One year OTTER Alliance – review and perspective

With Znuny LTS, a version was already available in January 2021 that is fully compatible with the ((OTRS)) Community Edition in the last version 6.0.30. Users could switch to Znuny LTS by a simple update. Since then, ten security updates and bug fix releases have been provided for Znuny LTS.

Last year, much energy went into the further development of the popular ticket system. With Znuny 6.1 and 6.2, two feature releases were published in 2021 that brought a bunch of new functions. The connectivity of the system via REST interface and web services was significantly simplified. The process management was extended by numerous functions to facilitate the modeling of complex requirements and to make operation more flexible.

"We achieved a lot last year and are very grateful for the support of the community, which has been very active in contributing and co-developing. With the OTTER Alliance, we have strong partners who ensure that Znuny is becoming increasingly well-known and is well received by customers. This encourages us enormously, which is why we have ambitious plans for the years ahead", reports Johannes Nickel, Znuny project manager and managing director of Znuny GmbH.

Just a few days ago, on March 9, 2022, Znuny 6.3 was released with many improvements to the service desk and reporting areas. In the middle of the year, Znuny 6.4 is expected, which will significantly extend the ITSM functions. Then, in October, version 6.5 will be released, which will then become the new LTS variant (Long Term Support).

In 2023, what the community has been looking forward to for a long time will finally come true: Znuny 7 will replace the aging user interface with a modern, uncluttered design. This is not only about optics. Usability will be significantly improved and of course accessibility is also a big issue. Work on the new interface is already in high gear. The first previews are expected in the fourth quarter of 2022.

"Today, our customers know that OTTER Alliance is true to its word and delivers," says Gabriele Hein, spokesperson for OTTER Alliance. "Our customers have arrived on Znuny (LTS) and throughout the OTTER Community meetings they express great satisfaction with Znuny and the good future prospects that this ticket system offers."

A glance at the numbers confirms this estimate. Thus, the new feature version Znuny 6.3 already recorded about 600 downloads in the first week. In total, the Znuny versions get downloaded about 6,500 times per month, 40% of which are feature releases (Znuny 6.1 +) and as much as 25% of the downloads happen outside Europe!

Users currently running Znuny LTS 6.0 are reminded that support for this version is scheduled to end at the close of 2022. They should plan to update to the Znuny feature version by the end of the year at the latest. In doing so, OTTER Alliance members will advise customers as needed whether version 6.5 with Long Term Support or another version is the right choice for them. Like its predecessor, Znuny LTS 6.5 will be provided with security updates and bug fixes again for two years, until the end of 2024.

The OTTER Alliance
The OTTER Alliance was established in February 2021. It is an association of service provider companies that jointly recognize Znuny as the successor of the ((OTRS)) Community Edition, ensure the availability of services for Znuny on a permanent basis and actively support Znuny GmbH in the further development of the ticket system.

For information about OTTER Alliance members and their offerings, visit the homepage: https://otter-alliance.com.