Until 2025, services were still tracked via e-mail and Excel files, whether for inventory, requests, incidents or server management.

In addition to the increased workload for the team, the rudimentary organization posed real challenges. “In terms of IT security, it was becoming impossible to guarantee sufficient compliance levels with Excel and e-mails. Without a CMDB we were unable to have a reliable view of the installed base, and technical decisions were made more complicated. The constraints set down by Dataport, the public IT service provider, made certain operations impossible, such as network scanning. In addition, day-to-day incidents and requests were handled using a variety of methods that didn’t allow for analysis, prioritization or continuous improvement,” Timo Korb recalls.

Statistikamt Nord needed a structuring tool that was capable of centralizing information, standardizing practices and supporting the skills development of a team that had never used an ITSM solution before.

Key support and a tailored solution

After analyzing the market, the organization opted for iTop, Combodo’s open source ITSM solution, integrated by ITOMIG. “It was an obvious choice for two major reasons: a flexible tool, capable of adapting to a complex public context, and a strong need for consultancy.”

The team lacked visibility on ITSM processes and on how to structure its organization. Even before the installation began, a dedicated training session helped clarify their needs: “ITOMIG guided us in identifying the relevant modules, configuring the CMDB, setting up the first automations and continuously adapting the solution as the project progressed. We knew what we wanted, but after the training, we understood what we really needed.”

The project, launched in February 2025, was completed on schedule at the end of June. “The rollout was carried out step by step: a complete overhaul of the inventory to build a reliable CMDB, the definition of services, the structuring of the catalogue and the preparation of the ticketing system. A missing feature was even included in the next iTop release, a strong sign of the quality of the collaboration.”

Today, iTop serves as the foundation as they gradually structure their ITIL processes. The IT team uses it to centralize information, maintain a consistent inventory and better organize its day-to-day work.

Results, internal takeup and future outlook

The tool was very well received by the IT team. At present, ten of the department’s staff use it day-to-day: “They appreciate the clarity of the CMDB, the ease of access to information and iTop’s functional logic,” the CIO is pleased to report.

The next step is to make iTop available to all the staff. The user portal is due to be rolled out soon, whereby everyone can enter their requests directly into the system: a major change for Statistikamt Nord, which will move from e-mail-based management to a structured, visible process at last.

The organization is planning to use iTop to address other needs in future. The goal is to make iTop the core IT tool, capable of feeding into or supporting other internal processes.

The post Modernizing IT in a complex public environment appeared first on iTop.

AI in Open Source: choosing a model

• Proprietary AI on an open source tool

Many ITSM players choose to integrate proprietary AI bricks into existing open source tools. The undeniable advantage of this combination is rapid implementation, often through ready-to-use APIs, with a high level of integration. The editor provides support, updates and sometimes even training for the model on anonymized business data.

But this approach creates a structural dependence on the supplier. There are often recurring costs, which can be difficult to anticipate. The model itself is a black box, and rarely audited. This can pose a problem in environments that are subject to compliance or traceability obligations.

• Self-hosted open-source AI

At the other end of the spectrum, some companies choose to deploy their own open source models, locally, on their own infrastructure. This solution provides the company with maximum control over its data, its architecture and its processing. It can adapt the models to its business processes, train them with its own corpora, and guarantee a high level of confidentiality.

However, autonomy comes at a cost. It requires advanced technical skills, for both integration and model maintenance. It also requires appropriate computing infrastructure, to manage upgrades, monitor performance and safeguard the entire AI pipeline.

• Managed open-source AI (third-party cloud)

To ease these technical constraints, some companies are turning to open source models that are accessible via managed cloud platforms. This option makes it possible to enjoy the richness of open source while delegating operational management. The models are quickly accessible, with regular updates and immediate scalability .

However, this solution means giving up control in part. Data is transferred to third-party environments, sometimes subject to non-European regulations. What’s more, the business model is often based on consumption, which may mean significant variations in operating costs.

