CMDBuild vs OCS Inventory Comparison: Everything You Need to Know Before Choosing

CMDBuild is an open-source web application framework, developed by the Italian company Tecnoteca, for building configuration management databases and custom asset management solutions. Organisations need to maintain accurate records of their IT and non-IT assets, their configurations and the relationships between them, yet off-the-shelf products may not reflect their specific data models or processes, and proprietary systems can be expensive to license and adapt. CMDBuild addresses this by providing a highly configurable environment in which administrators define classes, attributes, relationships and workflows through a graphical interface, without needing to write application code. This allows the system to model whatever set of assets and processes an organisation requires, in line with ITIL best practice. The same technology underpins ready-made vertical applications from the same developers, including openMAINT for property and facilities management and CMDBuild READY2USE for IT asset management. Key features include a customisable data model with inheritance and domains, a workflow engine for modelling processes such as change, incident and request management, GIS and BIM integration for visualising assets on maps and building models, and a reporting engine for producing standard and custom reports. Dashboards, document management through integration with DMS repositories, and scheduling features support day-to-day operations. Connectors and web service APIs enable synchronisation with automatic inventory and monitoring tools, directory services and other enterprise systems, ensuring that the CMDB remains current. CMDBuild is typically installed on-premise on Java-based application servers with a PostgreSQL database, and Tecnoteca provides professional support, training and customisation services. It is used by public administrations, utilities, universities, IT departments and service providers that want an adaptable, standards-based asset repository under an open-source licence. Entry pricing is listed at a nominal EUR 0.01, reflecting that the software is free to use; a free trial is offered and a free version is available.