Is PTP or NTP Right for Your Business?

Across businesses of all kinds, there are time-sensitive processes taking place. From shipping an item out at the right time to accurately tracking the hours employees have worked, having accurate and synchronized clock systems can make work easier. Considering time is relative and can be measured in a variety of ways (down to the smallest unit of measurement called Planck time), making sure all business proceedings are taking place when they are meant to be often takes a little extra help.

Items such as PTP servers and NTP time clocks can make all the difference. PTP stands for Precision Time Protocol while NTP means Network Time Protocol. Below is a look at the difference between these two protocols and what they can do for you and your business.

Precision Time Protocol

PTP servers are often used to synchronize detailed actions and transactions, such as phone tower transitions or financial transactions. This is because PTP regulates time across a computer network, so it can connect and synchronize clocks that are running in different locations. It uses a carefully calculated master clock that the other clocks follow to set the most accurate time possible. PTP servers are known to be very accurate but can also be more difficult to implement, so unless precision is needed it might be better to go with Network Time Protocol instead. PTP is a popular choice for things like research, where exact timing is regularly required.

Network Time Protocol

NTP is a great resource and very common. It’s used in most computers and routers that you can buy today. It tends to be a cheaper and easier system to install because it doesn’t require any special switches or such precise timing. A company that is okay with time being measured in seconds rather than milliseconds would likely be able to choose NTP over PTP and save some money and work. This system works well for warehouses where computers, clocks, and systems in different zones or cells need to be regulated for the sake of smooth shipping and receiving.

Why NTP is the Popular Choice

NTP is the popular choice when it comes to synchronized clock systems because of the fact that it’s more cost-effective and simpler to implement. In most cases, the precision that PTP provides isn’t necessary and it is easier to go the other route.

When trying to decide which option to go with, you might want to ask yourself how you want to measure time and what uses you have for synchronized time systems.