• Hybrid approach

More and more organizations are adopting a hybrid strategy. They combine proprietary and open source models, which are self-hosted or managed, depending on use cases and business requirements. This approach combines flexibility, security and performance.

But hybridization adds a further layer of complexity. It requires clear governance, a precise definition of responsibilities, and an architecture that can absorb diversity without creating silos or inconsistencies.

The real questions to ask when making a choice

1. What are the real benefits of open source for AI?

The main advantage of open source is transparency. Unlike proprietary models, which are often opaque, open models can be audited, understood and modified. This guarantees better traceability, essential for meeting strict regulatory or industry requirements.

Community innovation is another powerful driver. Ecosystems such as Hugging Face and PyTorch are boosting research and experimentation, while making increasingly high-performance models accessible. The openness of these tools makes it possible to create tailor-made AI to suit the realities of ITSM businesses, rather than imposing generic solutions.

Also, initiatives such as the MCP protocol are moving towards standardizing exchanges between IT tools and AI components. This could simplify integration considerably and foster the emergence of a common technological foundation.

2. Can open source guarantee quality AI models compared to the cloud giants?

The cloud giants have a considerable lead in terms of technology and computing power. Their models are robust, trained on a large scale, and continuously improved. Open source models are evolving rapidly, but suffer from a lack of testing and production resources in comparison.

The choice between a large generalist model and a small specialized model comes down to context. In ITSM, a lightweight model, trained through internal tickets, could be more appropriate than a very broad model with little contextualization. It involves a trade-off between scale, precision and adaptability.

One of open source’s advantages is mutualization. Dataset sharing, collaborative fine-tuning tools, open weights models: these mechanisms enable the open source ecosystem to advance collectively, without having to rely on an individual party.

3. Is open source a guarantee of technological sovereignty in AI?

Sovereignty is a core issue for CIOs today. As the market is dominated by a few platforms, open source seems to offer an alternative solution. It enables control over models, data and infrastructure.

But that sovereignty is only real if the company has the skills and resources to exploit those tools to the full. Control of the entire value chain, from training to deployment, is an absolute must.

Regulations such as the IA Act will reinforce the requirement for control. They will demand greater documentation, transparency and accountability on the use of AI. Open source models will have to comply if they are to remain credible in mission-critical environments.

4. Finding the right balance between a sustainable economic model and community logic

Open source does not mean cost-free. AI, in particular, requires computing power, energy, storage and networks. These resources have a cost, which is often invisible at first glance, but very real.

The infrastructure is funded in part by private players. Some major cloud providers actively support open source projects… integrating them into the products they market. Harnessing open source in this way can be viewed as a threat to the ecosystem’s neutrality, or as an opportunity for large-scale distribution.

Models like Llama 2 illustrate this evolution. Semi-open, with restrictive licenses, they represent a form of hybridization between open source and proprietary models. This raises the question: are we moving away from open source utopia towards a more realistic, but also more ambiguous, model?

5. Is open source AI really more ethical and sustainable?

Affordability is often cited as a means of facilitating inclusion. In theory, open source democratizes access to AI. In practice, only players who can harness skills and resources can get real value out of it. Openness alone is not enough to bridge the gap between organizations.

From an environmental standpoint, open source AI has its share of critics. The proliferation of models, systematic training and multiple tests contribute to a significant energy footprint. The idea of “clean” AI is beginning to emerge, with lighter, more targeted approaches, however they are on the margins for now.

Also, the issue of intellectual property remains unclear. Many models are trained on public data, while their status is not always obvious. Who really owns the rights to the content? And what happens when a model, trained on that data, comes to market? Open source still needs to clear up these grey areas to establish its legitimacy.

At Combodo, we believe that open source represents a strategic tool for building systems that are more agile, more transparent and better aligned with business realities. That belief is even stronger when it comes to AI: open source makes it possible to keep control of data, to understand automated decisions, and to choose appropriate levels of automation.

