You can now migrate Bitbucket and Jira Service Management data with the Atlassian Cloud Migration Assistant Apps

The Journey to the Atlassian Cloud

Last year, in keeping with their goal of becoming a cloud-first organization, Atlassian announced their plan to end support for their server products by February 2024.  The pressure to move away from on-prem to cloud solutions has been building over the last few years, and with this announcement, the time to make a decision is slowly but steadily decreasing.  Naturally, this news has been the cause of some concern for many organizations, as they now must choose between two options: moving their Atlassian applications and data to the Data Center or the Cloud. While some teams have opted to move to Data Center, most have decided to dive into the Cloud.  The question for many of these organizations then shifted from where to when. There are several different migration paths users can choose from, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The best path depends on your particular configuration and migration requirements. 

To ease the burden of migration and reduce complexity, Atlassian created Cloud Migration Assistants. These tools are apps that are free to install and use within your on-prem instances. Once installed, you can perform app assessments, choose what you want to move to the Cloud, and start migrating at your convenience, monitoring progress from start to finish. However, there are some limitations to these tools.  Two of these limitations were that Jira Service Management (formerly Jira Service Desk) data could not be migrated with the Cloud Migration Assistant and that Bitbucket needed to be manually migrated – until today.

Cloud Migration Assistants for Bitbucket and Jira Service Management

Atlassian recently made two major cloud migration announcements: the first was the official release of the Bitbucket Cloud Migration Assistant (BCMA), which automates the migration process from Bitbucket Server to Bitbucket Cloud. Previously, you could only manually migrate repository data (your source code) from Bitbucket Server to Bitbucket Cloud. There were no supported methods for migrating user accounts, permission structures, or repository metadata, including pull request history and comments. If you’re looking to migrate your Bitbucket data to the Atlassian Cloud, this is the easiest way to get started.  Atlassian also announced that you can now migrate Jira Service Management projects, users, groups, and customers using the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA). In contrast, you would have had to use an alternative method, such as the XML-based site import, to perform your migration, a more time-consuming process that requires much more planning, manual effort, and testing to ensure success. 

With the new Bitbucket Cloud Migration Assistant and support added for Jira Service Management in the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant, you can now migrate your entire Atlassian suite of applications to the Cloud using Atlassian’s Cloud Migration Assistants!

The Cloud Migration Assistants provide an assortment of features to guide you through the migration process that will:

• Help assess your apps to prepare for migration.

• Will not overwrite existing data in your cloud site.

• Let you pick and choose the data you want to migrate.

• Allows you to limit your migration to users & groups and no data. You can use the assistants to migrate users that are managed by external directories. You can also choose to migrate only users related to the projects or spaces you need to migrate.

• Provides the ability to perform migrations in stages rather than requiring all of your data to be moved all at once.

• Guide you through the migration with an intuitive user interface.

It’s important to note that the Cloud Migration Assistants cannot migrate your entire data set.  You should be aware of the following:

1. The Cloud Migration Assistants will not migrate your app data; you’ll need to work with the vendors for your particular apps to migrate any relevant data. Some apps can export and import their data, but you’ll need to check with the app developers or their documentation to confirm if this is possible.  This is why assessing your apps and customizations is one of the most important steps you can take when planning your Cloud migration.
2. Advanced Roadmaps (formerly Portfolio for Jira) data is not yet supported.  Support for Advance Roadmaps in the JCMA is on Atlassian’s Cloud Roadmap and is scheduled for release sometime in Q4 of 2021.
3. You’ll need to be on a supported self-managed version – depending on your current application version, you may need to upgrade before you can install and utilize the Cloud Migration Assistants.
4. The Cloud Migration Assistant can’t migrate some data.   For Jira, this includes mail handlers, global permissions, cross-project boards, and more. For complete details on what can and cannot be migrated, see what can and can’t be migrated by the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant.

Addteq – Your Migration Partner

Cloud migration isn’t as simple as moving data or applications to the Cloud. To ensure success, you need to thoroughly assess existing workloads and processes, involve your key stakeholders, and explore all of your cloud options. You’ll need to plan your strategy, review security, compliance, and support aspects, back up data, and train users on new and improved features. This is a significant undertaking, and to guarantee success, you need to work with an experienced partner who will be with you every step of the way on your migration journey.

With over 15 years of experience providing custom solutions to a wide variety of customers, Addteq is here as your Cloud Migration Partner.  We have performed many migrations spanning organizations of all sizes, from small, independent businesses to enterprise-level organizations. We have successfully migrated over 500 thousand Atlassian and DevOps users across on-premise and cloud environments.   As your Cloud Migration Partner, we will work closely with you and your teams to assess your current environment, recommend a migration strategy, build and execute a migration plan, and provide support once you have transitioned to the Cloud.  If a custom solution is required, we can create one for you that meets your every need.

As an Atlassian Platinum Partner, Addteq has the industry knowledge and technical experience to work with the full suite of Atlassian products and the vast library of applications these products connect to. We provide a range of accredited Atlassian consulting, migration, and training services, along with integrations and customizations to organizations across all industries. Our advanced knowledge of Atlassian Cloud products, including product configuration expertise, customized solutions, and implementation services, enables us to power innovation for organizations making the most of the Atlassian Cloud.

Our large pool of Atlassian SMEs build partnerships based on mutually beneficial relationships. By investing time, implementing the right resources, and focusing on open communication, our Atlassian experts have what it takes to provide solutions that best fit the needs of your business, regardless of size or type. We’ve been there, and we’ve done this – and we’d love the opportunity to help with your migration.