OTOBO | MAKE PEOPLE SMILE. IT’S EASY.
OTOBO Community
Join us and shape the future of OTOBO.
OPEN SOURCE
OTOBO is 100% Open Source
The origin
The Service Management platform OTOBO emerged as a fork in 2019 from the former free version of the Helpdesk System OTRS, when it became apparent that the OTRS Community Edition would no longer be supported by the manufacturer.
In January 2021, the manufacturer indeed declared the End of Life (EOL) for the OTRS Community Edition. At that point, OTOBO was already on a path to success and continues to be so today – once again available as license-free software – 100% open source. But significantly more performant than its predecessor.
Our Vision
As part of the community, we want to collectively advance OTOBO to empower organizations worldwide to bring a smile to their customers’ faces every day with outstanding service.
Empower Service Excellence To Make People Smile.
The Team
Behind OTOBO stands the team of Rother OSS GmbH, led by founder and open-source enthusiast Stefan Rother, serving as the source code owner and maintainer of the OTOBO open-source project.
Together with Martin Edenhofer, the creator of OTRS, Stefan Rother has been among the pioneers of the OTRS open-source project since 2004. Since 2011, Martin and Stefan have been pursuing their own projects to further emphasize the open-source philosophy.
An active community ensures collaborative development. Together, we are – Team OTOBO.
VALUES
This is what we stand for
Community
In the OTOBO community, everyone is welcome – we are all co-creators of OTOBO’s future. We share ideas, work, and grow together. Transparency and open communication are fundamental to us. From developing new solutions to daily interactions, we promote a sense of community and encourage the free exchange of knowledge about OTOBO.
Openness
Openness is our common foundation. We believe that open communication, freely available source code, an open development environment, and open standards are key to the rapid spread of OTOBO. At the same time, they form the basis of an agile community where an atmosphere of trusting collaboration and innovation prevails, enabling us to achieve great things together with OTOBO.
Freedom
Freedom and independence are at the core of our values. OTOBO provides the freedom to use the software free of charge under the GPL and to adapt it flexibly to meet your own requirements.
Usability
Usability is key for users to benefit from OTOBO. Our goal is to make OTOBO as accessible and intuitive as possible, so that users with and without technical expertise can collaborate smoothly. A clearly structured user interface, intuitive features, understandable documentation, and continuous improvements are the cornerstones of this effort.
Security
Security of sensitive user, customer, and business data is our top priority. The OTOBO source code is transparent and visible to everyone, allowing any malicious code or vulnerabilities to be quickly identified and addressed by the agile OTOBO community. Additionally, we place great emphasis on data sovereignty and the integrity of your data.
CONTRIBUTION
Join us, become part of the OTOBO community
The community is driving innovation – comprising partners and developers. It provides impetus for developments and delivers cutting-edge visualizations. Are you an OTOBO power user looking to become part of the community, actively contributing to its further development? Then share your expertise with us, supporting our efforts to make OTOBO a little better every day.
Language is the key to the world. OTOBO is written in English and then translated into over 40 languages by community members. Learn how to participate in the translation and what you should consider.
The source code of OTOBO is freely available and can be optimized and modified by you at any time to further develop OTOBO. You can find the source code on GitHub – we look forward to your pull requests.
Nobody is perfect. We strive every day to provide OTOBO as error-free as possible for you. Have you found a bug, identified a security vulnerability, or have an optimization idea? Support us and report an issue via GitHub in the respective repository.
Forum
Solutions, tips & tricks, or a workaround – exchange ideas with experienced OTOBO users and our experts to expand your knowledge or find solutions for your requirements.
GET OTOBO
Software and Documentation
OTOBO download
Download the OTOBO installer packages or the ready-made Docker image – then you’re in the right place.
Add-On packages
Get more out of OTOBO – enhance your system with additional features. You can also find the packages through the package management in OTOBO.
Installation guideline
Information on system requirements, installation (manual and with Docker), migration from OTRS, OTOBO updates, backup and restoration, single sign-on, required Perl modules, and performance optimization.
User manual
Guides on setting up the personal menu, customer management, calendar, ticket views and notifications, as well as reporting and knowledge base.
Administrator manual
The right source if you are an OTOBO administrator and need assistance with setting up OTOBO, implementing specific requirements, or integrating third-party systems.
Developer manual
Actively participate in the development of OTOBO. Find all the necessary information and get started.
MORE ABOUT OTOBO
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is OTOBO?
OTOBO is a web-based service management platform that is versatile, flexible, and scalable, meaning it grows with your requirements. What sets OTOBO apart is that it’s a professional service management platform that is 100% open source.
For users, this means you can use OTOBO license-free, adapt it flexibly to your requirements, and benefit from community extensions. With OTOBO, organizations can streamline their processes, increase employee productivity, and improve service quality. At the same time, you retain control over your data, reduce risks, and save costs. OTOBO ensures traceable business processes and transparent, ITILⓇ-compliant (customer) communication.
What are the benefits of open source?
Open-source software offers a variety of advantages:
- Free access to source code and cost savings: Open-source software is typically available without licensing fees, meaning you can use the software without paying license fees. This enables rapid dissemination and facilitates access to powerful applications for all organizations, regardless of size and economic performance.
- Transparency: The source code of open-source software is visible to everyone. This transparency allows developers to review, understand, and improve the code. In this way, they can ensure that the software does what it is supposed to do without hidden features or security risks.
- Adaptability and flexibility: You can modify the source code of open-source software to adapt it to your specific requirements. This allows for high flexibility and adaptability to new requirements from your customers and the market.Security: Since the source code is openly accessible, security vulnerabilities can be discovered and fixed more quickly. Community review of the code helps to identify vulnerabilities and improve the security of the software.
