NTP servers provide a highly secure platform

“Microsemi’s SyncServer series is a rock-solid enterprise level time server, interoperating easily with our Domain Time II software,” said Jeffry Dwight, president of Greyware Automation Products, the leading provider of time synchronisation, management, and auditing software for Windows. “The SyncServer raises the bar for accurate time synchronisation with hardware-based time stamp support, which we found significantly reduced jitter and latency in time served, without losing accuracy. Installation was also much more flexible than any other GPS/GNSS unit we’ve tested. Anyone needing dependable high-quality NTP timestamps should consider Microsemi’s SyncServer series.”

The series features SyncServer S600, a security-hardened NTP time server with Microsemi’s NTP Reflector technology for robust security, accuracy and reliability of network time services and the SyncServer S650, a highly versatile timing and frequency system with the company’s FlexPort technology for multiport, user definable output signal configuration. The SyncServer S600 is designed for enterprise IT customers managing corporate networks in industries such as financial services and healthcare, while the SyncServer S650 is suitable for electronics system engineers synchronising mission-critical, system-level instruments.

“Robust security, system agility and flexibility of time services are essential for modern IT networks. Our innovative SyncServer S6xx series timing platform makes significant advances in the security hardening of timing ports, as well as adaptability to various network topologies and flexibility of timing output configuration,” said Sri Purisai, vice president of timing and synchronisation business, Microsemi. “This next-gen offering from Microsemi provides our customers a simple migration path to meet future requirements for faster, more agile and scalable network operations.”

According to the 2014 US State of Cybercrime Survey, organisations use a gamut of security technologies to protect network operations. Time plays a vital role in determining the critical 'when' of several key security technologies. Survey respondents cited intrusion detection (62%), log monitoring to identify intrusion attempts (49%) and security event analysis (40%) as technologies used for network protection. Without accurate time synchronisation to UTC across the network, the effectiveness of these tools in securing the network becomes marginal.