: for example, most systems set time using an industry standard protocol called NTP (network time protocol) that opens the firewall to hackers. And when the attack happens, administrators cannot retrace hacker activities because log files display inaccurate time.

4. Legal Liability - this is especially important for the transactions done online. In a legal dispute, you must have the proof of the correct network timekeeping, otherwise you are likely to and up paying a lot of money to plaintiffs and their lawyers.

5. Loss of Credibility - what are the consumers and business partners are supposed to think of a company that fails to purchase very inexpensive atomic time synchronizing software? They may think that doing business on time is not a priority to you, so they may not want to do any business with you at all.

Next Week. Software that requires accurate timekeeping.