Open-source alternative to ServiceNow Discovery

GLPI itself is free software under GPL-3.0, so there is no license fee for the inventory or the GLPI Agent. The costs that remain come from the infrastructure that runs GLPI and its database, the effort to roll out agents across endpoints, the design of reconciliation rules that decide how collected data updates asset and CMDB records, and the staff time to run it. If you want a vendor-backed option, Teclib' publishes GLPI Network subscription prices: public cloud at 19 euros per user per month, private cloud at 21 euros per user per month with a 25-user minimum, and self-hosted subscriptions from 100 euros per month (Basic) to 4,500 euros per month (Enterprise). Ask Teclib' to confirm current terms before budgeting, since those are the only figures we can point you to.

Four components drive the total. Hosting covers the servers or virtual machines for GLPI, the web tier and the MariaDB or MySQL database, plus backups. Agent rollout covers packaging, deployment through your existing endpoint tooling, and testing across operating systems. Reconciliation design covers deciding which sources win when agent data, network scans and manual records disagree, which is usually the largest effort. Staff time covers operating GLPI, reviewing discovered devices and handling upgrades. Estate size, the number of distinct device types and how much custom CMDB modeling you need push each component up. Ask any implementation partner for a written scope that lists each component separately.

The duration depends on estate size, the number of endpoints and network segments to cover, and how much of the CMDB model you need to rebuild. A small estate with a simple model is a different project from a multi-site estate with custom classes and relationships. No fixed timeline applies across all engagements, so treat any figure you see as a guess until your environment is assessed. Most engagements are fixed-scope, with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed in writing before work starts. Ask for a phased plan that separates a pilot group of endpoints from the full rollout and from the reconciliation tuning that follows.

Before work starts, you will need to provide the following:

• Endpoint management rights to install and configure GLPI Agent through your software deployment or configuration management tooling.
• Network scan credentials or SNMP community and v3 user details for switches, routers, printers and other devices you want inventoried.
• Read access to directory services and any existing CMDB or asset register you intend to reconcile against.
• A hosting environment inside your own network or cloud account, with firewall rules that let agents reach the GLPI server.
• Named owners who can approve reconciliation rules and resolve conflicting records.

Confirm each item against your own security policy, since credential handling and scan scope often need change approval.

Yes, many teams do this in-house, since GLPI and GLPI Agent are open source and the documentation covers installation and agent configuration. The work that tends to need outside help is designing reconciliation rules, tuning agent collection for your device mix, and hardening the server before it holds an accurate picture of your estate. Check honestly whether your team has time to run pilot rollouts, review discovered devices each week and handle GLPI upgrades, because those tasks recur. DeployOpen can plan, implement, customize, integrate, harden and document a GLPI deployment in your infrastructure, or provide ongoing support through a retainer, so you can decide which parts to keep in-house.

Not as a like-for-like feature. GLPI Agent collects hardware and software inventory, performs network discovery and inventory, and supports package deployment and remote ESX inventory, and GLPI covers configuration management and custom asset definitions. Discovery's automated relationship mapping between application services, processes and infrastructure is a different model, so you should not assume an equivalent exists. Confirm in a proof of concept which relationships you need, whether they can be modeled as GLPI items and links, and whether they must be maintained by hand. Compare this against the ServiceNow vs GLPI module review before you commit.

Duplicates usually appear when agent records, network scan results and manually entered assets describe the same device under different identifiers. Define one authoritative identifier per device type, such as serial number or hostname with a fixed domain, and set rules for which source updates which fields. Schedule regular review of devices that have not reported within your chosen window, and decide whether those records are retired or flagged. Run the old and new discovery side by side for a set period so you can compare results before ServiceNow Discovery is switched off. Ask your implementation partner to show the reconciliation rules in writing before rollout.

Host GLPI inside your own data center or cloud account so inventory, user records and network scan results stay under your control. The compliance question is about where the data lives, who can access it and how it is backed up, not about any certification GLPI holds. GLPI's update process requires backing up the database, files and the configuration directory with its key files, so include those in your retention plan. DeployOpen prepares systems, controls and evidence for compliance assessments, but independent auditors and certification bodies issue any audit report or attestation. Ask your auditor which evidence they expect for asset inventory and access control.