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Telling the time is something may of us learn when we are very small children. Knowing what time it is is an essential part of our society and we couldn’t function without it. Just imagine if we didn’t tell the time – when would you go to work? When would you leave and how would it be possible to meet other people or arrange any kind of function.

While telling the time is crucial to us, it is even more vital for computers who use time as the only point of reference and amongst computer networks time synchronisation is vital. Without recording the passing of time, computers couldn’t function as there would be no reference to order programs and functions.
But the way computers tell the time and date is far different to the way we record it. Rather than record a separate time, date and year – computer systems use a single number. This number is based on the number of seconds from a set point in time – known as the prime epoch.

When this epoch is, depends on the operating system or programming language in question. For instance, Unix systems have a prime epoch which starts at 1 January 1970 and the number of seconds from the epoch are counted in a 32 bit integer. Other operating systems, such as Windows, use a similar system but the epoch is different (Windows starts on 1 January 1601).

There are, however, disadvantages to this integer system. For instance as the Unix system is a 32-bit integer which started in 01 Jan 1970, by 19 January 2038 the integer will have exhausted every possible number and will have to return to zero’s. This could cause problems with systems reliant on Unix in a problem reminiscent of the Millennium bug.
There are other issues involving computer time also. Because of the global requirements of the Internet all computer time is now based on UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). However, UTC is altered on occasion by adding Leap Seconds to ensure the time matches the rotation of the Earth (the Earth’s rotation is never exact due to gravitational forces) so leap second handling has to be encompassed into a computer time systems.

Computer time is often associated with NTP (Network Time Protocol) which is used to synchronise computers often using a network time server.

Since the advent of the Internet, the world has shrunk into a unit. And, there is nothing like far away in this digital age, where piles of files are transferred from one part of the world to another in split seconds – this is the age of supreme connectivity. If we go back into the past, then we would find many interesting scenarios, where the battles were won by the kingdoms because their armies or troops were very well connected with each other. The modern day corporate world presents a perfect scenario of a modern warfare, where the competition is so stiff among companies that every second counts – in order to get that decisive edge over others. This is the reason why, Intranet has become so important to keep an organization connected in a productive manner. At the same time, Intranet also ensures the maximum transparency in a system, as every employee of a particular company is well connected via a channel with others. Every year, leading organizations spend millions of dollars in order to achieve a perfect Intranet design. As far as functioning and other important aspects are concerned, Intranet is another form of Internet. If Internet connects the computers of the world, Intranet is limited to the computers of a particular organization or a company – its all about connectivity.

Intranet software has also taken its tools and features from the Internet. In fact, Intranet is based upon a well designed and simple platform. Here, a network of computers is connected through a proper channel. All these computers do belong to a company. To make it viable amidst the ever-evolving world of information, Intranet has been consistently updated with the latest tools and technologies. As far as Interface of an Intranet is concerned, it is another form of a website, where the employees of a particular company can log in and share their views and concerns regarding the policies and other important developments of the company. Employees can not only communicate, but also ensure the maximum transparency by indulging in forums and blogs, where they do get an opportunity to express themselves in a better and constructive manner. All the departments are synchronized and connected through a well-defined system.

Of late, Intranet development has taken long strides, as new and evolved technologies have come on the forefront to make it a better and effective medium.