The Full Form of OTRS is‍ Open-Source Ticket Request System.

OTRS (originally Open-Source Ticket Request System) is a service management suite. The suite contains an agent portal, admin dashboard and customer portal. In the agent portal, teams process tickets and requests from customers (internal or external). There are various ways in which this information, as well as customer and related data can be viewed. As the name implies, the admin dashboard allows system administrators to manage the system: Options are many, but include roles and groups, process automation, channel integration, and CMDB/database options. The third component, the customer portal, is much like a customizable webpage where information can be shared with customers and requests can be tracked on the customer side.

In 2001, OTRS began as an open source help desk ticketing software.

In 2003, OTRS GmbH was formed and a professional company entered the EMEA market. This was followed in 2006 by entry into the North American market.

In 2007, the company was renamed to OTRS AG with the intention of going public, which it did in 2009. This is the same year in which OTRS was brought to Latin America with the Mexican subsidiary officially being founded in 2010. Entry into the APAC region occurred in 2011.

In 2015, a new version of the software, known as OTRS Business Solution, was launched. This commercial version was designed for professional users who needed additional support, configuration and features.

Also in 2015, STORM powered by OTRS was launched.

In 2018, both OTRS-specific products were renamed: Names remain the same today. The open source solution became ((OTRS)) Community Edition. The commercial version is simply named OTRS and is available as managed solution. A third offering is called OTRS On-Premise: As the name implies, this is for professional customers who intend to host the platform in their own data centers.