Atlassian made some major announcements last month and we’ve already heard from concerned clients about how these changes will impact them, so we wanted to try to create some clarity around these announcements and what they mean for your organization.
Ok… What Happened?
Earlier this year at the 2020 Atlassian Summit, Atlassian discussed their plans to roll out massive updates to its Cloud products, including a brand new top-tier product line, Enterprise Cloud, as well as a list of new features and enhancements. The company has not been shy about it’s intentions or investments focusing on expanding its Cloud offerings.
Last month, Atlassian lived out one of its most famous company values, “Open company, no bullshit” and laid out their plans to stop selling new perpetual use licenses for their Server products in February 2021, and to end support for those products by February 2024.
But, Why?
More than a year ago, Atlassian made the decision to split their code base, and their products, into two distinct lines: Cloud and Data Center. While Data Center was initially seen as an extension of Server, it has now fully matured, and taken the place of its predecessor. For those that need an on premise solution similar to Server, Atlassian has released the single node Data Center instance.
This move, that many are saying has been ‘the writing on the wall’ for Server products for some time, allows Atlassian (and their Partners) to further unify their resources to build the best products and services to support their clients. This is evidenced already in that during the same announcement, Atlassian shared that Cloud and Data Center products will both have a list of new features ‘baked-in’ the products (from recent Atlassian acquisitions), without the need for purchasing additional plug-ins.
There’s certainly A LOT more to talk about in what’s new and coming to Cloud, but it’s clear that Atlassian believes that, moving forward, the best experience for most of its customers will be in its cloud-based offerings and that those offerings are ready for all, including large enterprise customers with heavy requirements in security, availability, and customizability.
So, What Now?
Modus Create consultants are experts in migration from Server to Cloud or to Data Center. Reach out to an Atlassian expert to help you with this move. We can help you plan, pack, and we can even be there on moving day to help with any heavy lifting.
While there are many details and changes to understand here, the primary questions for organizations using Atlassian’s server products are, “What does that mean for us?” and “What do we do now?” While most organizations will eventually need to shift or migrate to either Cloud or Data Center products, these changes will never disrupt or limit functionality in existing Server products.
That being said, all Atlassian updates and support for server products will end by February 2024. So, while you technically could continue to use your server products indefinitely, we recommend one of the following strategies in planning for your going to continue managing your team’s work through 2024 and beyond:
1. Migrate your Server products to Atlassian Cloud.
It is 100% clear that Atlassian believes Cloud is the future and is making enormous investments in its Cloud infrastructure, security, and Enterprise offerings. Cloud offers simplified maintenance, performance at scale, enhanced security and compliance, and LOTS of new features with more to come on the Cloud roadmap.
Atlassian has made it easier than ever to migrate to the Cloud with their free Cloud migration trials and tools, so clients currently on Server can evaluate Cloud for up to 12 months or the remaining length of their Server maintenance. Atlassian also offers up to 1 year complimentary on premise licenses for any clients actively migrating to Cloud, and discounts on up to 3 years of a new Cloud subscription when migrating from Server.
2. Upgrade your Server products to Data Center.
For many organizations currently using Server products, this was (or maybe should have been) already on the horizon, especially for larger organizations with more than 500 users. Data Center has some brand new features included, offers priority support from Atlassian, and allows you to maintain your applications and data on-site. Data Center pricing is changing on February 2, 2021, so consider purchasing your upgrade licenses before that time. Atlassian is also offering loyalty discounts for any Server clients who move to Data Center.
3. Remain on Server products until you’re ready.
To be clear, you’re most likely going to want to move sometime before February 2024, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be today. Licenses for Atlassian Server products are perpetual and that’s not changing. To maximize your support window, existing Server clients should plan to purchase extended maintenance of up to 3 years before February 2, 2021, the deadline for all Server purchases.
It’s important to note that organizations with multiple instances can also take a ‘hybrid’ approach, using a combination of Cloud and Data Center instances.
What’s Right For Us?
These decisions will not be straightforward for many organizations, but we wanted to share some high level benefits for each option that you may want to consider.
Care-Free with Atlassian Cloud
- Simplified maintenance. No more need to hire a team of engineers, architects, and administrators to run and maintain your Atlassian products. Building an infrastructure and network to support the tools and make them globally accessible, secure, and performant isn’t easy. Atlassian hosts the application and does all the dirty work for you.
- Improved reliability and enhanced security. Atlassian has been investing in its cloud products, primarily to ensure organizations can feel safe and secure trusting Atlassian to host your applications and data. That’s why certain Atlassian Cloud Premium plans include unlimited Data Storage and Enterprise plans include unlimited scalability. On top of that, Atlassian Cloud is more secure and available than ever with features like Single Sign-On with Atlassian Access and full encryption of your data, both in your instance and while in-transit between applications.
- Top shelf product experience. Organizations using Cloud products are going to get the full benefit from Atlassian’s deep investment in innovation and research and development. Atlassian is putting its full weight behind its Cloud-based offerings and we should expect the trend of massive improvements to the Cloud platform to continue.
Maintain Control with Data Center
- Direct control of your systems and data. Your applications and accompanying data remain at your physical site and under your immediate control.
- No need to migrate. It’s likely that most, if not all, of your existing plug-ins are compatible with Data Center. You’ll need to update your environment, but there’s no need to overcomplicate your infrastructure – Atlassian allows for single node Data Center deployments.
- Upgrades coming to Data Center. It’s hard to understate the value of the features from the products below that will start being bundled with purchases of Data Center licenses, starting February 2021.
- Jira Software Data Center – Advanced Roadmaps (formerly Portfolio)
- Confluence Data Center – Team Calendar (This is a BIG one) and Analytics for Confluence (very popular)
- Jira Service Desk Data Center – Both Asset Management products from Mindville (a recent Atlassian acquisition): Insight – Asset Management and Insight Discovery
Stay on Server – For Up to 3 Years
Nothing is changing today. Your organization can take a moment and review where you are now, where you plan to be, and what makes sense for you. While sales of new licenses will end this coming February 2021, you can continue using all of your products and be able to:
- Upgrade or downgrade products and tiers until February 2022
- Purchase new plug-ins from the Atlassian Marketplace until February 2023
- Get security updates and support for Atlassian products until February 2024
Again, every organization has the option of continuing to use unsupported products, but this is not something we suggest. Remember, support ending means you will no longer receive software updates to protect your instance from any new security concerns.
Conclusion
While Atlassian’s Server products are a big part of the company’s history, it’s safe to say that Cloud is going to play a big part of the company’s future. Atlassian Cloud products have changed a lot over the years and now are ready for the ‘big show’ with Enterprise Cloud rolling out to some of the largest companies with the highest security needs.
As Atlassian Enterprise Partners, Modus Create consultants have years of experience helping organizations move from Atlassian Server products to either Cloud or Data Center solutions, based on the needs of that particular organization. If your team needs additional guidance, contact us and we can help you choose the best path for your organization.
