Support Desk Software for ITIL-Based IT Department

Wasteofspace asks: "At my current workplace (local government, 250 user site) we are currently working towards achieving a more structured IT department using guidelines set by ITIL. Currently we are using a very poor call logging system running on a Lotus Domino Server, that has no tracking, incident management, problem management etc, and does not integrate into our current directory services (Novell NDS, soon to be migrating to Microsoft AD). Does anyone have any suggestions on a provider of an ITIL compliant support desk application, that is reasonably easy to use, has integration into an LDAP compliant directory service, and has self service functionality for users?"

You use only proprietary software

[OeLeWaPpErKe]

So doing it your way (what you described above) is not going to happen, unless (see further)

Keep in mind, when you evaluate things like HP openview/SMARTS InCharge/... that
1) they cost > $50k up front for the software box alone
2) they require a lot of consultancy to get running (ie they're not going to be operational tomorrow, and it's going to cost you)
3) you can't save money on them, as that would mean leaving problems lying around unfixed
4) you become dependent on one partner (as there is a BIG cost associated with working in a new guy, no matter how smart he is, he won't understand your business)

So just hire someone to do this, and give him 3-4 beefy servers to work on. For $50k you can hire a good programmer for a year, and he should be able to get the system operational in a month at the latest. Any modifications can be done through this guy, and the system can be very specific to your business, integrate with everything you want, and it'll actually work. And you get a full-time (very) capable consultant (he wrote your system, how much more capable can someone get) for free for a year. If the system really takes off, you have a free analyst/programmer on your hands.

Think about it.

Buzzword compliancy

[Gothmolly]

Make sure that Gartner approves any and everything you do, for maximum tongue-in-ass effectiveness. Rolling out AD to replace NDS, looking for FOO-compliant software, all of these things are great, but will they actually work for you? Or will upper management sit around the boardroom table, masturbating furiously, at how irrationally happy the non-technical audit people are?

btw, there's a difference between -1, Vulgar, and -1, Troll. But most of you mods won't understand that.