But AI is still a choice. A binding one. When used properly, it’s a choice that can save support staff considerable time, improve the user experience and streamline operations. The time saved has a value, and it’s only natural that it should have a cost.

However, we oppose any attempt to use AI as a justification for raising prices or creating technological lock-in.   At Combodo, we advocate a balanced approach: open but pragmatic, sovereign but interoperable, innovative but under control. AI must not be an inaccessible black box or a luxury reserved for the few. It must remain a tool that benefits agents, improving processes and service quality.

The post AI in Open Source: new dilemmas for IT managers appeared first on iTop.

Here’s why iTop SaaS is one of the tools you can trust with your eyes closed.

A reliable, ultra complete tool, even in the free version

In contrast to certain SaaS applications where only the paid (and often very expensive!) version contains the interesting features, iTop SaaS is a complete tool, even in the free version.
From managing your assets to managing your employees, including the helpdesk, no aspect of your business is left to chance, even with iTop Free.

Even if your job or environment is complex, iTop is fully-loaded with features that will make the daily life of your teams easier and gain in comfort, speed and control. User portal, impact analysis, mail to ticket, dashboards…

Note that the higher-level offering for larger IT support teams, is well within your budget.

Maintain the security at all levels

Safety is one of your primary concerns, and for good reason. The protection of your data is a hot topic, on which there is no question of skimping.With iTop SaaS, be sure to get a firm, uncompromising answer to security issues.

With iTop SaaS, you get your own virtual machine and instance.

We do not tolerate any porosity between instances! Our solution is hosted in France, over sovereign data centers of companies, all subject to French law.

The iTop SaaS solution offers you a DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan), based on several data centers: the VM (virtual machine) and backups are located in data centers all over France. This ensures the availability of the solution in the event of a major data center incident.

Audits are regularly carried out by various independent bodies around the world. Some of our customers, themselves security experts, also perform regular audits and reports on iTop SaaS.

Finally, the iTop SaaS security policy is fully transparent and accessible on-line. We make it a point of honor to communicate all detected security vulnerabilities and their resolution to the iTop community.

Evolving in a 100% open source environment

As we know, some open source tools are no longer accessible in open source when they offer SaaS mode. (Often for reasons of profitability related to the cost of accommodation.)

For iTop SaaS, it is out of the question to abandon the open source model, whose philosophy has been anchored from the beginning. Rest assured: the solution will continue to evolve in a sustainable and open way, supported in particular by an active community.

The sustainability of our open source model, as is the climate of trust among iTop SaaS users, are partly possible thanks to the strength of Combodo as a publisher. For the past ten years, we have been supporting our users and customers to make using iTop as smooth as possible and the best source of efficiency.

You will therefore be able to benefit from additional features, regular evolutions, in addition to adaptations to your iTop application, made over time (on security aspects or on the business side).

With iTop SaaS, you benefit at any time from:

• Support packs
• A rich and complete FAQ
• ITSM / CMDB training
• Support from the open source community.

Remain free and autonomous

As is often the case, subscription-based cloud software subscriptions, with the SaaS model, do not foresee what will happen to customer data at the end of the contract.

The service provider thus keeps its customers “captive”, by not offering a concrete solution – or only a complex and dissuasive solution of data restitution – to those who wish to change or terminate their contract.

However, your business is evolving and the need to change your contract can arise at any
time: you should be free to do it.

With iTop SaaS – we are as good as our word!

You benefit from a reversibility clause when you take out a subscription. So, if your company makes strategic choices that are no longer in line with the tool, you can recover your data in a usable format, without any questions asked.

So there is no real commitment: you can go back, change your hosting mode or simply change your tool, whenever you decide.

With iTop you will never start again completely from scratch, which allows you to test the solution with a parachute!
Reversibility, security, sustainability of open source, support and completeness are five elements that differentiate iTop SaaS from other ITSM software hosted in the Cloud.

