NIST 800-53 REV 5 • SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATIONS PROTECTION
SC-36(2) — Synchronization
Synchronize the following duplicate systems or system components: {{ insert: param, sc-36.02_odp }}.
CMMC Practice Mapping
No direct CMMC mapping
NIST 800-171 Mapping
No direct NIST 800-171 mapping
Related Controls
Supplemental Guidance
[SC-36](#sc-36) and [CP-9(6)](#cp-9.6) require the duplication of systems or system components in distributed locations. The synchronization of duplicated and redundant services and data helps to ensure that information contained in the distributed locations can be used in the mission or business functions of organizations, as needed.
Practitioner Notes
Ensure distributed processing components stay synchronized — data and configurations must be consistent across all locations.
Example 1: Configure Active Directory replication monitoring to alert on replication failures between domain controllers. Use "repadmin /replsummary" regularly and forward results to your SIEM. Replication failures could indicate network issues or an attack on AD.
Example 2: For distributed databases, use synchronous replication for critical transaction data and configure alerts for replication lag. If the replica falls more than a few seconds behind, investigate immediately — it could indicate a network attack or infrastructure failure.