How to Migrate from Atlassian Server to Cloud: A Comprehensive Guide

In line with their strategic focus on cloud and data centre products, Atlassian has announced the end of support for their Server products on February 15, 2024. This decision is of significant consequence to businesses in Australia and New Zealand, as it necessitates a migration from Atlassian Server to Cloud.

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While the prospect of such a migration may seem daunting, it's an opportunity to tap into the myriad benefits of cloud —ranging from anytime, anywhere access to data, lower total cost of ownership, to automatic updates and reduced IT overheads. 

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As your local Atlassian Gold Solution Partner in Australia & New Zealand, we’ve created this comprehensive guide to demystify the migration process, providing a step-by-step roadmap to help your organisation transition smoothly from Atlassian Server to Cloud.

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Understanding the Difference Between Atlassian Server and Cloud

Before you embark on the migration journey, it's crucial to understand the fundamental differences between Atlassian Server and Cloud.

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Atlassian Server gives businesses complete control over their data, with the flexibility to customise their Atlassian applications according to their specific needs. However, this also means businesses are responsible for maintaining and updating the infrastructure, which can be resource-intensive.

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On the other hand, Atlassian Cloud offers a managed service where Atlassian handles the hosting, setup, and maintenance. It provides automatic updates, ensuring you're always using the latest version with the most up-to-date features. Moreover, the cloud model results in a lower total cost of ownership.

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While both models have their advantages, the shift towards cloud is largely driven by the need for enhanced operational efficiency and agility. With Atlassian's impending end of support for Server products, businesses in Australia and New Zealand must embrace this shift to continue leveraging Atlassian's suite of productivity tools effectively.

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In the next section, we'll delve into the pre-migration considerations to ensure a seamless transition to Atlassian Cloud.

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Pre-Migration Considerations

Before beginning your migration journey, there are several factors to consider that will help ensure a smooth transition from Atlassian Server to Cloud.

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Evaluation of Business Needs and Compatibility with Cloud: Not all Server functionalities may have direct counterparts in the Cloud. Therefore, understanding your organisation's needs and how they align with the features provided by Atlassian Cloud is essential. Consider the tools your team uses regularly, the customisations you've made, and how these will translate to the Cloud environment.

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Data Security Concerns: Data security is a vital concern for any business considering a move to the cloud. Rest assured, Atlassian Cloud complies with global privacy and data protection standards, including GDPR. For businesses in Australia and New Zealand, Atlassian's Sydney data centre provides additional peace of mind.

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When organisations switch to Atlassian cloud, Atlassian becomes an extension of their security teams. Atlassian’s cloud products exceed accepted compliance and data privacy standards worldwide, and data is safeguarded through encryption in transit and at rest.

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Savvy CIOs are actively moving to secure “shadow IT” cloud users before officially migrating applications to the cloud. Atlassian Access provides admins a central place to view and manage everyone using cloud products. Many enterprises subscribe to Atlassian Access as a first step in their migration. This offers better visibility into existing cloud usage and establishes a security baseline moving forward.

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Cost Implications: The pricing models for Server and Cloud differ. While Server licences are a one-time cost with annual maintenance, Cloud subscriptions are typically monthly or annual. Consider the total cost of ownership, including factors like maintenance and infrastructure costs.

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Technical Requirements: Assess your technical readiness for the move. This includes understanding the bandwidth required for data migration, the changes needed in your current workflows, and the potential need for any third-party integrations.

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To help you estimate your timeline and plan accordingly, think about the following factors and what each of them might mean for you:

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1. People: Do you have executive buy-in? Will your Atlassian admin be focused primarily on this project, or is it something they’ll have to chip away at in between other work? Will your admin be tackling this project on their own, or can they assemble a migration team? (We highly recommend the team approach!)
2. Data: Do you need to clean up any stale or “messy” data first? Have you customised your products and processes in such a way that data won’t flow cleanly into your cloud instance?
3. Apps: Are all the Marketplace apps attached your server instance available for cloud? What additional apps for cloud might you plan to add once the migration is complete?
4. Testing: Will you need to set up a staging environment to test against? Do you have lots of complex, mission-critical processes you’ll need to test before rolling the change out?
5. Stakeholder management: Are your end-users prepared for this change? Do you have support channels in place or other ways for them to ask questions and get answers?

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Taking the time to thoroughly understand these considerations will put you in a strong position as you plan your migration from Atlassian Server to Cloud. 

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Planning Your Migration

“Planning, preparing, and onboarding represent the biggest parts of migration and have the greatest impact on migration success.”

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A well-planned migration is a successful migration. Once you've taken into account the pre-migration considerations, it's time to devise a detailed plan that will guide you through the process.

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Creating a Migration Plan: Start by outlining the scope of the migration, including which products and data need to be migrated. Identify the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in the migration process. Ensure you communicate the plan to all stakeholders to ensure they are prepared for the change.

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Application Assessment: Audit the applications you are using within your Atlassian environment and the migration steps required to move to cloud.

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Timeline: The duration of your migration will depend on various factors including the size of your data, complexity of your Server setup, and your team's availability. It's crucial to establish a realistic timeline that allows for unforeseen challenges.

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Testing: Incorporating testing into your plan is essential. This includes testing your new Cloud environment and validating migrated data. Testing not only helps you find and address issues early, but also helps familiarise your team with the new setup.

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Contingency Planning: Despite the best planning, unexpected issues can arise. A contingency plan ensures you're prepared for these scenarios. This includes having a data backup and rollback plan in case of migration issues.

