What is a recommended practice to ensure reliable time data across systems?

• A. Use a common time source, synchronize via network time protocols, document procedures, and regularly verify drift.
• B. Rely on each system's internal clock without synchronization.
• C. Record times in local time only.
• D. Avoid logs to reduce data.

Answer: (A)

Keeping time stamps aligned across systems is essential to reliably correlate events and perform accurate incident analysis. A common time source anchors all devices to the same clock, preventing drift caused by each system’s own internal clock. Synchronizing with network time protocols, typically using UTC, ensures offsets stay within defined tolerance and are maintained over time. Documenting procedures creates a repeatable, auditable process for configuration, failover, and handling drift, so time data remains consistent as systems change. Regularly verifying drift means actively monitoring clock accuracy and correcting deviations before they affect analysis or compliance. Together, these practices keep time data trustworthy across the network. Relying on each system’s internal clock leads to accumulating drift and inconsistent timestamps, recording times only in local time introduces ambiguity across locations, and avoiding logs removes essential data needed to verify what happened and when.