Daily Post August 24 2025
Email Us |TEL: 050-1720-0641 | LinkedIn | Daily Posts
| Collaboration | Questions? | Monthly Letter | Monthly Blog | Our Partners |
GLPI
A solution that brings together asset inventory, service‑desk ticketing, software‑license tracking and ITIL‑style processes under a single web‑based interface. The project began in the French open‑source community and is now maintained by contributors worldwide. Distributed under the GNU General Public License v3 (GPL‑3) , GLPI can be installed on any standard LAMP (Linux‑Apache‑MySQL‑PHP) stack, and a large ecosystem of plugins extends its core capabilities to cover everything from automated network discovery to detailed financial reporting. Because the software is self‑hosted, organizations retain full control over their data.
IT teams have a “360 ° view” of their entire infrastructure. The asset module records hardware, software, networking gear and even data‑center components, while the service‑desk module lets technicians log incidents, service requests and problems, automatically linking each ticket to the relevant asset. License management is built in, allowing administrators to track software versions, assign licenses to devices and monitor compliance without needing a separate tool. The platform’s modular architecture means that additional functionality such as automated inventory collection via FusionInventory, custom reporting, or integration with authentication directories can be added without altering the core codebase.
Licensing
It's GPL‑3 license guarantees that the software remains free to use, modify and redistribute. There are no per‑seat fees, subscription charges or hidden costs, which distinguishes it from many commercial ITSM solutions that lock customers into recurring revenue streams. The license also obliges anyone who distributes a modified version to share those changes under the same terms, providing a collaborative development environment. For businesses, this openness translates into lower total‑ownership cost, especially when the solution can be hosted on existing infrastructure. The lack of vendor lock‑in means that organizations can tailor the code to meet specific regulatory or workflow requirements without waiting for a vendor roadmap.
Self-Hosting
Deploying GLPI on‑premises requires a decent server running a supported operating system typically a Linux distirbution a web server with PHP 7.4 or newer. The installation process is well documented on the project’s website, and a community forum offers guidance for common pitfalls. Because the platform is self‑hosted, responsibility for security patches, backups and scalability rests with the organizations IT staff or a third‑party service provider. The GLPI documentation draws a clear distinction between cloud‑only offerings and self‑hosted deployments, emphasizing that the latter gives full control over data residency and integration with internal authentication sources. While this autonomy is a strength, it also implies that organizations must possess the necessary Linux and database administration skills to keep the system reliable.
Suitability for Small and Medium‑Sized Businesses
The absence of licensing fees eliminates a major expense line, and the platform’s modularity allows firms to start with a basic ticketing system and gradually enable inventory or financial modules as needs change. You can appreciate GLPI’s open‑source nature, avoiding licensing fees while allowing tailored configuration to fit unique business workflows without unnecessary complexity.
Potential Drawbacks and Mitigation Strategies
Despite its strengths, GLPI is not a turnkey solution for every organization. The platform’s depth can be overwhelming for teams lacking prior ITSM experience, and configuring plugins or custom workflows may require scripting or PHP tweaks. Some reviewers point out that the user interface, functional, feels dated compared to polished SaaS alternatives, potentially increasing training overhead. To mitigate these challenges, smaller firms can adopt a phased rollout: begin with the core ticketing module, use community tutorials to set up basic asset tracking, and then evaluate whether additional plugins justify the extra administrative effort.
Overall this is a good tool that is worth looking at. https://glpi-project.org/