Discover the many other benefits of the solution now: try iTop SaaS for yourself, for free!

The post Cloud Hosting: 5 good reasons to trust the SaaS version of iTop appeared first on iTop.

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Let’s celebrate open source together!

Brand news!
iTop is taking part in Hacktoberfest 2025, a month-long celebration of open-source projets, which started on October 1.

Developers from all over the world are encouraged and rewarded for contributing to open source projects like iTop, our open-source ITSM and CMDB solution.
In this friendly event, maintainers are also invited to guide would-be contributors towards issues that will help move the project forward, and contributors get the opportunity to give back to both projects they like and others they’ve just discovered.

It is open to EVERYONE and no contribution is too small — bug fixes, translations and documentation updates are valid ways of participating.

How to contribute?

iTop open projects

We have open several repositories for you to contribute.

• iTop main repository is open for PRs, especially for translations, documentation suggestions, but also for code improvements.
• 30 other repositories are also tagged for contributions.

Get the full list of repositories on GitHub.

Start contributing, be part of the community…

To join Hacktoberfest event and contribute, you just have to

1. Register on Hacktoberfest website
2. Identify project you’d like to contribute for
3. Create Pull Request and submit them

As soon as your Pull Request is submitted, it appears in our dashboard for validation and our community maintainers are going to review it.

You can follow the status of your PRs thanks to Combodo PRs dashboard on GitHub.

… And be rewarded!

But also special rewards from iTop:

• Get your iTop Hacktoberfest stickers acontributing to iTop projects

• Get a nice iTop insulated bottle as soon as you reached 3 validated PRs on one of our repositories.
• For our best contributors submitting more than 6 accepted PRs, Combodo offers a voucher on our extensions (1 free extension for a price up to 75€ and 50% of reduction for extensions starting at 75€)

You are not alone

Combodo Jedis have a special mission for Hacktoberfest

… and iTop community as well!

For those who are using Sourceforge, you can ask questions and communicate about your achievements on Hacktoberfest forum.

You’re on Slack? A dedicated channel on iTop Community has been added #hacktoberfest

And don’t forget the worlwide Hacktoberfest community on Discord!

And don’t forget, the deadine for your last commit is October 31, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PST

May the PR be with you!

The post Join us for Hacktoberfest appeared first on iTop.

Prior to iTop, client requests were handled by email or telephone: an untraceable process that hindered their ability to handle an increasing volume of requests, while guaranteeing a constant level of service quality.

One of the first objectives was therefore to formalize an ITSM system to meet Thésée Datacenter’s monitoring and quality commitments , while taking strong business specificities into account, such as managing sets of tokens in relation to technical actions.

“We needed a tool that would provide structure, but that we could tailor extensively. Having already used iTop in my previous post, the solution was a natural choice because of its rich functionality,” explains Marie Lefaucheur, Client Experience Manager.

Fast implementation, managed from A to Z

An initial version was up and running in under a month. “iTop consultant Dimitri Delay played a key role. He was able to understand our needs, formalize them and reflect them in the tool. Above all, he demonstrated exceptional teaching skills as he passed his knowledge on to me. I became autonomous and was able to design the bespoke interface we needed,” says the CSM.

Weekly committees, regular discussions on Teams, and the involvement of several in-house profiles, from management, operations and marketing, resulted in a coherent, interconnected solution, with future evolutions already in mind.

An integral part of the overall toolset, facilitating requests

Today, iTop is used on a daily basis by Thésée Datacenter’s technical staff and several of its clients. In particular, it enables management of local actions, with full traceability, as well as incident and client request tracking. “In the medium term, we want to bring service provider management on board, include bays in the CMDB, and automate ticketing based on alerts,” says Marie Lefaucheur.