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Make sure you’ve covered all the required areas of your migration in your planning stage. Download our Atlassian Server to Cloud planning checklist here.

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With your migration plan in place, you're ready to move on to the next phase of the process: the migration itself. 

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The Migration Process

The migration process from Atlassian Server to Cloud is a detailed one. It's essential to follow the steps carefully to ensure the integrity of your data and the functionality of your new cloud environment. Here is a step-by-step guide to the migration process.

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1. Preparing Your Server Instance: Before initiating the migration, ensure that your Server instance is prepared. This may involve cleaning up unnecessary data, disabling any incompatible apps, and ensuring your user accounts are ready for migration.

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2. Data Backup: Prior to migration, it's vital to back up your data. This step provides a safety net in case of any issues during migration. Atlassian provides tools to help you backup your Server data.

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3. Setting Up Your Cloud Instance: Next, you'll need to set up your Cloud instance. This involves subscribing to the appropriate Atlassian Cloud products and configuring the settings to match your business needs.

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4. Data Migration: Now, you're ready to migrate your data. Atlassian provides a Cloud Migration Assistant tool for products like Jira and Confluence, which can guide you through the process.

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5. Validation and Testing: After the migration, it's crucial to validate the data and test the functionality of your new Cloud setup. Ensure all the data has been migrated correctly and that all functions work as expected.

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Remember, the migration process can be complex and may require a significant amount of time. Atlassian’s data shows that cloud migrations on average take 9 months to complete.

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Post-Migration Steps

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Once the migration process is complete, there are a few key steps to ensure that your transition to Atlassian Cloud is successful and seamless.

1. Verification and Validation: Start by verifying that all data has been correctly transferred and is appearing as expected in the new environment. Validate the functionality of your Atlassian Cloud tools and check for any errors or issues that might need addressing.
2. ‍Troubleshooting: Despite careful planning and execution, it's possible that you may encounter some issues post-migration. Atlassian provides a wealth of resources to help troubleshoot common problems. However, if you're facing a more complex issue, don't hesitate to reach out to Atlassian Support or an Atlassian Solution Partner like Expert360 for assistance.
3. ‍Training Staff: One of the key challenges after migrating to a new system is ensuring that your team is comfortable using it. Provide necessary training sessions, create user guides, and have a support mechanism in place to help your team adapt to the new environment.
4. ‍Monitor and Optimise: Post-migration, it's important to monitor the performance of your new Cloud setup. This includes tracking system performance, user feedback, and any potential issues that might arise. Use these insights to optimise your Cloud usage and make the most out of Atlassian's powerful tools.

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Migration is a significant step, but it's just the beginning of your journey with Atlassian Cloud.

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Leveraging Atlassian Cloud for Business Growth

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With your migration complete, it's time to fully embrace the benefits of Atlassian Cloud and leverage its capabilities to drive your business growth.

1. ‍Optimising Workflows: Atlassian Cloud offers a host of advanced features that can help streamline your workflows. From automation in Jira to collaborative editing in Confluence, explore these features to enhance your team's productivity.
2. ‍Expanding Collaboration: The cloud-based nature of Atlassian Cloud promotes collaboration by allowing team members to access work from anywhere, at any time. Utilize this advantage to foster a more collaborative and flexible work culture.
3. ‍Scaling with Ease: One of the key benefits of Atlassian Cloud is its scalability. As your business grows, you can easily adjust your Atlassian Cloud services to meet your changing needs without worrying about infrastructure limitations.
4. ‍Ensuring Security: Atlassian Cloud is designed with robust security measures. Take advantage of features like Atlassian Access for enterprise-grade security and centralized administration.
5. ‍Integrating with Other Tools: Atlassian Cloud seamlessly integrates with many other cloud-based tools. Explore these integrations to create a unified work environment that meets all your business needs.

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Conclusion

The migration from Atlassian Server to Cloud marks a significant step forward in your organisation's digital journey. It presents an opportunity to enhance scalability, improve collaboration, and drive greater efficiency within your workflows.

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While the migration process may seem complex, a careful and methodical approach, as outlined in this guide, can help ensure a successful transition. 

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If you're in Australia or New Zealand and are considering migrating from Atlassian Server to Cloud, or if you've begun your journey and need expert guidance, don't hesitate to reach out to us at Expert360. 

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As an Atlassian Gold Solution Partner, we're here to assist you at every step of your migration journey and beyond. 

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When you need a Solution Partner

If you’ve got a complicated migration on your hands – or if your team has never done a cloud migration before – bringing on a Solution Partner can make all the difference. 

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Customers - at large and mid-sized companies - have benefitted from working with qualified experts in planning and executing the finer details of their cloud migration. 

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Here’s a checklist to help you consider when to use the help of a Solution Partner:

• Limited internal resources to help with this project
• You need help with things outside of the scope of Atlassian support, including User Acceptance Testing, server upgrades, or user training
• You need help with migration project management, planning, and execution
• You have a complex merging scenario
• You need to migrate five or more business-critical apps
• You have specific security and compliance needs
• You need to migrate over 1,000 users

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We offer end-to-end migration services, or can build a custom package for you to suit your enterprise needs. Get in touch with us for pricing and details.

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We’ve helped a broad range of clients in their Atlassian journeys and cloud migrations. Read more about how Partners Life were able to successfully integrate a newly acquired organisation and migrate to Atlassian Cloud with the help of Expert360.

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Atlassian Server end of support is fast approaching. Get prepared for your Atlassian Cloud migration with Expert360 - your local Atlassian Solution Partner.