Top 8 Open Source Tools To Up Your IT Automation and Event Correlation Game

IT process delivery is now a central part of business value generation, which is why four in five IT pros expect greater organizational appreciation in 2021. Open-source technology can help extend this value even further, by optimizing key processes with minimal investments and greater customizability. This article looks at the top eight tools in this space and their key features for your enterprise. 

IT processes now take center stage in business operations — supporting not only technology systems but also productivity tools, collaboration platforms, and core solutions for business continuity and customer engagement. In 2021, IT professionals must consider their operational focus to be less ITSM and more service management, where the efficiency of ITOps is directly linked with business value. To improve ITOps and streamline service delivery, there are a plethora of tools available in the market, several of which are open-source with minimal cost barriers. 

Open-source tools for IT process automation and event correlation can help by: 

• Testing ITOps modernization before you invest in a commercial product 
• Introducing customizable solutions that can be fitted into the existing stack with some dev effort 
• Providing access to a large community of experts and innovators 

IT teams have been crucial in guiding organizations through the complex waters of 2020, with 72%Opens a new window of professionals successfully maintaining the efficacy standards of service management even in remote work scenarios. Open-source tools will be instrumental in continuing the momentum through 2021, allowing organizations of every size to gain from the latest advancements in ITSM. 

Here are our top eight recommendations, arranged in alphabetical order: 

1. Fluentd Opens a new window

Overview: Fluentd is an open-source data collector that helps you create a unified logging layer for event correlation across multiple system data sources. 

Key features: 

• Connects with a variety of origin points such as your Syslog, apache log, mobile and web apps, Hadoop, MongoDB, IoT sensors, and public clouds (AWS, Google Cloud, etc.). 
• Comes with 500+ plugins 
• Requires very little system resources, thanks to its C and Ruby-dependent architecture. 

Editorial comments: The commercial version of Fluentd is used by 5000+ enterprises, making it a battle-tested solution for your organization. 

2. iTopOpens a new window  

Overview: iTop is an open-source ITSM solution built on the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework. 

Key features:

• Customizable workflows, multi-level helpdesks, and user portals 
• Change management module to schedule and prepare for system integration changes 
• Includes a customizable configuration management database 

Editorial comments: iTop has a large online community, backed by Combodo and offering a unified iTop hub to help you quickly get started. 

3. JumbuneOpens a new window  

Overview: Jumbune is an open-source platform to automate application performance management for data clouds. It reveals data correlations to optimize efficiency. 

Key features:

• Compatible with all major Hadoop distributions (Apache, Cloudera, etc.)
• Connects with public clouds and on-premise data centers 
• Advanced data capabilities such as quality reports, profiling, and automated cleansing 

Editorial comments: As your enterprise data footprint grows, this open-source platform can help you govern the expansion and eventually gain from commercial capabilities like AI/ML. 

4. JetPatchOpens a new window

Overview: JetPatch is an automated patch management and vulnerability remediation tool, available as open-source software for Windows, Linux, and Unix environments. 

Key features:

• Centralized dashboard to give you key insights 
• Automation bots for installing upgrades and enforcing server policies 
• IT landscape discovery 

Editorial comments: JetPatch is easy to set up and offers an open-source answer to one of the most common business use cases for any IT team. 

5. Nagios Open SourceOpens a new window

Overview: Nagios Core is an open-source IT infrastructure monitoring system that helps to supervise your applications, networks, and endpoints. 

Key features:

• 50+ plugins as part of the open-source package 
• A library of front-ends developed by the Nagios community
• Additional projects on GitHub to extend Core’s functionalities 

Editorial comments: Navios Core is meant to be a starting point in this software ecosystem, so you can scale up to its commercial solutions that include a log server, network analyzer, and advanced correlation engine. 

6. osTicketOpens a new window

Overview: osTicket is a support ticketing system tool for customers and internal service management. It has an open-source version with community support and limited integrations. 

Key features:

• IT service ticketing via email and automated reply
• Custom forms for data collection 
• Ticket filters and loving mechanism to avoid agent conflicts 

Editorial comments: In a WFH environment, smooth ticketing systems are more important than ever, and osTicket offers a compelling alternative that can integrate with your larger ITSM channel matrix. 

7. PuppetOpens a new window  

Overview: Puppet is a configuration management tool that is supported by online tutorials, a development kit, extensions, and developer aids for augmenting its functionalities. 

Key features:

• Assessment and resource discovery across cloud, hybrid, and physical environments
• Automated change and event orchestration for node clusters 
• Puppet Development Kit (PDK) to develop and test new modules before implementation 

Editorial comments: Puppet users can gain from the company’s other solutions like Facter (a data gathering agent), PuppetDB (a metadata database), and Trapperkeeper (a framework for hosting persistent apps and services). 

8. Spiceworks Connectivity Dashboard

Overview: The Connectivity Dashboard is a free tool for monitoring the live relationships between remote sites and core IT infrastructure. It lets you detect and correlate network events for speedy remediation. 

Key features:

• A real-time data dashboard to monitor adverse events 
• Automated alerts during an outage or difficulty in network access 
• Advanced data filtering for network analysis 

Editorial comments: Spiceworks has a large library of free software for IT professionals, sysadmins, and technicians, which you can integrate with the Connectivity Dashboard for a more comprehensive picture. 

It is a common misconception that ITSM automation and event correlation tools have to be bulky, expensive, and complex to manage. 

Today, there’s a variety of open-source and free tools available that can unlock impressive results at minimal investment. With a little effort, you could even customize these into a full-fledged, homegrown ITOps tech stack that’s perfectly tailored for your business. 2020 will be an important year for IT professionals, with 4 in 5Opens a new window organizations showing greater appreciation for IT in terms of budgets, salaries, and recognition. The eight tools we mentioned could kickstart your journey towards process optimization and efficiency, gain from this opportunity. 

Do you believe open-source tools could revolutionize IT processes? Tell on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!