ITop soon proved its worth to user clients: “iTop is fully integrated with our Thésiris platform,  giving clients one-click access to all our tools. Client feedback has been excellent: the tool is easy to pick up, logical and very legible. In terms of professionalism, it’s been a big step up both for them and for us. »

The post Thésée Datacenter boosts traceability and service quality thanks to iTop appeared first on iTop.

Thierry Prudat, Technical Manager at NorthC Schweiz AG, shares insights into the implementation process and how the new system helps streamline technical field operations and support processes.

Interconnection service providers: a complex environment

Historically, NorthC stored technical data in Excel files. The information was not always kept up to date, and there were a lot of duplicates across the different tables… “We needed a real CMDB-type database to centralize our information and make it more reliable,” explains Thierry Prudat, Technical Manager at NorthC. Switzerland.

The company had identified several CMDB software packages on the market that were able to meet certain needs, but none were comprehensive enough to accommodate all of its specific requirements. “As a provider of interconnection services, we operate in a complex environment. We manage over 1,500 pieces of equipment, spread over different networks (our own, those of our customers, the Internet backbone, etc.) So we needed a CMDB tool that was both very advanced and, above all, customizable to address challenges on the ground.”

A customizable open-source CMDB

“When it comes to functionality and efficiency, iTop clearly stands out – we knew right away it was the perfect fit for us. Not only because iTop offers a wealth of customization possibilities, but also because it’s an open source solution.”

In fact, the solution’s editor, Combodo, offers support and training to help you deploy the tool yourself. “In other words, with iTop, we’re not limited to standard features: we knew we could customize new ones and rely on the community to drive the product forward.

ITop’s Designer tool is impressive: it makes it very easy to model technical equipment and its impacts, which are then automatically taken into account in ITSM processes (for example, in the event of a change or incident ticket). Without a CMDB, we were wasting a lot of time looking for the components concerned, in order to be able to carry out operations on them. Now everything is connected! The tool has become central to our business.”

Custom-developed features

NorthC Switzerland asked Combodo to adapt its iTop CMDB to specific requirements of its profession. “First of all, we integrated the notion of “POP” (Point Of Presence). These are specific terminal points on the equipment we administer (for example, port 1 on router ABC). iTop tells us which POP the customer’s equipment is connected to. ITop’s impact analysis feature enables us to see which of a customer’s services are impacted by changes or incidents on the POP, or further upstream on the backbone. We are proactive with regard to our customers.”

NorthC Switzerland has also added the concept of “Service Access Point” (delivery point) to its CMDB. “When a customer has five access points with NorthC Switzerland, they only subscribe to one interconnection service (which is available in five different locations). With iTop, we were able to link the service subscription to a specific delivery point for the customer. It saves time for everyone!”

Constantly evolving to support growth

Although the NorthC Group uses ServiceNow, iTop is still the tool of reference in Switzerland for connectivity services. “Integrations have been developed between iTop and ServiceNow, particularly to synchronize incident and status data,” explains Thierry. A dedicated customer portal, which is part of ServiceNow but powered by iTop, enables customers to monitor their equipment.

Several modules were added as needs arose: supplier management with almost 600 contracts, change management with automatic customer notification, IPAM and DNS modules, as well as intensive use of User Requests to manage in-house projects.

On the infrastructure side, the Cable Management module can now manage over 3,000 racks, 1,300 patch panels and 18,000 ports, all of which are modeled and accessible via the customer portal. A graphic view per rack, available only to in-house staff, facilitates physical equipment management.

NorthC Switzerland has future plans to use iTop as a central repository to further automate its technical operations.

The post NorthC Schweiz boosts IT efficiency with iTop CMDB appeared first on iTop.

What AI (really) enables in ITSM today

AI as part of the IT service management toolbox is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Today, there are a number of practical uses that have already been tested in the field. Combodo and ITOMIG have identified four key ones.

