OTOBO & i-doit: Helpdesk Meets CMDB
Introduction
OTOBO is a free, web-based ticketing system (a fork of the OTRS Community Edition) for support and service organizations. It offers:
- Modular ticketing with pre-configured workflows (Incident, Change, On-/Offboarding…)
- Modern customer and self-service portal including an FAQ database
- Extensive reporting and statistics functions
- Flexible role and permission management
- Interfaces to third-party systems (REST/SOAP, Generic Interface)
i-doit is an IT documentation solution based on a fully ITIL-compliant CMDB:
- Central inventory of all IT assets (hardware, software, contracts, locations…)
- Visualization of dependencies and impact analyses
- JSON-RPC API for automated imports (discovery tools, network scanners…)
- Extensive add-ons (monitoring integration, license management, ISMS, IPAM…)
- Dashboards, reports, and audit functions
OTOBO's Integrated CMDB
Since version 11, OTOBO includes a lightweight CMDB that is directly embedded into the ticketing system:
- CI Classes & Forms
Predefined object types (Server, Switch, Contract, Room…) plus a YAML editor for custom fields and forms. - Links & Graphs
CIs can be linked to each other and to tickets, changes, or knowledge base articles; dependency graphs visualize relationships. - Import/Export
REST/SOAP web services enable automated data syncs from third-party systems. - Integration in the Ticket Workflow
Agents directly select the affected CI when creating a ticket—new hardware is automatically recorded. - Performance & Scalability
Even with several thousand CIs, the search remains fast and performant.
Strengths:
- Quick to set up, directly integrated into the helpdesk
- Flexible customization without programming
- No external licenses, Open Source
Limitations:
- Not a complete replacement for specialized CMDB tools (e.g., detailed network topologies, license audits)
- Still under development; some features are being added successively
Integration of OTOBO & i-doit
Technical Basis
- OTOBO Generic Interface (freely configurable REST/SOAP endpoints)
- i-doit JSON-RPC API (add-on for read/write access to all CMDB objects)
Add-ons & Connectors
- maxence i-doit Connector for OTOBO
- View of i-doit assets directly in the ticket
- Mouseover info & link to the i-doit entry
- Ticket creation from within i-doit
- i-doit Connector for OTRS/Znuny (base code of OTOBO)
- Real-time synchronization of CIs and tickets
- Email templates with placeholders for CMDB data
Typical Workflows
- Ticket "Printer XY defective" is created in OTOBO
- Agent selects the i-doit object "Printer XY," all details appear inline
- If necessary, new hardware procurement triggers an automatic CMDB entry in OTOBO
- Changes in i-doit (e.g., relocation) are reflected in the OTOBO CMDB via web service
CMDB Comparison
Feature | OTOBO CMDB | i-doit CMDB |
---|---|---|
Primary Purpose | Service context in ticketing | Central IT documentation |
Initial Effort | Very low | Higher (data modeling required) |
Scope of Functions | Standard assets, tickets | License Mgmt, IPAM, building plans… |
APIs & Automation | REST/SOAP (Generic Interface) | JSON-RPC web services, many connectors |
Reporting & Audits | Basic reports | Extensive reports & dashboards |
Use Case Scenario | Small to medium-sized helpdesk | Large, regulated environments |
Conclusion:
- Small to medium-sized support team: OTOBO alone is often sufficient
- Large enterprise environment: i-doit as the "Single Source of Truth" + OTOBO as the helpdesk frontend
Typical Use Cases
- Incident Management
Quickly find all information about a defective CI directly in the ticket. - Change Management
Impact analyses in i-doit, implementation and documentation in OTOBO. - Asset Strategy
Automated import of new devices into i-doit; maintenance tickets in OTOBO. - Self-Service & FAQ
End users use the OTOBO portal and access CMDB data. - Compliance & Audits
Audit-proof logs in both systems, audit reports at the push of a button.
Further Links
- OTOBO Ticket System: https://otobo.de/
- OTOBO Documentation: https://doc.otobo.de/
- i-doit Community: https://www.i-doit.org/
- i-doit API & Add-ons: https://kb.i-doit.org/
With OTOBO and i-doit, helpdesk and asset processes can be optimally integrated—either individually or combined, depending on the requirements.