- Collaborative development: Open-source projects benefit from a large and often global community of developers. This collaboration enables continuous improvement of the software through the exchange of ideas, experiences, and resources. In addition to efficient resource utilization, all members of the community benefit from the knowledge and contributions of each other.
- No vendor lock-in: Since the source code is open, you are not tied to a specific vendor. This reduces the risk of vendor lock-in, where you are dependent on a provider and have difficulty switching to another provider.
- Sustainability: Open-source software can continue to be developed even if the original development team no longer actively supports the project. The community can take over maintenance and updates, improving the longevity of software projects.
Is OTOBO really free?
Yes, OTOBO is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL v3.0), you can download, use, modify, and contribute modifications back to the community for free.
With the elimination of all licensing costs, OTOBO significantly contributes to reducing IT costs. Of course, software licensing costs are only a part of the total IT costs. Other factors such as hardware, personnel costs, training, maintenance, and support typically also apply when operating open-source software like OTOBO.
What are typical use cases for OTOBO?
The range of applications is broad – as broad as service management itself. Classic use scenarios are located in IT Service Management (ITSM), Customer Service Management (CSM), and the overarching discipline of Enterprise Service Management (ESM). Users deploy OTOBO, for example, for:
- IT Service Management (ITSM) – i.e., to support the IT service desk, incident, problem, and change management, or to provide IT services in a service catalog via a self-service portal.
- Customer Service Management (CSM) – i.e., for customer service and support, sales, and after-sales processes such as warranty management. But also citizen services in authorities, communication in disaster situations, or user services in universities and educational institutions are typical use cases supported by OTOBO.
- The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) allows organizations to map inventory management and asset life cycle management for IT assets and non-IT assets with OTOBO. In addition to their IT equipment, OTOBO users map, for example, product catalogs and associated information as configuration items (CIs) in the OTOBO CMDB or manage the fleet of machines that the field service regularly maintains.
- Process management allows controlled mapping and automation of processes, e.g., in the context of order management or onboarding of new employees by the HR department.
- In organizations where IT has already achieved a relatively high level of maturity, OTOBO is used beyond IT Service Management (ITSM) to offer enterprise-wide non-IT services of the specialist departments via a central service management platform. In this case, all employees, internal and external service providers, benefit from a unified platform. In these cases, users can orchestrate the entire Enterprise Service Management (ESM) with the help of OTOBO.
How can I contribute to the OTOBO project?
As part of the OTOBO community, you become a co-creator of OTOBO’s success story. You can contribute by translating interfaces and documentation, contributing source code, reporting bugs, security vulnerabilities, or optimization ideas. As a community, our main goal is to learn from others, exchange ideas, and actively contribute our knowledge to further develop OTOBO.
How can I install OTOBO?
You can find the OTOBO software and add-on packages in the download section of this website. You can download, install, modify, and use the software for free. You can also install additional packages later using OTOBO’s package management.
Part of the documentation is an installation guide that assists you during installation. Our OTOBO user forum also offers help and exchange with experienced users.
Need help installing OTOBO or want to save time? For larger projects, we recommend a guided implementation. This ensures that you and your team fully utilize all the benefits of your new service management platform from the start. To support you in implementation, we offer business services for implementation, training of administrators and service agents, and ongoing operational support such as support or managed services. We’re here to advise you, just contact us.
What are the system requirements?
OTOBO supports the modern browsers Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Opera in their respective latest versions. IE11 is usable but does not offer full functionality and all GUI aspects.
You can find the current system requirements for hardware and software as part of the documentation in the installation guide.
Can we switch from OTRS to OTOBO?
Yes, of course. OTOBO is the consistent evolution of the OTRS Community Edition and therefore fully compatible. Migrating from OTRS to OTOBO is seamless, and we have already successfully completed it for many of our clients. Your organization retains all its data – tickets, configurations, processes, and attachments – and can continue working after the migration, just more efficiently.
You and your team need assistance with migrating from OTRS to OTOBO? We’re here to help, it’s what we do. Just reach out to us.
How do we get implementation support?
We support you in all phases of your OTOBO project. This includes during implementation: consulting, training, migration from OTRS or other third-party systems, and development, such as customization to your requirements or integration of third-party systems.
How do we get support during operations?
To facilitate smooth on-premise operation of your service management platform, we offer support service plans tailored to your needs. If you prefer not to handle the infrastructure and operation of OTOBO, OTOBO as a Managed Service is the perfect solution for you, saving you time and budget to focus on what matters most – your customers. We take care of the rest.
Who is the driving force behind OTOBO?
Behind OTOBO stands Rother OSS GmbH as the Source Code Owner and Maintainer. Founder Stefan Rother was the first employee of OTRS GmbH, which was established by OTRS developer Martin Edenhofer in Straubing in 2004. Stefan is familiar with OTRS and the development history of the open-source project (almost) from the beginning and believes strongly in the open-source ethos.
In 2011, both of them left OTRS AG almost simultaneously to return to their roots and to refocus on the open-source philosophy.
From the one-man operation in the early years, a competent and resilient team has emerged today.
Who is Harry?
Harry is our blue peacock!
Harry lives with his wife and children on our homestead, where the offices of Rother OSS are also located. During the development phase of OTOBO, he was the namesake for our fork project, which initially bore the code name ‘Harry.’
We can imagine that Harry will eventually find a place in OTOBO, but we’ll see. Until then, feel free to say hello to him through the contact page!
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