Recommend a Help Desk/IT management software

[Brazen]

We already have Intuit's Track-It! 6.5, but it seems to have a lot of problems. The server app is a resource hog, the client is slow, and the program is buggy.

I would like to switch to a PHP, web-based and/or open source solution. Does anyone have any ideas? Searching on sourceforge I dug up zenTrack, which looks good, but I can't find any reviews or comparisons to other similar apps.

A little about "us": There's 3 of us taking care of all the computer needs for about 300 users. We support workstations, printers, servers (well, I support servers), network equipment, even the phone system. We also keep track of warranties, software licenses, purchasing equipment, vendors for hardware and software, etc. Any application that can make our lives easier would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Brazen]

Here are some I've found so far:

http://issue-tracker.sourceforge.net/
http://www.bestpractical.com/
http://otrs.org/
http://helpdesk.oneorzero.com/
http://phpsupport.jynx.net/
http://www.zentrack.net/
http://glpi.indepnet.org/?lang=en

Also, Joomla/Mambo has some plugins to add IT/helpdesk management, if you already have, or plan to have, a Joomla/Mambo based internal website.

Just glancing over them, they all look really nice. Some have more features, some are prettier... ZenTrack looks good and is the only one on Sourceforge, OTRS is the most popular on freshmeat.net, but GLPI is the highest rated on freshmeat, and oneorzero seems to be the most compared to and copied program, so at this point I just don't know.

 

[Brazen]

[disclaimer]
This IS a repost from the Software forum, but I got barely any responses and it dawned on me - most sysadmins prolly stick to the OS and Networking forums, after all I'm a sysadmin and I never go to Software.
[/disclaimer]

 

[n0cmonkey]

I haven't looked into this in a long time, but last time I did they all sucked.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
I haven't looked into this in a long time, but last time I did they all sucked.

haha, thanks. So do you use a proprietary app? This may be a "blessed of the damned" situation [\shameless TMBG reference].

 

[Brazen]

eh?

 

[n0cmonkey]

I don't know what the IT guys use. I'm not in that dept. here.

 

[Brazen]

Oh, that's cool, that "eh" wasn't meant for you, I just wanted to bump it, but didn't feel like just saying "bump"

Looks like I'm on my own though.

 

[Brazen]

Waitaminute... You're not in IT? I would have never guessed, you seem to have fairly accurate and intelligent information for only being non-professional. So uh... yeah... good job and stuff [/gayness] hrrumph, grrr, you suck, grrr.

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: Brazen
Waitaminute... You're not in IT? I would have never guessed, you seem to have fairly accurate and intelligent information for only being non-professional. So uh... yeah... good job and stuff [/gayness] hrrumph, grrr, you suck, grrr.

Well, you have IT departments, and then you have other places were people get stuff done. Probably n0c works in one those other places instead.

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: drag

Originally posted by: Brazen
Waitaminute... You're not in IT? I would have never guessed, you seem to have fairly accurate and intelligent information for only being non-professional. So uh... yeah... good job and stuff [/gayness] hrrumph, grrr, you suck, grrr.

Well, you have IT departments, and then you have other places were people get stuff done. Probably n0c works in one those other places instead.

:|

I couldn't find any suitable solution when I was looking a year or so ago... so a coworker wrote a proprietary help desk portal in PHP for our company. <shrug>

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Brazen
Waitaminute... You're not in IT? I would have never guessed, you seem to have fairly accurate and intelligent information for only being non-professional. So uh... yeah... good job and stuff [/gayness] hrrumph, grrr, you suck, grrr.

I'm in security this year.

Although, I do have some ITish responsibilities, and I'm the only one with real *nix experience...

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Brazen
Waitaminute... You're not in IT? I would have never guessed, you seem to have fairly accurate and intelligent information for only being non-professional. So uh... yeah... good job and stuff [/gayness] hrrumph, grrr, you suck, grrr.

I'm in security this year.

Although, I do have some ITish responsibilities, and I'm the only one with real *nix experience...

By security do you mean computer network security or physical building security? Because if it's computer network security, don't most people consider that a part of IT?

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Brazen

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Brazen
Waitaminute... You're not in IT? I would have never guessed, you seem to have fairly accurate and intelligent information for only being non-professional. So uh... yeah... good job and stuff [/gayness] hrrumph, grrr, you suck, grrr.

I'm in security this year.

Although, I do have some ITish responsibilities, and I'm the only one with real *nix experience...

By security do you mean computer network security or physical building security? Because if it's computer network security, don't most people consider that a part of IT?

Network security. In some places it's considered part of IT, in better places it's a different dept.

Here it's COMPLICATED, but we've got our own IT staff.

