In today's digital age, companies face the challenge of adapting their business processes and IT infrastructure to ever-changing requirements. Next year, such a change also awaits Atlassian customers still using the Server version of Jira, Confluence and Bitbucket: on February 15, 2024, support for Servers will end. That means, Atlassian and Marketplace Partners will no longer provide technical support, security updates and bug fixes for critical vulnerabilities – those services, which protect businesses from threats and security breaches.
Atlassian's decision to end the support of its server products has far-reaching implications for all companies that still have them in use. They now face the big question of whether to migrate to Data Center or to Cloud. For those who have not yet decided, we recommend migrating to Atlassian Cloud – ASAP!
Cloud is the future
When compared to Cloud, on-premises can't compete in terms of the capabilities offered. Based on leading technologies, Atlassian Cloud provides an always updated and highly secure platform that gives teams the tailwind to focus on business priorities: hosting and operation of SaaS products lie with Atlassian, the administration is simplified, and team collaboration is strengthened. In Cloud, business decisions can be made faster, and projects can progress more quickly – no matter from where and via which device.
Atlassian Cloud offers seamless scalability, allowing organizations to flexibly adjust resources to keep pace with business growth demands. Integrated security features (for Premium, Enterprise and Atlassian Access extended security features apply) ensure sensitive data is protected and provide comprehensive data protection measures. The Cloud also meets various compliance standards and helps companies meet regulatory requirements. In addition, it offers reliability and higher availability of services, as it is based on a robust and highly available infrastructure. Also, automated maintenance and regular backups ensure smooth operation and protect corporate data.
Another important aspect: by using Atlassian Cloud, companies can reduce their operating, IT maintenance and depending on the plan also hardware costs. Since the maintenance and updating of the infrastructure is handled by Atlassian, companies no longer have to incur the expense of operating and maintaining their own server infrastructure. This saves resources and reduces costs.
The facts speak for Atlassian Cloud! And we have even more: in our blog post on the most important advantages of Cloud, we present further reasons why it is worth migrating to Atlassian Cloud. If you are still undecided about whether to migrate to Data Center or to Cloud, you should hurry up with your decision since, although the Server shutdown is not until the beginning of next year, a migration can take several months. It is therefore important to deal with the project as soon as possible.
Good things take time – the phases of cloud migrations at a glance
Do you know how long a cloud migration takes? It can take nine months from the decision to the launch, and quite often even longer. This is because a migration is a major project in which all expectations and possibilities must be clarified beforehand, various scenarios must be considered, and all steps must be checked several times. That's why we advise you to migrate as quickly as possible, before Server support ends.
To get a feel for the scope of such a project, we have summarized the typical steps of a migration which may vary depending on projects – for a detailed list, we recommend the Server to Cloud Migration Guide by Atlassian.
Assess phase
Most of all migrations begin with an assessment. Here, the customer and Solution Partner take stock of the current landscape and identify the differences between Cloud and self-managed deployments. Factors such as functions, maintenance, security and costs are analyzed. Assessing the current situation allows both sides to develop a comprehensive understanding of the scope and capabilities.
Mostly, the following questions are clarified in this phase:
- Migration vs transformation – Which basic functionality is currently in use? What does the customer want?
- Apps – What is the level of customization (complexity) of the customer's products? Are there apps or integrations that can prevent a migration?
- Growth / Scalability – Can Cloud meet the customer's needs?
- Identity – What does the user lifecycle look like? Is there a need for advanced security measures?
- Compliance – What data is stored in Atlassian products? Is outsourcing of the data allowed? What security checks does compliance need to approve this SaaS solution?
Plan phase
After Cloud was researched, the self-managed setup assessed, and a team assembled, it’s time to start planning the actual migration. The planning phase includes determining the migration strategy, identifying the data and resources to be migrated, and creating a detailed schedule. It is important to extensively plan each step and ensure that all necessary steps to minimize downtime and potential disruption are accounted for. Thorough planning will ensure that the migration runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible, while maintaining business process continuity.
Prep phase
Once the plan and timeline are in place, it's time to prepare all stakeholders, environments and data for the upcoming migration. This includes discussing responsibilities and details of the migration with stakeholders and involved teams, determining the type and frequency of communications, cleaning up the Server instance and checking installed apps for Cloud suitability. The time required for the latter should not be underestimated. It’s best to have a Solution Partner who has already migrated the apps in other projects, knows alternatives for apps without a Cloud version and who is in close exchange with the app vendors – if not even maintains a partnership.
This phase can take several days or even weeks, depending on the size of the project. It is best to allow sufficient time to complete all preparations.
Test phase
We recommend that all customers, regardless of company size or complexity, perform a test run prior to the actual production migration. This involves checking that all systems are working correctly and whether there are any difficulties or bottlenecks. As part of the test migration, it is also important to perform user acceptance testing. This allows end users to replicate typical day-to-day tasks in the Cloud and ensure that they work as expected. Once the testing phase is complete and final dates as well as responsible parties are determined, the official plan, including dates, potential downtime, contacts and training materials, is communicated.
Migrate phase
The time has come: after the last short-term problems have been resolved, the migration is carried out and users and data are moved to the Cloud. Afterwards, it is checked whether everything has been migrated as expected and is working properly.
Launch phase
Congratulations, the migration is complete. Now stakeholders should be informed about the current status with an overview of the achieved goals and the migration process. If problems still occur, they are solved as quickly as possible together with the Solution Partner. Also, to help teams acclimate to the new environment, time should be scheduled for potential migration issues, feedback or questions. It is important that team leads are available to their teams during this adjustment period and encourage open communication. This supports a smooth transition and allows users to quickly become familiar with the Cloud environment.
Convincing arguments: Atlassian Dual Licensing and Loyalty Discount
To make the move to the Cloud even more attractive, Atlassian has launched various discount programs, including Dual Licensing and Loyalty Discount. They take into account the cost aspect of a cloud migration and aim to relieve companies on a financial level.
Atlassian Dual Licensing
Most companies run both an on-premises instance and a Cloud instance during migration and have to bear costs for both. Dual Licensing circumvents these duplicate costs: customers only have to pay for the Cloud licenses, but not for the renewal of their equivalent on-premises licenses. Once the Cloud licenses have been purchased, Atlassian provides a 100% discount on the renewal of on-premise licenses for a period of up to 12 months (note: This only applies to companies that meet certain conditions). This allows organizations to migrate to the Cloud without fear of financial duplication.
Atlassian Loyalty Discount
If customers purchase or renew Jira Software Cloud, Jira Work Management Cloud, Jira Service Management Cloud or Confluence Cloud before July 1, 2023, Atlassian will give them a 20% discount as a sort of a thank you for their loyalty (note: This only applies to companies that meet certain conditions).
We have summarized more information and conditions about Atlassian Dual Licensing and Loyalty Discount in a separate blog post.
Conclusion
Given the impending changes and timing challenges, it is critical for Atlassian Server customers to address the migration – ideally to the Cloud – now. It's the only way they can ensure security and business process continuity.
Still on the fence, have questions, or want advice? As an official Atlassian Cloud specialized Platinum Solution Partner we are happy to assist you. Contact us or schedule an appointment with our CSO Christopher Mohr – we are looking forward to hearing from you.
