Jira by Atlassian is indeed one of the renowned project management tools that modern businesses cannot do without. And as it continues to grow, the number of add-ons (plugins) increases to enhance its utility. However, migrating from Jira Server to Cloud presents a unique challenge, especially when preparing the add-ons for a trouble-free transition. In this article, we walk you through the key steps to evaluate and prep your add-ons.
Why Evaluate Add-ons When Migrating from Server to Cloud?
Many organizations fail to understand the critical role of add-ons during cloud migrations, leading to delayed processes or even failure of the migration. Jira draws its extensibility from a vast marketplace of over 5000+ add-ons, enhancing its native capabilities and meeting diverse business needs. For instance, plugins like Comala Document Management and Jira Misc Workflow Extensions (JMWE) come in handy to improve reporting, documentation and workflow management, assets that keep top brass satisfied. We have compiled a list of exceptional plug-ins that can enhance the functionality and productivity of your enterprise. These plug-ins are designed to serve various business needs and can help streamline your operations, boost efficiency, and optimize performance. Take a look and see how they can benefit your organization:
- Comala Document Management: Streamline document review, approval, and version control within Jira.
- Comala Publishing: Publish approved content from Confluence to other spaces, websites, or repositories.
- Project Configurator: Simplify Jira project configuration and migration with faster setup and automation.
- ScriptRunner: Extend and customize Jira’s capabilities with advanced scripting and automation features.
- Jira Misc Workflow Extensions (JMWE): Turbocharge Jira workflows with additional automation and customization options.
- Herzum Approval: Enhance Jira approval processes with multi-level and flexible approval workflows.
However, add-ons present a unique challenge during migration from Jira Server to Cloud due to structural and architectural differences. Some plugins may not feature a like-for-like Server/Cloud variant, leading to data loss or need for manual data conversion. Others may lack adequate Cloud Migration documentation, leaving you in a lurch in the migration process. Therefore, you need to take potential add-on issues into account to make your migration smooth.
How to Evaluate and Prepare your Server Add-On Stack
- Understand Your Add-ons
Begin by getting a comprehensive picture of your instance. This step should be manageable with help from an Atlassian Admin or your Technical Account contact. You need to know which add-ons you have, their purpose, and how critical they are to maintaining your operations.
- Review Add-on Usage and Criticality
At this point, you need to assess how you use your add-ons and whether they’re essential for the cloud platform. To do this objectively, consider using Admin Toolbox for Jira to find out how critical an add-on is in your portfolio.
- Review the Add-on’s Cloud Migration Documentation
While preparing for migration, most marketplace add-on developers offer helpful documentation and contact information. Always check if the vendor is part of Atlassian’s App Migration Platform (AMP). Raise a ticket if they are not and find out if they plan to join the program. Clear communication regarding your use case can make or break the success of your migration sequence.
- Be Mindful of Migration Scenarios
Depending on the add-ons, you may face different migration scenarios. For instance, with the ScriptRunner add-on, some server functionalities may not migrate to the cloud variant. In such cases, you may need to consider data migration strategies or look for alternative add-ons that can fulfill the same needs in the cloud architecture.
Transitioning from Jira Server to Cloud demands careful planning, evaluation, and preparation of your add-ons. This guide should provide you with the foundation needed to understand the migration process better.
Taking the bold step into Cloud Migration? Let’s make your journey smooth and hassle-free. At Clovity, we have experts ready to help with add-on handling and Atlassian licenses. Schedule your time with us here.
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