 

[Brazen]

Hey, we do security, support, purchasing, everything here. There's only three of us, and we don't outsource anything, so creating a separate department would be a little absurd. Although it usually seems like the other two guys are desktop support and everything else falls under my jurisdiction, whether it be servers, networking, security, you name it. Which brings me back to my topic: making my work life, and my department, more organized.

I've tried out the Joomla/Mambo component solutions and they look pretty.....non-featureful. A user can submit a ticket with a single memo field and the tech can add to the memo and close the ticket. That's about it. No reporting, no prioritizing, no categorizing, no inventory. I think I'll look at the stand-alone solutions.

By the way, you don't have to be helpdesk to take advantage of a ticket tracking system. The stuff in my Track-It is stuff like setting up a new server, or evaluate a network security product (yes I do THAT too), and find a better IT (or Computer Services, or whatever the heck you call your computing-related department) management system than Track-It. I assign myself priorities and keep notes in the system, and if I'm working on something and getting burned out, I just look up my list and see what is my next priority and work on that a while.

 

[Brazen]

off topic: after looking around on wikipedia, I realized "IT" can have two different meanings: Information Technology (as in the all-encompassing term for computer departments) and Information Technician (as in what I typically refer to as desktop support or workstation support people). I was referring to IT in the former, apparently n0c was referring to IT in the latter. That is why I was confused why he would say he is not in IT but he works with network security; to me the network IS Information Technology!

 

[Seeruk]

It's not open source, but just in case anyone is crazy enough to even contemplate it....

IBM's Manage Now is the single most god-awful excuse for a call management system anyone (particulary me!) will ever have the misfortune to have to deal with

 

[Monkey muppet]

Assyst (not enterprise) has a trial version (ITIL compliant) working, bu it works off from SQL.

VQSM is a portal based system (can't remember the database it runs from though)

 

[Eltano1]

I work in the Service Desk, we use Remedy for ticketing, I don't know if they have a demo or something simple and small that would fit your needs, but is fairly easy to use.

Eltano

 

[Hyperblaze]

works really well. Used it before. www.dotproject.net

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Brazen
off topic: after looking around on wikipedia, I realized "IT" can have two different meanings: Information Technology (as in the all-encompassing term for computer departments) and Information Technician (as in what I typically refer to as desktop support or workstation support people). I was referring to IT in the former, apparently n0c was referring to IT in the latter. That is why I was confused why he would say he is not in IT but he works with network security; to me the network IS Information Technology!

Security is not IT. If a non-security dept. webserver goes down, I don't touch it. IT does.

We use expensive proprietary software for tickets and whatnot and it pretty much sucks.

 

[Woodie]

Have to side w/ monkey-boy this time. I'm in IT Security, and while the business folks ("end users") may think we're part of IT, we're not part of the IT Core division. Audit and CIO are well aware of the differentiation, and it's "by design", and suggested by most experts in the field.

Something along the lines of "the fox guarding the hen-house" or "Who's watching the watcher?". Along with a healthy dose of "IT Engineers want this, because it's faster/easier/cheaper, but IT Security won't allow it."

 

[Brazen]

well so far, I'm liking GLPI. It has one advantage over the rest because it is the only one that also tracks inventory. It's biggest problem though, is the coders are French, and at least one page was not translated to English, and the pages that are translated could be worded better.

I also really like ZenTrack, and I think OneOrZero is also good, but it's the only one I'm having problems with installing it on our own server.

I'll probably also check out the ones recently mentioned in here, thanks.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Brazen
well so far, I'm liking GLPI. It has one advantage over the rest because it is the only one that also tracks inventory. It's biggest problem though, is the coders are French, and at least one page was not translated to English, and the pages that are translated could be worded better.

I also really like ZenTrack, and I think OneOrZero is also good, but it's the only one I'm having problems with installing it on our own server.

I'll probably also check out the ones recently mentioned in here, thanks.

Be the hero, submit patches.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Brazen
well so far, I'm liking GLPI. It has one advantage over the rest because it is the only one that also tracks inventory. It's biggest problem though, is the coders are French, and at least one page was not translated to English, and the pages that are translated could be worded better.

I also really like ZenTrack, and I think OneOrZero is also good, but it's the only one I'm having problems with installing it on our own server.

I'll probably also check out the ones recently mentioned in here, thanks.

Be the hero, submit patches.

Yeah, I've actually thought about that. I don't know any php though, and I don't have time to learn. I'm thinking I might just have to make time to learn php, and learn French, and start with GLPI... make a better translation and add the ability to accept tickets via email. Other than that, I really like the usuability of GLPI and this would make it darn near perfect for me.