Efficient internal communication reduces unnecessary tickets. The News plugin lets you display notices in the GLPI interface before users open tickets about something already known.
Use cases
Scheduled maintenance
Display a banner: "System X will be under maintenance on 15/05 from 10 PM to 2 AM." Result: fewer "System X is down" tickets.
Ongoing incident
Alert: "We are aware of the email slowness. The team is working on it. Expected resolution: 2 PM." Result: informed users, no flood of duplicate tickets.
General announcements
"New GLPI version available. See what's new at..." or "GLPI training for new employees: registrations open."
Policies and procedures
"Reminder: tickets opened by email must include the equipment asset number."
News plugin configuration
- Install the plugin via Marketplace or GitHub
- Go to Tools > Alerts
- Create a new alert with:
- Type: Information, Warning, Problem or Maintenance
- Message: alert text (HTML supported)
- Visibility: all, specific profiles or entities
- Period: start and end display dates
Native alternative: Public Reminders
If you prefer not to install a plugin, GLPI has native Public Reminders:
- Go to Tools > Reminders
- Create a reminder with "Public" visibility
- Set the display period
It is simpler than News (no colors or positioning), but works for basic announcements.
NexTool alternative: Smart Notify
The Smart Notify module offers real-time notifications via a bell icon in the navbar, complementing static alerts with event-driven dynamic notifications.
Best practices
- Do not overuse alerts – too many simultaneous banners are ignored
- Use colors to distinguish types: blue (info), yellow (warning), red (problem)
- Always set an end date to avoid eternal alerts
- Communicate maintenance at least 24 hours in advance
