How to Successfully Navigate Cloud Migration Complexities with Confidence

If you’re considering a move to the Cloud, you’re not alone. With the rise in demand for IT work, more companies are searching for ways to improve operations and reduce workloads with tools that enable smarter, faster and stronger collaboration.

That’s why Atlassian Cloud adoption has been on the rise — and why more and more customers are now reaping its rewards.

According to Atlassian, 82% of customers benefited from their migration within six months. 47% also reported their Cloud migration led to improvements in cross-functional collaboration, and an additional 44% reported a rise in quick, insight-driven decisions. In addition, Forrester reported that migrated customers saw a 20% productivity boost for developers and that 50% of IT time was reallocated to more impactful work.

How? That’s what we’re here to answer! In this article, you'll learn tips to help you confidently move to Cloud and achieve the desired results.

Why Move to Atlassian Cloud?

To get started, let’s take a look at some of the key incentives that make moving to Atlassian Cloud a good choice:

• Accessibility: Atlassian Cloud is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, making it ideal for remote and distributed teams. Team members can collaborate seamlessly, even if they are geographically dispersed.
• Security: Atlassian prioritizes security and compliance. Their cloud infrastructure is designed with robust security measures, including encryption, access controls and regular security audits to protect your data.
• Cost Savings: Moving to the cloud can be cost-effective because it eliminates the need for on-premises hardware and reduces the burden of IT management. You can redistribute time and energy to other business needs when you're not managing physical hardware or hosting.
• Global Support: Atlassian Cloud offers 24/7 global support to assist with any issues or questions, ensuring you receive prompt assistance whenever needed.
• Scalability: Atlassian Cloud can easily scale with your organization's needs. Whether your team grows or you need additional resources, you can adapt your subscription accordingly, ensuring you always have the right resources.
• Feature Disparities: Atlassian Cloud products offer a modern experience and many features you won’t find in Server or Data Center. As Atlassian invests more in the cloud, feature disparities between self-managed offerings and Cloud will only grow. 
• Integrations and Add-Ons: Atlassian Cloud offers many integrations and add-ons that can enhance your workflows. To create a comprehensive ecosystem, you can seamlessly connect your Atlassian tools with other cloud-based services and third-party applications.
• Reduced IT Overhead: Moving to Cloud can help eliminate some of your costs from IT overhead, maintenance and hardware since you’re no longer responsible for many of the costs associated with hosting and operating your Atlassian products.
• Server End-of-Life: On February 15, 2024, Atlassian is ending support for Jira Server, meaning that regular security updates that help protect your business from threats and vulnerabilities will no longer be available — but there’s still time to put a plan in place and make the move. We recommend moving to Cloud as soon as possible.

What are Common Cloud Migration Blockers?

So, with all those benefits, why are so many companies still on the fence regarding Cloud migration? Unfortunately, many myths about Cloud adoption cause some companies to pause their plans. But never fear! Let’s look at some of the most common Cloud migration blockers so you can understand how they may affect your business:

Instance Size

One concern that many companies have is the limitation on instance size. The good news is that size is becoming less of a constraint for moving to Cloud for most teams. Currently, you can have up to 20,000 users per site with unlimited storage space, which is more than enough for most organizations.

Data Migration Complexity

Another common blocker is the complexity of transferring data to the cloud. Yes, your organization can experience serious challenges with your cloud migration if you underestimate the project's complexity. But, you can overcome this challenge by assessing your current infrastructure to identify any compatibility issues or dependencies and choosing the right Solution Partner to meet your specific business needs.

Security Concerns

Concern about data security comes up a lot for companies. Many users operate in highly regulated environments where data must be secure. Atlassian takes security seriously and has robust security measures in place. They invest heavily in security infrastructure, including encryption, to safeguard your data from interception or unauthorized access. Atlassian Cloud also provides robust access controls, allowing you to define who can access specific data and what actions they can perform.

Resistance to Change

Resistance to change is another very common blocker. If your employees are resistant to adopting new cloud-based tools and processes, you can develop a communication plan that outlines the migration's objectives, timeline and benefits to both the organization and individual employees with opportunities for feedback so they feel more invested in the migration process. You should also provide comprehensive training for your team on Cloud services and tools to ensure they understand how to use them properly. Lastly, it is key to implement the transition gradually. This allows your team to become accustomed to the new environment over time.

Legacy Applications and Dependencies 

When your organization relies on a legacy system or application, decoupling them for a migration to the Cloud can be very challenging. The solution for this is to start by assessing compatibility and Cloud options. Begin by thoroughly assessing the legacy application and its integrations. Determine if the application can run in Cloud as is or if it requires modifications. Depending on compatibility, consider various cloud deployment options, such as lift-and-shift or refactoring.

Tips for Overcoming Cloud Adoption Challenges

Cloud migration is not a one-size-fits-all solution; it’s a complex and customized project that requires careful planning, preparation and execution. Because of that, it’s important to understand the steps to take to get things right. Here are some key tips for overcoming Cloud migration challenges: 

1. Develop a Sound Cloud Migration Strategy: Before migrating to the cloud, create a comprehensive cloud strategy that aligns with your business goals. Define what you want to achieve with cloud adoption — cost savings, scalability, agility, enhanced security, etc.. You should do this as early on in the process as possible, preferably during initial planning.
2. Assess Your Current State and Cloud Readiness: Conduct a thorough assessment of your existing infrastructure, including applications and data. This will help you identify which workloads suit the cloud and which may require modification or redesign.
3. Test Migration Early with a Pilot Project: Testing your migration in a non-production environment is important. This will allow your employees to get used to the new environment and allow you to work through potential issues early on before the migration is live.
4. Prepare Your Team for the Changes: Provide training and communicate the benefits of the cloud to gain buy-in from employees. Check back with your team and ask for feedback to keep everyone engaged.
5. Address Security and Compliance Concerns: Implement robust security practices to address concerns from the start. Use encryption, access controls and regular audits to protect your data.
6. Foster Collaboration Between Teams: Cross-functional collaboration is essential for successful cloud adoption, especially between key migration teams like IT, operations and development.
7. Find the Right Solution Partner: Cloud Migrations can be complicated, but with the right solution partner, it doesn’t have to be. A migration partner like ServiceRocket can help guide you through every step of the migration process, allowing you peace of mind.

What Separates ServiceRocket from Other Cloud Solution Partners?

ServiceRocket’s proven methodology mirrors Atlassian's cloud migration methodology, with clearly defined assessments, plans, prep, testing and migration phases to ensure things go as smoothly and efficiently as possible. In addition, ServiceRocket offers:

Accelerated Migrations: Experience the value of Cloud faster with end-to-end migration support, domain expertise and trusted migration practices.

Unmatched Expertise: With more than 20+ years of Atlassian experience, ServiceRocket will handle your entire migration process. 

Transparent Pricing: With transparent, fixed, cost-conscious pricing, it becomes easier to plan and forecast the cost of a Cloud migration.

Atlassian Cloud migrations require moving beyond a lift-and-shift mindset. Increase your company’s competitive advantage by harnessing the power of Cloud to improve efficiency and drive innovation.

‍We‘re here to make it happen. Our deep Atlassian expertise is built into every solution, process and service we provide. We deliver peace of mind every time. At ServiceRocket, we’ve got your back.

To learn more, check out our Cloud migration resources.