Netnod is the leading provider of time services in Sweden
Find out everything you need to know about why time is important, what type of time services are best for your organisation and how Netnod can help.
Where do you get your time?
Every organisation with a digital presence relies on having the right time. How confident are you in your current time solution? What can you compare it with to ensure accuracy and regulatory compliance? And what happens to your network if your time source fails?
Why is time so important?
Accurate and secure time is the foundation of everything that happens on networks and networked devices. When time is not accurately synchronised, secured and monitored, networks can suffer in many ways and be vulnerable to attack. If the time you use is not secure and reliable, your whole cybersecurity setup is at risk.
Where should you get your time?
The ways in which the correct time is synchronised across networks and devices—the processes by which time is calculated, calibrated, transported and monitored—are extremely complex. Moreover, the consequences of incorrect or hijacked time are very serious. That’s why you need to get time from a trusted source with a high level of expertise.
What time sources are available today?
Today time is distributed to digital networks in two main ways: Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) or over a network using fibre, copper or wireless. Both methods have their pros and cons. For any service where time is mission critical, you should use some combination of these methods.
GNSS
Time services over GNSS have been around since the 1970s. While they provide widespread geographic coverage, they come with vulnerabilities such as signal interference and susceptibility to jamming and spoofing. Recent years have seen increased risks, with governments across the EU calling for more reliable and secure alternatives. Read more about GNSS issues here.
Time over Wired Networks
Looking for a more dependable solution? Networks also get time from services that use atomic clocks on earth and transmit time over wired networks. This avoids issues, such as signal interference, jamming and spoofing, that affect radio-based GNSS services.
When it comes to receiving time over wired networks, the options include free to use NTP/NTS services or a commercial Time-as-a-Service. Netnod Time services offer all of these options.
This is the most common way to receive time and has the advantage of being free, easy to set up and available over the public Internet. However, NTP services typically use connections meant for other data traffic. As these connections are not optimised for highly accurate time, there can be latency and asymmetry issues. Read more about Netnod’s NTP service here.
NTP is an old protocol with a number of security issues. These security issues have been addressed by NTS which provides a much more secure version of NTP. NTS is free to use and is currently only available from a limited number of time services (one of which is the Netnod Time service). You can read more about Netnod’s NTS service here.
Time-as-a-Service
Networks requiring the highest level of accuracy and reliability should choose a commercial Time-as-a-Service solution. For networks in Sweden, Netnod’s time services deliver ultra-precise time with an SLA that guarantees accuracy and reliability. You can choose from 3 options each of which offer you full redundancy from GNSS.
- Netnod Time Direct
Netnod Time Direct is a fully managed time service with SLA that guarantees 30µs accuracy from UTC. It is delivered over a port at a Netnod Internet Exchange (IX) which makes it the perfect choice for networks already present or close to a Netnod IX. It is the most cost-effective way for your network to get accurate, secure and guaranteed time. Read more here.
- Netnod Time Remote
For organisations elsewhere or with distributed sites throughout the country, Netnod Time Remote is a good choice. Netnod Time Remote is a fully managed time service that guarantees 1ms accuracy from UTC anywhere in Sweden. Read more here.
- Netnod’s PTP service
This is aimed at sectors such as mobile operators that need the most accurate, secure and reliable time services, Netnod’s Precision Time Protocol (PTP) service provides time traceable to UTC at the level of nanoseconds (billionths of a second), PTP is far more accurate than NTP especially when delivered over a dedicated fibre. PTP avoids the security, stability and logistical problems of GNSS services and the unpredictable latency and asymmetry issues of NTP. Read more about Netnod’s PTP service here.
Do you need IS027001 compliance?
ISO27001 compliance now relies on accurate and redundant time. The latest guidelines make specific recommendations about what time sources you should use and the setup you need. So how do you ensure your organisation is compliant? Read more here.
Contact
Any questions or inquiries, contact us here.