We're a small IT team supporting a business with about 160 users. My colleague is focused on L1 and L2 support, while I handle everything else. With the increasing demands on our IT department, we're eager to find ways to work more efficiently. I'm currently investigating IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Asset Management (ITAM) solutions, specifically for service desks and asset management. So far, I've looked into four vendors: Invgate, Freshservice, Jira Service Management, and GLPI. I've only had a chance to test Invgate and GLPI, with Invgate being manageable but GLPI not meeting our needs. Our primary constraints are keeping costs low, avoiding the introduction of intrusive agents beyond inventory for security reasons, and minimizing the additional workload on our already stretched team. A read-only agent would be ideal, as this would reduce the need for manual asset data entries. Ideally, I'd like a solution that combines ITSM and ITAM, allowing my colleague to link assets directly to tickets. We also want effective contract management to keep everything organized. The ticketing system doesn't need to be overly complex; we want it primarily for task visibility, identifying recurring issues, and clarifying ownership and responsibility. Invgate has a minimum requirement of 5 agents and 500 assets for the Pro tier, while Freshservice permits only 100 assets unless we buy a 500-asset pack, which turns out to be more expensive than adding a couple of agents. Jira Service Management offers a rate of $57 per agent (Premium) plus $5 for SSO (Atlassian Guard), totaling to roughly $1488 per year, which seems appealing financially. I'm looking for insights on Jira Service Management: has anyone used it? Does it meet the needs of an SMB like ours? Is the setup straightforward? Am I overlooking any hidden costs that might make it less affordable?
5 Answers
The asset management features in Jira are pretty minimal compared to dedicated tools. We have clients using Setyl for asset management, which integrates well with Jira. Setyl is agentless, has 100+ integrations, allows unlimited assets in every plan, and it's quick to get started—like under an hour for a trial. It starts at $300 a month though, based on company size.
What issues did you find with GLPI? Was it just too complex or were there other concerns?
From our experience, tools like Jira Service Management can appear cost-effective at first glance, but for smaller teams, the asset management and configuration can introduce hidden complexities. We typically assist SMB teams by optimizing licensing, simplifying setup, and managing ongoing aspects, so your team can focus on core IT tasks. If you want, we can discuss how to streamline this for your setup!
We’re a similar-sized team and have tested Jira, Freshservice, and GLPI. I found Jira to be fairly cost-effective at a small scale, but keep in mind the setup and maintenance might take longer than expected. If asset tracking is your priority, consider lighter tools like Siit; they might offer a simpler solution for a small team.
Definitely add Siit to your list! It's a solid choice for inventory and ITSM, integrated with MDM so you won't have to manually enter asset data. There are costs per admin with no extra charges, plus it has automated features that could really help your stretched team.
GLPI was decent for asset management, but I wasn’t impressed with its service desk capabilities. I also prefer not to host solutions myself. I'm usually budget-conscious, but I realize I need to invest more wisely since we're short-staffed.