Migrating Jira to Atlassian Cloud

This guide covers the steps to migrate an existing Jira instance to Atlassian Cloud.

1. Assess Current Setup

  • Inventory Current Data: Review your current Jira setup, including projects, workflows, custom fields, and issue types.
  • Identify Customizations: Document any plugins, scripts, or custom workflows that are critical to your operation.
  • Security Review: Assess the current security settings, including user roles, permissions, and audit logs. Note any sensitive data that might require special handling during migration.

2. Prepare for Migration

  • Backup Jira Data: Perform a full backup of your Jira database and any attachments. This step is crucial to ensure data integrity in case of migration issues.
  • Review Atlassian’s Migration Documentation: Study the Jira Server to Cloud Migration Guide to understand the process.
  • Test Environment: Set up a test Jira Cloud instance to trial the migration. Use this environment to identify potential issues, particularly with custom fields and plugins.

Security Implication

Ensure that the backup data is stored securely, and access to this backup is restricted to authorized personnel only. This is to prevent any unauthorized data access, especially if the data includes sensitive information.

3. Execute the Migration

  • Install Jira Cloud Migration Assistant: This tool will guide you through the migration process.
  • User Mapping: Map your existing users to their Atlassian Cloud accounts. Pay special attention to users with admin privileges.
  • Project and Data Migration: Use the assistant to migrate projects, configurations, and data to the cloud.
  • Post-Migration Validation: Verify that all data has migrated correctly. Check for any missing data, broken workflows, or misconfigured permissions.

Important Step

User Mapping: Incorrect user mapping can lead to issues with permissions and access control in the cloud environment. Double-check that users are correctly mapped and that inactive users are not inadvertently granted access.

4. Post-Migration Tasks

  • Reconfigure Plugins: Some server plugins may not have direct cloud equivalents. Identify alternative solutions or remove unsupported plugins.
  • Update URLs: Update any hardcoded URLs in workflows, scripts, and notifications to point to the new cloud environment.
  • Security Settings: Review and configure the security settings in your new Jira Cloud instance. Ensure that permissions, roles, and issue security levels are correctly configured.

Security Consideration

Audit Logs: Ensure that audit logging is enabled in Jira Cloud to track changes and access attempts. This is crucial for maintaining a secure environment.

5. Resources