• Help for support staff : AI can help support staff with repetitive, time-consuming tasks. For example, providing automatic ticket categorization, suggesting standard responses, summarizing a long customer conversation, or identifying similar tickets that have already been dealt with. “The aim is not to replace humans, but to save them time. We like to compare it to ‘exoskeletons’, or even ‘electric bikes’: the employee still does the work, but with less effort,” says Combodo CEO Erwan Taloc.
• Smoother self-service : Many organizations are looking to cut down the number of Level 1 requests. Chatbots often come up in projects. The idea is to respond directly to simple user requests (password reset, routine procedure, etc.). But beware: it’s not a miracle cure, and certainly not a replacement for human support. It’s an add-on that works in well-defined scenarios.
• Problem anticipation : AI can analyze ticket histories to identify trends: an unusual increase in issues for a given application, or a type of outage that often recurs around the same time period. This is what we call predictive analytics.
• Faster reporting : AI can also be used to create tables or graphs just by interpreting the request in natural language rather than having to build a complex query.

What AI doesn’t do (or doesn’t do well)

With all the hype, it’s tempting to believe that AI can do anything. But the truth is more subtle.

• No, AI does not replace staff : Some organizations are still looking at the question from a budgetary angle: “Can we cut our support staff by 25%?” Combodo and ITOMIG believe this is misguided: “The requests that service centers deal with are often complex, specific and require human judgment“,  Combodo CEO Erwan Taloc points out.
• No, AI is not always reliable : AI tools are not infallible. Denis Flaven, Combodo’s Technical Director, explains: “They can make mistakes, misinterpret, and produce vague answers. And users have little tolerance when a machine makes mistakes, as opposed to a human. Choosing use cases carefully is essential.”
• No, AI isn’t free : Even if certain tools seem affordable, AI comes at a cost in terms of hardware (infrastructure, GPU servers), usage (billing by number of requests or tokens), and implementation (installation, training, supervision…).Some software companies charge up to €30 to €40 per user per month for an additional AI module. The cost has to be weighed against actual gains. It’s precisely to avoid these excesses or blind spots that Combodo and ITOMIG have defined a clear strategy, which is reflected in iTop’s developments.

Combodo & ITOMIG: a clear and ethical response

Combodo and ITOMIG have joined forces to draw a clear line in response to the sometimes vague promises of AI in ITSM: yes to AI, but not under any conditions. “It’s not about bringing in AI just because it’s trending. It has to be useful, controlled and in line with our open source values!”  says David Gümbel.

Our stance is based on two strong pillars, which directly influence the technical choices we make for iTop :

• AI as an aid, not a replacement : The aim is not to downsize teams, but to relieve staff of repetitive tasks. Summarizing complex support conversations, classifying a ticket, translating a technical request: these are concrete, helpful use cases that can be implemented quickly. “We want AI to drive efficiency, rather than serve as an instrument for cutting jobs,” Erwan Taloc stresses.
• Controlled, sovereign AI within the tool : Data sovereignty is a central issue, and iTop will not be introducing any opaque, embedded AI but rather, a generic, open module that the customer can configure:

1. choice of AI engine (proprietary, open source, local or cloud),
2. choice of what data is processed,
3. no data sent by default outside the corporate environment.

“The user is in control. They decide where the data goes, and what engine is used to process it,” explains Denis Flaven. This stance addresses a two-fold reality: growing mistrust of external platforms, and the need to avoid Shadow AI, with users turning to ChatGPT to handle sensitive data as they lack official tools.

What you’ll find in iTop by the end of 2025

In concrete terms, version 3.3 of iTop will incorporate the first AI features, which can be activated and customized, without reliance on a designated provider.

A native, open AI integration layer 

It lets you connect iTop to an AI engine of your choosing, secure data input/output flows, and create the functionality you wish.

David Gümbel sums it up: “The idea is to provide a solid technical base, and give each customer the freedom to use it as they see fit.”

