Cloud to Cloud migration projects tend be more complex and multi-faceted than moving from on-premises to Cloud. They often occur due to organisational changes, such as an acquisition or merger, or are used to consolidate multiple Cloud sites and reduce tool sprawl.
That’s why we’ve put together this, our ultimate Atlassian Cloud to Cloud FAQs guide. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.
Let’s begin.
1. What data can actually be migrated in an Atlassian Cloud to Cloud migration?
The short answer is that you can migrate pretty much everything in an Atlassian Cloud to Cloud migration. In theory, you can transfer all your projects, issues (now known as work items), comments, attachments, users, groups, workflows, permissions and more from your existing Cloud site to your new one.
However, in practice, this is more complicated. One of the first questions we’d always ask is this: What do you want and need to migrate over to your new Cloud site?
If you simply take the ‘lift and shift’ approach to a Cloud to Cloud project, you’ll migrate over all your existing config as is. However, if your configuration is in a bit of a state, this isn’t necessarily a positive outcome. We’d always recommend an ‘optimise and shift’ approach, whereby you spend time ahead of the migration auditing your instance. You can then clean up your configuration and data, to ensure you’re starting with a freshly optimised new Cloud site.
ℹ️ Pre-migration clean up? There’s a tool for that.
Auditing and optimising your Jira configuration ahead of a Cloud to Cloud migration can result in significant manual and repetitive work. Make life easier and more efficient for your Jira Admins by using the Optimizer for Jira Atlassian Marketplace app.
Created by our colleagues over at AppFox, our development arm, Optimizer for Jira turns hours’ worth of work into minutes. You can get an instant overview of problem areas (think duplicate custom fields, empty projects, etc.) and can then use bulk actions to swiftly delete or archive as needed.
Get your data ready for your Cloud to Cloud shift: You can try Optimizer for Jira for free on the Atlassian Marketplace!
2. What data cannot be migrated in an Atlassian Cloud to Cloud migration?
Certain Atlassian Marketplace apps or integrations cannot be ported over automatically, and may require manual configuration.
For DC/Server to Cloud migrations, the Atlassian Cloud Migration Assistant can support with porting over automation rules, most Marketplace apps, and so on – but this tool is not designed for Cloud to Cloud projects.
Happily, if you have a team of Cloud migration specialists by your side (like our experts here at AC), we can make these kinds of processes as simple and painless as possible for you!
3. What migration tools should we use?
For on-prem to Cloud Jira migrations, Atlassian’s Cloud Migration Assistant can helps to port over Marketplace apps, user email addresses, email domains and more. However, as we mentioned, it is currently not available for Cloud to Cloud moves.
There are other tools, however, to help with your migration, especially around preparation and optimisation. We’ve already mentioned the Optimizer for Jira Marketplace app as a valuable Jira Cloud to Cloud migration tool, as it can help you audit your existing site data and ensure you only migrate over the data and configuration you really want.
In many of our Cloud to Cloud migration projects, we use the Atlassian Data Transfer tool. It copies the data from one Cloud instance to the other, meaning the original data is preserved on the source site.
4. How long does a Cloud to Cloud migration take?
The time an Atlassian Cloud to Cloud migration can take really varies. (We are, of course, tempted to use the old ‘how long is a piece of string’ adage here.)
It depends on multiple factors – how many sites you’re consolidating, organisational complexity, managing automation rules and other configuration and data settings.
However, sometimes Cloud to Cloud migrations can be quicker than you might expect. Take our recent client, for example, whereby we delivered a complicated Cloud to Cloud project in just three months.
💡 Customer success story
Our client, a leading name in the travel and cruise industry, was undergoing a restructure to split into two brands. It used Jira, JSM and Confluence as business-critical tools. Our role was to migrate anything related to the new brand to the new Cloud site, whilst leaving other data on the original site.
Due to the brand split, there were notable complexities around mapping, duplicating and reworking configuration from the original site to the new Cloud site.
We also had to manage automation rules post-import, including one single project which had 70+ automation rules alone.
Ultimately, we delivered a stable, secure new Cloud environment – against a backdrop of great organisational change – 10 days earlier (in an already tight 3-month time-frame).
5. Will there be downtime during a Cloud to Cloud migration?
There can be some downtime during a migration, but any Atlassian Cloud experts should be able to keep disruption to BAU activities as minimal as possible.
Various factors can affect the impact of a migration. We always build in time for a trial migration, especially in the case of complex Cloud consolidation projects, to ensure all tools and processes work as expected. We also build in time for trouble-shooting, documentation and testing fixes.
