Network time technology trends powering tomorrow’s data centre
TL;DR:
Secure and accurate precision timing is crucial in data centre infrastructure to ensure cybersecurity and disaster recovery.
There is a growing trend towards the adoption of time synchronisation services built on Zero Trust Architecture.
Fetching time feed from timing hubs located across the world and sourcing time from both terrestrial and satellite sources makes the data centre infrastructure incredibly resilient.
Network-based timing cuts OPEX costs drastically – where before every data centre requiring a timing solution would have operated as its own timing hub, with clocks, switches, and antennae. This creates a welcome knock-on effect – a notable reduction in energy usage, and by extension, carbon emissions.
“As we all take data centre infrastructure for granted, resilient timing solutions are more important than ever.”
“Our precision time service offers synchronisation and end-to-end cybersecurity for data centre operations across all endpoints.”
Precision timing for cybersecurity and disaster recovery
The growing demand for cybersecurity in global finance, fintech, gaming, media and telecommunications has highlighted the importance of secure and resilient network timing as a fundamental aspect of data centre infrastructure. Ensuring secure and accurate precision timing is crucial as cyber attacks can disrupt essential functions such as authentication of digital certificates, time based two factor authentication, and time-based exchange protocols like EDI.
Having a complete, secure, resilient time service that is not vulnerable to single-vector attacks, either terrestrial or RF/celestial based, makes the necessary foundation for an entire network infrastructure allowing reliable authentication, systems monitoring, event detection and rapid response as well as post-facto forensics and analysis.
Precision time protocol built on Zero Trust Architecture
Additionally, there’s an increasing trend towards adopting Zero Trust Architecture, which will prevent any unauthorised users or devices from connecting to the network without permission. To implement this model effectively, data centres must segment all their resources on a micro-level, enforce strict access controls, and thoroughly monitor and log all network traffic with secure timestamps for zero trust networks.
Bulletproof resilience
Fetching time feed from timing hubs located across the world and sourcing time from both terrestrial and satellite sources makes the data centre infrastructure incredibly resilient. This high-quality time feed can then be delivered via telco networks to any data colocation, and directly to the cloud, removing the need for any hardware or maintenance.
This innovative traceable IEEE 1588 network time protocol takes on the challenges of existing technologies, like the vulnerabilities of GNSS, and even playing its part in creating a greener data centre industry. This PTP solution is scalable immediately across rack space, meaning critical precision timing services can effortlessly expand with the network.
Time synchronisation in sustainable data centre architecture
The data centre sector is increasingly focused on developing and implementing sustainable practices to reduce its impact on the environment and combat climate change. This responsibility is further underscored by the pressure from regulators, investors, and customers to prioritize sustainability. This push towards sustainability is driving continuous innovation, as seen with the adoption of liquid cooling, the use of renewable energy, and even the emergence of underwater data centers.
Network-based timing cuts OPEX costs drastically – where before every data centre requiring a timing solution would have operated as its own timing hub, with clocks, switches, and antennae. This creates a welcome knock-on effect – a notable reduction in energy usage, and by extension, carbon emissions.
By recent estimations, every data centres outsource time synchronisation in this way instead of maintaining hardware, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30kg per day, per data centre.
Ready to learn more?
Hoptroff Traceable Time as a Service (TTaaS®) is a range of network and software-based timing solutions that are simple, resilient, and cost-effective.
Whether you need greener solutions, the security of resilient, traceable, verifiable time or precision up to 100ns accuracy in your data centre, our obsession with accuracy will transform your business.
