Why is timing and synchronization important?
For companies that need to ensure Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are met, it is necessary for their communications systems to be in sync with one another to ensure time discrepancies do not occur. Aside from choosing to operate more effectively, some organizations are obligated by law to meet requirements for accurate timing and accountability by providing legally traceable time. Recent US regulations such as the Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) and the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) mandate both an accurate timestamp for all transactions and documents, as well as an audit trail of such transactions. Public organizations that fail to meet these requirements face stiff fines and even jail time for individuals responsible for those failures. What applications require accurate timing and synchronization? For certain applications running in real-time, their functions need to be executed in an inter-related sequence within accurate time intervals along a deterministic timeline. This
