Frequently Asked Questions

OperonITSM is a self-hosted unified operations platform that combines six modules into a single system: Help Desk, Project Management, Change Management, Problem Management, Systems Inventory and Service Catalogue. Suitable for any team that manages requests, projects and changes — IT, HR, Facilities, Operations and more. Runs on your own server — no monthly fees, no per-seat charges, no vendor lock-in.

OperonITSM is an annual subscription at £1,000/year, billed once per year. No monthly fees, no per-user charges and no hidden costs. Cancel anytime.

Unlimited. There are no per-seat restrictions anywhere in OperonITSM. You can have as many agents, administrators and end users as your server can handle — whether that's 5 people or 500.

OperonITSM has five roles, each building on the one below it:

Admins can also restrict individual users further using per-module access overrides. A user's effective access is the lower of their role and their module override.

Not currently — OperonITSM is self-hosted, which means your data stays on your own infrastructure. This is a deliberate choice for organisations with data sovereignty requirements or those who simply don't want their operational data on a third-party SaaS platform. Installation takes under an hour on most setups.

After payment completes, Stripe redirects you immediately to a secure delivery page where you can download the platform files and database setup script. Your licence file will be emailed to your purchase address. From there, follow the installation wizard — most setups are up and running within 30 minutes. Support is available at support@operonitsm.co.uk.

Yes. All features, bug fixes, security patches and major releases are included in your annual subscription. Your licence always gives you the latest version of OperonITSM at no extra cost.

Required PHP extensions: PDO, PDO_MySQL, JSON, mbstring. The imap extension is optional but required for email-to-ticket intake.

OperonITSM runs on any OS that supports the LAMP/LEMP stack. Tested and supported platforms:

• Linux: Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 / 24.04, Debian 10+, AlmaLinux / Rocky Linux 8+, CentOS Stream 8+
• Windows (XAMPP): Windows 10/11, Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 — simplest Windows setup
• Windows (IIS): Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 with IIS 10+, PHP via FastCGI, URL Rewrite module required

OperonITSM is designed to run on an internal server within your organisation's network — a dedicated server, virtual machine, or Windows Server box that your team can access internally. It is not intended for deployment on public shared hosting. Most organisations run it on a VM or a spare physical server accessible only to staff on their network or VPN.

Yes. Apache is the most straightforward setup, but Nginx and Windows IIS 10+ are fully supported. For Nginx you'll need an equivalent try_files block in place of mod_rewrite. For IIS you'll need PHP via FastCGI, the IIS URL Rewrite module, and a web.config file in place of .htaccess — full IIS configuration instructions are included with your purchase.

Basic server administration knowledge is helpful — if you can create a MySQL database, upload files via FTP/SFTP and edit a PHP config file, you can install OperonITSM. Our our step-by-step install guide (sent after purchase) covers both Linux and Windows. Most installations take under 30 minutes. If you get stuck, email support@operonitsm.co.uk.

Yes. OperonITSM includes built-in Active Directory / LDAP authentication. Users can log in with their existing domain credentials. Local user accounts are also fully supported for environments without AD, or as a fallback when AD is unreachable.

Yes. OperonITSM includes full email integration:

• Outbound: Agent replies on tickets are automatically emailed to the requester via SMTP (configurable in Global Admin)
• Inbound: Users can email a support address and a new ticket is created automatically. Replies containing the ticket reference update the thread. Requires the PHP imap extension and a cron job.

All data is stored in a standard MySQL database. Back it up using mysqldump, phpMyAdmin's export function, or your hosting provider's automated backup tools. Uploaded files are stored in the filesystem and can be backed up with standard file copy/rsync. Since you own the server, you have complete control over backup frequency and retention.

OperonITSM is built with security in mind:

• All API endpoints require authenticated sessions — no unauthenticated data access
• Passwords are hashed with bcrypt (PHP's password_hash)
• Session timeouts are enforced (default 60 minutes)
• All database queries use PDO prepared statements (SQL injection prevention)
• A full audit log records every create, update and delete action with the user, timestamp and IP address

We recommend running over HTTPS (free with Let's Encrypt) and keeping PHP and MySQL updated.

Yes — as a self-hosted product, you receive the full source files. Under your licence you can modify the code for your own internal use. The codebase is built on PHP 8, vanilla JavaScript and MySQL with no framework dependencies, making it straightforward to customise. It has clear separation between the API layer (api.php), authentication (auth.php) and each module's JavaScript file. Note that the underlying intellectual property remains with OperonITSM — modifications are permitted for internal use but the software may not be redistributed or resold.

Important: If you modify the source code, we cannot guarantee support for those changes. Our support covers the software as supplied — if an issue arises from a customisation you've made, we may be unable to assist. We recommend keeping a clean copy of the original files before making any changes.

Email support is included with every purchase at support@operonitsm.co.uk. We cover installation issues, configuration questions and bug reports. Response times are typically within one business day.

We offer a goodwill refund within 14 days of your initial subscription if you're unable to get the platform running and our support team hasn't been able to resolve the issue. Renewals are non-refundable. Email hello@operonitsm.co.uk with your order details.

There's no free trial period, but you can explore the full platform via our live demo before subscribing. You'll be able to log in and test all six modules before making a decision.