Open Source Help Desk Applications

I’m often hired to either update or replace an existing open source help desk application. There are quite a few reasons why any given company would want to replace their system with a commercial application or to choose different open source help desk software. I’m going to begin this article with some common reasons why open source software doesn’t work out and how you can avoid these pitfalls.

Support: The most common reason why an open source help desk application is replaced is due to the lack of support. Many organizations implemented the application, but did not sign up for a maintenance and support contract. Often, the IT PM that started the project and has the experience to support it has either left the company or has moved into a different position.

When this happens the customer has to either sign up for vendor support or replaces the system with a commercial version. In certain circumstances, they may choose a different open source package because someone on staff already has experience. Of course, this makes the cycle continue. The price difference between buying a commercial package with included support, and purchasing support from the open source version is usually negligible.

Often a company can save money using open source help desk software if they already have staff that is capable of supporting the software. In general, the free open source support options are not good and are not meant for corporate or even small business users.

Project Schedule: With most open source software, it can take a little while longer to get rolling than a commercial version. Most open source companies make a living off of consulting, not software. For this reason, they seldom make an application real easy to use. In contrast, a commercial vendor that includes support goes out of their way to make it easy to use so you don’t ever have to call them.

It can become a problem when you spend time trying to learn an application and then run into a show stopper. For example, it may be a requirement in your organization that the application login into email using an encrypted connection, if you can’t get this to work you wasted time and have to try another package. This may seem like a stretch, but it happens all the time.

I’ve been to many organizations that are running an open source help desk applications that cannot pass their internal audits. They simply have no choice but to replace it with something that can.

Cost: If you do decide on open source and hire consultants to help you with the implementation, be sure you are working with a firm quote. These things tend to drag on a bit and at $2-$300 per hour, per consultant; it can quickly exceed your budget. You really need to get all of the detail upfront before you make a decision. A commercial package that was too much money may start to look more attractive after you add up all of the consulting fees for a comparable open source package.

Your best option when deciding on which help desk application is best for you, is to create a list of what is mandatory. For example, for SOX reason you may have to have security integrated with AD or specific password policies. If this is the case, there is no sense looking at packages that don’t offer these features.

Once you have the list narrowed down to a few packages that have all of your must have features, you can then begin to look at “nice to have” features. Perhaps it is something as simple as Outlook integration that puts one package over another.

Finally look at total cost, learning curve, and implementation time. It is also critical to find out if the data in your current system can be transferred to the new.

Once you have all of the data in front of you, the decision will become pretty easy. However, if you’re still struggling consider bringing in a help desk consultant for a week or two. Task him or her with defining the objectives, and presenting the best options for your organization. Using a consultant may seem like a waste of time, but the experience most consultants have with multiple systems can be well worth it.

Check back often as I will be reviewing some specific open source help desk applications soon.