Errors in time synchronisation can mask problems and events, making it difficult to detect security incidents and data leaks, for example.

If the system time of system management components is insufficiently synchronised, protocols that use time stamps to evaluate communication validity (for example) may be disrupted by the differences in system time between the system management components and the systems being managed.

In addition, it may not be possible to correlate system management logging data. Correlation may also result in erroneous statements if time stamps only appear to match or differ due to faulty synchronisation.