Simple, useful use cases that can be deployed in iTop Professional Plus

Available soon in iTop Professional Plus, and developed by ITOMG, the first modules on the roadmap will aim for rapid gains:

• automatic ticket summaries (including tickets with multiple conversations),
• category or service suggestion based on ticket content,
• rewording or automatic translation to facilitate responses.

“These modules have already been tested and used internally by ITOMIG staff. We don’t deploy anything we haven’t experienced ourselves,” concludes David Gümbel.

For Combodo and ITOMIG, it’s not about having an “AI-ready” badge. What clients want are practical tools that help them do their job better, faster and without losing control. By choosing to build an AI that serves support staff, is integrated without being restrictive, and open without being naïve, Combodo and ITOMIG are establishing a sound, responsible and consistent framework.

The post AI and ITSM: what do CIOs really want? appeared first on iTop.

On May 26, 2010, Combodo was officially born, but the real story had already begun a year earlier, fueled by three passionate developers and a bold vision.

In early 2009, Erwan Taloc, Denis Flaven, and Romain Quetiez – former colleagues at HP – decided to take a leap. They believed IT Service Management (ITSM) could be simpler, more accessible, and more open. So, they created a new project: iTop.

Without a company, without marketing, and armed only with their code and determination, they uploaded the first version of iTop, version 0.7, to SourceForge in May 2009.

The idea was simple: test if there was a real community need.

A quiet launch, a loud signal

The response? 89 downloads in the very first month.

It may not sound like much today, but for a project born out of pure passion, it was a signal: something was resonating.

By July 2009, downloads had tripled to 249.
By August, they soared to 839.
And month after month, a growing community started to gather around iTop.

There was no business model yet. Combodo didn’t even exist. Just three developers experimenting with an idea, listening to feedback, and building something they believed in.

Combodo : from community to company

By early 2010, it became clear: the project needed a home.

In March 2010, at the Salon Linux Open-Source event in Paris, the founders met David Guembel, founder of ITOMIG. This meeting would spark a partnership that endures to this day as David became Combodo’s first and most loyal partner.

Momentum was building. On May 26, 2010, Combodo was officially created. The statutes were signed, and the mission was clear: support and grow the iTop ecosystem.

Starting as a service company

In its early days, Combodo functioned as a service provider. The relationship with the community was everything. Early users weren’t just customers, they were co-builders.

Commercial contracts emerged naturally from trust built within the community.

But the early road wasn’t without bumps. One of the very first customers even questioned whether Combodo would survive long enough to support them.

Fifteen years later, that same customer is still with us, a living testament to Combodo’s reliability and dedication.

The shift to software editor and SaaS

In 2014, Combodo made a bold pivot: it transitioned from a service-based model to a full-fledged software publisher.

The focus sharpened. New features, more robust versions, and a growing appetite for innovation led to the evolution of iTop as not just a CMDB, but a complete ITSM platform.

Combodo also began developing SaaS solutions , a move that would open new doors and markets in the years to come.

The rise of the RIC: real people, real stories

As the user base expanded, so did the desire for real-life connections.

In 2016, the very first RIC (Rencontres iTop Communauté) was born. It has been a dedicated space for users, partners, and contributors to meet, share, and help shape the future of iTop.

What started as a technical project had become something much more: a community.

What is Combodo today

Fifteen years later, the journey from SourceForge prototype to global open-source platform is nothing short of remarkable.

• From 89 downloads/month to over 3,000/month
• From a prototype CMDB to a comprehensive ITSM solution
• From three founders to a growing team
• From zero clients to a solid network of clients, community users and partners worldwide

What hasn’t changed

What hasn’t changed is our spirit:

• A passion for ITSM
• A belief in open communities
• A commitment to building reliable, flexible, transparent solutions

To everyone who downloaded, contributed, challenged us, believed in us, or helped us grow…thank you.

Fifteen years is a proud milestone, but it’s also just the beginning.

New features, new community events, new frontiers… The next chapters are already being written!

The post 15 years of Combodo: From a prototype to a global community appeared first on iTop.