Jisc’s cyber security division is responsible for a range of data centres, running national level services for UK education. They provide the Janet Network – the UK’s national research and education network (NREN), used by 20 million people. This network relies on world-class cyber security protection and precise timing to ensure the accuracy of their data. These factors allow Jisc to drive projects like the Security Operations Centre (SOC), which is designed to provide the most effective protection against emerging threats to UK education and research.
As part of Jisc’s legacy infrastructure replacement programme to modernise essential infrastructure within their network, they were interested in strengthening the resilience of the Network Time Protocol (NTP) timing service offered to members. Jisc required a precise, resilient and reliable timekeeping source that is complementary to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). It was imperative to Jisc that this signal be operated in and funded by the UK, to eliminate reliance on non-UK entities and provide traceability to UTC.
The NPLTime Access® service is one of the timing services offered by NPL that is traceable to the UK’s national time scale, UTC(NPL). The service uses fibre-optic links end-to-end to offer a timing signal with 99.9 % availability, within 1 microsecond accuracy to UTC(NPL) and, crucially, is independent of GNSS. The NPLTime Access® service offers a traceable complementary service to GNSS-based time to multiple industry sectors.
In addition to employing the NPLTime Access® service to improve the resilience of their timing signal, Jisc also uses the NPLTime Access® service to improve the accuracy of their radio feeds. By cross referencing their radio signals to the signal of the NPLTime Access® service, they have improved the accuracy and quality of their timing signals across the whole of the timing network.
NPLTime Access® enabled Jisc to develop and deliver their long-term infrastructure goals, drive projects such as SOC, and strengthen the resilience of their timing network to enable critical security measures. Having NPL’s trusted timing experts on hand, as well as having a presence in data centres that are near the NPL service nodes, meant the NPLTime Access® service was easy to access and integrate within Jisc’s timing infrastructure. The NPLTime Access® service enables Jisc to offer uninterrupted delivery and seamless continuation of essential services.
The NPLTime Access® service works as a vital link in a long chain of resilient measures within Jisc’s Janet network and contributes to Jisc’s SLA of 100% uptime offered to their customers and members.
“The addition of NPLTime Access® as a time source to the Janet network not only adds to the number of time appliance access points, but also provides resilience and paves the way for precision across the network, making it available to researchers across the Janet network. NPLTime Access® is delivering assured timing services for our Jisc requirements, but also enables us to transfer that confidence and offer assured timing services through the Janet network to our customers."
Ben Chapman, Head of Architecture and Engineering - Jisc
“NPLTime Access® plays a vital role in supporting the need from various sectors for resilient and trusted timing signals. We’re proud to collaborate with Jisc to enhance the resilience and reliability of the timing solutions available to their members and to help them innovate using the NPLTime service.”
Ali Ashkhasi, Time Synchronisation Engineer - NPL