Choose a Cloud migration method

There are many factors to consider when choosing a Cloud migration method, including technical and non-technical requirements. It’s also possible you may need to use more than one method to complete a migration (for example, to merge multiple Server or Data Center instances or Cloud sites).

A pre-assessment of your Server or Data Center instance and Cloud site will help you choose the migration method that meets your needs and minimize the risk of any negative impacts during your migration.

During your pre-assessment, you should consider:

• your destination: Some of the recommendations are dependent on whether there’s data present in your Cloud site already. We refer to a site with data present as an existing Cloud site. We refer to a site that doesn’t have data yet as a new Cloud site.

• what products you need to migrate

• the data you need in Cloud: Choosing the right migration method requires you to clearly define what you need to migrate. Do you need to migrate all data or just a selection of projects or spaces? Knowing this can help avoid migrating data that isn’t needed in Cloud while reducing your time to migrate and risk of errors during the migration.

• consolidation:  Do you need to migrate multiple Server or Data Center instances or Cloud sites?

• downtime: Generally speaking, the more data and users you need to migrate, the more downtime you can expect and the greater the benefit of a method that supports migrating in stages.

• migration method: Atlassian strongly recommends a lift and shift method for all teams with less than 10,000 users. For teams with over 10,000 users, we recommend contacting us or a migration partner as soon as possible. You will also have the option to choose whether to migrate all of your data or choose what to migrate. Learn more about migration methods in the Cloud migration guide

• app migration: some migration methods can also migrate your app data. Atlassian works with top Marketplace Partners on automated app migrations, which enables the migration of app data using the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant and Confluence Cloud Migration Assistant.

When to use a Solution Partner

We recommend you work with an Atlassian Solution Partner if you have a more complex migration or:

• limited internal resources to help with this project

• a complex merging scenario

• specific security and compliance needs

• over 1,000 users to migrate

• a specific condensed migration timeline

• five or more business-critical apps to migrate

• you need help with things outside of the scope of Atlassian support, including User Acceptance Testing, Server upgrades, or user training

• you need assistance with migration project management, planning, and execution

Solution Partners are specifically trained to help you migrate to Cloud successfully and with minimal disruption. If you think your organization could benefit from this assistance, contact a Solution Partner for migration services.

Recommended migration methods

There are various ways to get you successfully migrated to Jira Cloud, Confluence Cloud and Bitbucket Cloud. We recommend our free migration assistant apps as simple and reliable ways to migrate your data from Server or Data Center to Cloud.

Atlassian is actively investing in improvements to the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant and Confluence Cloud Migration Assistant, including support for cloud-to-cloud migrations and automated app migrations. Learn about the latest updates in the Cloud Roadmap

For a more detailed breakdown of our migration methods, see the following pages:

• Migrate using a lift and shift method

• Cloud migration methods for Jira

• Cloud migration methods for Confluence

• Cloud migration methods for Bitbucket

More information and support

We have a number of channels available to help you with your migration.

• For migration planning information, visit the Atlassian Migration Program website.

• For technical issues or support with strategy and best practices, get in touch with our support team.

• For peer advice, ask the Atlassian Community.

• For expert guidance, work with an Atlassian Partner.

• For more help, check out the Cloud migration guide or register for our Cloud migration demos with live chat Q&A.