KIX Alternative

Why Versio.io, as a KIX alternative, turns a manually maintained CMDB into an automatically updated digital twin of your IT

KIX, developed by KIX Service Software GmbH (formerly c.a.p.e. IT) in Chemnitz, is an established open-source service management solution from Germany. Its strength lies in ticketing and ITIL processes: incident, request and problem management, a self-service portal, a knowledge base and an integrated CMDB to which tickets can be linked. For many IT departments, KIX is a reliable service desk.

The CMDB, however, is only as good as the data it contains. This is where Versio.io comes in: a platform that captures configuration data automatically, links it and records every change.

The challenges of a ticket-centric CMDB

Versio.io CMDB topology as an alternative to the KIX CMDB

The challenges of a ticket-centric CMDB

Discovery via third-party tools - To fill the CMDB automatically, KIX is typically connected to external inventory solutions such as baramundi or opsi. Each additional tool means additional interfaces, licences and maintenance.
Focus on the service desk - The CMDB primarily serves to link tickets and assets. Out of the box, KIX does not provide automated discovery of cloud environments, Kubernetes, network topologies or dependencies up to the business service; such data has to be imported via interfaces or third-party tools.
Outdated data - Manually maintained configuration items quickly become outdated in dynamic environments, and an outdated CMDB loses the trust of its users.
History per CI rather than time travel - KIX keeps a history of individual configuration items, but reconstructing the complete configuration and topology of the IT landscape at a past point in time is not a documented standard function.

Versio.io: CMDB with automated inventory

Versio.io is a cloud-native platform that can be consumed as SaaS or operated on-premises in your own data centre. Inventory, CMDB, topology and change tracking are based on a single data model, without the need for additional discovery tools.

Zero-code inventory - Servers, desktops, virtualisation, public cloud, Kubernetes, databases, network devices and software are captured automatically by zero-code agents and native integrations.
Dynamic topology & impact analysis - Versio.io automatically detects relationships between configuration items, even across different data sources, and links them to a topology of your business services. In the event of disruptions, you can see immediately which services are affected.
Lifecycle & vulnerability management - Every software installation is matched against end-of-life information and known vulnerabilities (CVE), turning the CMDB into a tool for IT security.
Ticketing & REST API - Versio.io converts findings into tickets directly and links them to the affected objects. Via the REST API, Versio.io can also supply an existing service desk with reliable CMDB data.

KIX vs. Versio.io at a glance

Criterion	KIX	Versio.io
Focus	Ticketing and ITIL processes, field service management	IT inventory, CMDB, topology and change tracking
Inventory & discovery	Typically via external tools such as baramundi or opsi	Built in: zero-code agents and native integrations for the entire IT stack
CMDB & topology	Integrated CMDB, assets linked to tickets and SLAs	Relationships between configuration items detected automatically and linked up to business services, including impact analysis
IT time travel	Version history per configuration item; no point-in-time view of the complete topology documented	Every attribute and every relationship is versioned
Lifecycle & vulnerabilities	No end-of-life or CVE matching listed in the vendor's feature overview	End-of-life and CVE data integrated
Licence model	Open source; free KIX Start edition and commercial KIX Pro editions, licensed per agent	Commercial, from €1 net per host per month
Operating model	KIX Cloud (hosted in Germany) or on-premises	SaaS or on-premises in your own data centre
Provider	KIX Service Software GmbH, Germany	German provider, GDPR

Would you like to fill your CMDB automatically instead of maintaining it by hand? In a live demo, we will show you how Versio.io captures your infrastructure without additional discovery tools.

See automated inventory live

IT time travel with the temporal database

Versio.io saves every change as a new version in its temporal database VersioDB, including the relationships between objects. Contracts, documents and physical assets can be linked directly to IT objects to create a Holistic Digital Twin.

IT time travel for data & topology - Reconstruct individual values and the entire topology of your infrastructure at any point in the past.
Audit compliance & root cause - The historisation of relationships provides evidence for audits (BaFin, ISO 27001, NIS2, DORA) and speeds up root cause analysis.

Sovereignty & Cost-Effectiveness “Made in Germany”

Data sovereignty - Like KIX, Versio.io is developed in Germany. Your data remains within your jurisdiction, protected by the GDPR, whether in our SaaS or in your own data centre.
Transparent costs - The pay-as-you-go model starts from just €1.00 (net) per host per month, including automated inventory, without additional licences for discovery tools.

Start your free 30-day trial and see how complete your CMDB can be after just a few days.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Versio.io replace KIX completely?

Versio.io replaces the CMDB and the external inventory tools. Organisations that want to keep KIX as their service desk can continue to do so and supply KIX with configuration data from Versio.io.

Does Versio.io need additional discovery tools?

No. Versio.io captures servers, desktops, cloud, Kubernetes, network devices and software itself using zero-code agents and native integrations.

Can Versio.io be operated on-premises like KIX?

Yes. Versio.io is available as SaaS and as a self-managed installation in your own data centre.

What is IT time travel?

Versio.io saves every change to configurations and relationships as a new version. This allows you to reconstruct the state of your entire IT landscape at any point in the past.