For example, we dealt with the following during a recent Jira Cloud to Cloud project:
Our client’s JSM projects had a significant volume of request type layouts (20+), each with 30+ fields. To address this, we carefully documented how we would solve each of them, and ran rapid fixes ahead of the production migration.
We had to ensure that existing automation rules would still run effectively on the new site Cloud site, post-migration. Some projects comprised over 70 automation rules! We refactored those 70+ automations into one single, powerful automation rule that provided the same functionality, and enabled users to continue working without disruption to BAU activities.
6. How are users and permissions handled in an Atlassian Cloud to Cloud migration?
In an Atlassian Cloud to Cloud migration, we’d approach users and permissions users and groups are copied across. There are a few different options for how users and groups are handled. You can find more info from Atlassian here.
7. What will happen to my Marketplace apps and data?
Many Atlassian Marketplace apps (and other third-party plugins and installations) will require separate migration steps or app-specific migration tools during a Cloud to Cloud migration.
In our experience, most Atlassian Marketplace apps need a fresh install and reconfiguration on a new Cloud site.
Do you use Atlassian Marketplace apps to extend and strengthen the scope of what you can achieve in Jira, Confluence and JSM?
It could be time to take a look at what our colleagues at AppFox have created.
From embedding dynamic compliance controls, to building bespoke content approval workflows, AppFox provides a range of powerful Atlassian Marketplace apps for Confluence and Jira – and they’re all free to try today!
8. How do we test the migration before going live?
Ahead of an Atlassian Cloud to Cloud migration, we would always recommend conducting a trial migration first, to understand where there are teething issues or data migration challenges that still need addressing.
9. Will URLs, issue keys or links change after a Cloud to Cloud migration?
This is important in terms of integrations, bookmarks, documentation links, and automation. During a Cloud to Cloud migration, issue keys stay the same, but URLs are updated. Links (meaning links that may be in work item descriptions or other fields) need to be fixed with the Atlassian Link Fixing tool.
10. How will identity and user management work across the new site?
Often, teams embarking on a Cloud to Cloud migration will want to understand how SSO, SCIM provisioning, and user directories will integrate, especially if they use Atlassian Access with providers like Okta or Azure AD.
Really, this depends entirely on how the new site is configured. If it is configured the same as the source site, then it will work the same. If not, we would work closely with you to set up new identity and user management tooling and configuration.
11. How are duplicate users or accounts resolved during an Atlassian Cloud to Cloud migration?
When both sites contain overlapping users, organisations need a strategy for user merging, email matching, and account mapping.
Now, this should ideally be taken care of on the source site, before the migration (although it’s worth noting that it can also be handled after the migration). Either way, typically we would do this by merging the history of the duplicate users, which can be achieved by sending the duplicate user mapping to Atlassian Support.
Cloud to Cloud success! How did we help consolidate Jira Cloud sites, unify tool sprawl, and enable cost-savings of $700k for a global shipping giant? Read the case study here.
12. Are project configurations and global settings recreated, or do they need to be rebuilt manually?
In the context of a Cloud to Cloud migration, project configurations and global settings will need to be configured manually.
13. How will audit logs, compliance data, and historical records be preserved?
We know that for regulated organisations, it’s important to maintain audit trails, change history, and compliance documentation.
Typically, audit logs are not copied by the Data Transfer tool, which means they are not preserved in the target site. However, they can usually be exported from the source site and stored elsewhere for auditing purposes, so there is often a workaround.
14. How do we manage data residency and regulatory requirements after migration?
Your new site’s data residency location will need to align with GDPR or internal compliance policies. Organisations can choose data residency during the initial set up of the target site. We’d always highly recommend that regulatory requirements are considered on a case-by-case basis before the start of the migration.
Are you bound by strict regulatory and compliance frameworks, but keen to keep pace with powerful Cloud technology and unlock rich AI experiences for users and customers? Turn to us!
We’re a safe pair of hands for organisations operating in highly regulated industries – from our dedicated Service Management in Regulated Industries solution, to our experience guiding regulated establishments through Cloud migrations.
Atlassian Cloud to Cloud migrations: Any more questions?
As an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner, and Cloud Specialized Partner, we’re ideally placed to guide you through a Cloud to Cloud shift.
Whether you simply have questions at this stage, and would like to book a discovery call, or you’d like to learn more about our approach to migrations and how we can guide you to long-term success, fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch!
