Blog - Isos Technology

What’s Stopping You from Migrating from Atlassian Data Center to Cloud? Four Critical Blockers and How to Get Past Them.

Written by Isos Technology | Aug 20, 2024

Organizations that rely on Atlassian Data Center are overwhelmingly large enterprises. That makes for complex data profiles that aren’t always supported in Cloud. Maybe they’ve built some custom integrations, or they have many users who would have to get the hang of the new system. Plus, enterprises are often subject to security, compliance, data residency, and other parameters that make it really hard to migrate to Atlassian Cloud.

In the meantime, they’re missing out on all the great things about migrating to Cloud, including no more upgrades, streamlined user management, improved security, and cost savings.

Does this sound familiar?

For large enterprises, migrating from Atlassian Data Center to Cloud is often more complicated than lifting and shifting your instance to a new environment. But it’s also entirely possible. By teaming up with an experienced Atlassian Partner like Isos Technology, you can make the process much more streamlined and less risky.

Sure, you’ll have to do some things differently, but we know from experience that whatever’s holding you back can be overcome.

The following are some of the most common barriers to migrating from Atlassian Data Center to Cloud and tips on overcoming them.

 

1. Organizational Readiness

Some divisions, regions, departments, teams, and team members may be more open to and ready for change than others. But you don’t have to let the naysayers hold you back. Organizational change leadership is about executive support, and organizational change management, which is about giving people a voice in the change and the training they need to make it, are both essential. And you don’t have to migrate from Atlassian Data Center to Cloud simultaneously. It’s often wiser to migrate in phases, moving related groups that are more ready first. Once the others see how effectively they can work, they’ll be more interested in making the switch.

2. Data Size and Shape

Bringing over large amounts of data is the number one driver of complexity when migrating from Atlassian Data Center to Cloud. Many enterprises think it will be a lift and shift, but that’s not usually the case. You can simplify things by cleaning up some data before the migration. If you’re not accessing all that data regularly, is there someplace else you can store it? Remember that some of the data you bring over may need to be mapped to the new instance, and app data doesn’t always have a straightforward migration path. An experienced Atlassian partner should be able to help you overcome both those obstacles, though.

3. App Dependency

Atlassian Data Center and Cloud are two completely different platforms, and their underlying structure is different. Not only do the solutions work a bit differently, but so do the apps built for them. There isn’t always 1:1 parity. But if you’re open to working differently, you can still do everything you need, often in much more streamlined ways. The best path forward may be to reassess. Consider utilizing native Cloud functionality, including automation, and the broader app ecosystem to meet your needs. Again, an Atlassian Solution Partner can help you figure it out, and you may even save quite a bit on app licensing fees.

4. Security, Compliance, and Data Residency

These are three separate issues, but we’ve grouped them together because the path to overcoming them is similar. First, remember that Atlassian Cloud offers enterprise-level security and granular user and access management, and their solutions integrate seamlessly with most leading third-party security monitoring solutions. Also, their already robust compliance and data residency profiles are growing more daily. However, every industry and enterprise is subject to its rules and regulations, so clearing these hurdles requires some research. Fortunately, Atlassian is very transparent, and all the information you need is available at the Atlassian Trust Center.

 

Take the Next Step in Your Atlassian Data Center to Cloud Migration

At Isos Technology, we’ve helped some of the largest, leading enterprises with the most complex instances migrate from Atlassian Data Center to Cloud. If you’re considering migrating, give us a shout.