Jira Cloud vs. Server: Which One Do You Need?
My first job after I finished university was at a non-profit, and we had a massive whiteboard where we put up sticky notes of ‘to-do’ items to track the progress of projects we had in flight, and what was up next. Now, as a project manager who’s been working in tech for over six years, I shudder just thinking about that chaotic system.
Tools like Atlassian’s Jira are essential for my – and any other project manager’s – teams to track progress on projects, individual tasks, and keep work organized. But do you know how your Jira instance is hosted?
This may sound like something only an IT team would care about, but it’s important to understand the difference between Jira Cloud and Jira Server, especially since Server support is ending in February 2024.
If that last line piqued your interest, get ready to dive in.
What exactly is Jira?
Jira is a project manager’s best friend. If you want a more professional definition, according to Atlassian’s website it’s ‘the #1 agile project management tool used by teams to plan, track, release and support world-class software with confidence.’
It’s important to note that while it was originally developed to support DevOps teams, it’s used by countless others, too. Every software developer I’ve ever met has funny (and terrifying) stories about Jira tickets being passed back and forth for months, but I’ve used it while working with marketing teams, content creators, upper-level managers, and QA professionals.
It’s also used by customer support teams who record bugs and send them off to developers for fixes and deployment; tracking everything in a Jira ticket keeps the whole process organized and accessible to everyone involved.
If you have a project that involves multiple people, numerous steps, and needs to remain organized, hit multiple deadlines, and be reviewed before it’s finished and shipped off, Jira can help.
Jira Cloud vs. Server: Features
As we’ve mentioned, Jira is a software service that specializes in agile project management. It’s not difficult making the decision to use it, but how to host it is a different story.
Project managers know they need software to help improve their workflows, but how exactly will they host and utilize it within their company? That’s where understanding the difference comes into play.
Jira Cloud
Cloud-based options are a popular choice for SaaS products, as there’s no overhead needed to host or maintain them. Jira is no exception here. If you opt for the cloud-based variation the software will be hosted by Atlassian on their own servers.
Let’s take a quick look at some more details regarding Jira Cloud features:
- Affordability. Jira Cloud has a free tier that can be used for up to 10 users and 2 GB of storage. However, more robust plans start for as low as $8.15 per month. Enterprise options are also available depending on your company’s needs, and there are options for monthly or annual payments.
- Automatic updates. There’s no need to worry about software updates because they happen automatically!
- Simple administration. All active users can be divided into groups based on project scope and deliverables.
- Mobile accessibility. Your Jira account can be accessible from any device, so you and your teams can check in on tickets from anywhere.
- App integration. You can quickly and easily integrate Jira with other apps, such as Slack, Microsoft Excel, Zendesk, Figma, or GitHub.
Jira Server
In the past, Jira offered server licenses. (We’ll talk more on the upcoming end of support for this option in a bit.) This was a good option for companies with more robust needs, and those who had the resources to host everything themselves and maintain their data.
Let’s take a quick look at what this option allowed users to do:
- Privacy. There was more protection for sensitive data when hosted internally. It mitigates the chance of an external privacy breach.
- Customization. When hosting your own Jira Server, there are options for custom configurations if baseline setups aren’t specific enough for your needs.
- Data access. When you host your own data, you have access to all of it without any limitations. This can be useful but comes with a much larger overhead.
- One-time purchase. Hosting your own server means you purchase the product once; there are no recurring fees for use. However, future updates need to be paid for.
Jira Server’s end of support
Atlassian ended Jira Server license sales back in February 2021. Some companies are still utilizing it, but they won’t be able to for much longer.
As of February 15, 2024, support for server products and licenses will officially end. Technical support, upgrades, and any outstanding bug fixes will no longer be offered.
Atlassian is currently offering customers two options to move forward:
- Migrate to Jira Cloud services, or
- Update to Jira Data Center services
The right choice depends on your company’s needs, so it’s important to assess both options and how different teams within your company utilize Jira. It’s also worth noting what your budget is to continue using this software, your timeline for migrating, and what your long-term goals are.
To assist with cloud migration, Atlassian has a free Cloud Migration Trial and a Cloud Migration Assistant for Jira. Information on how to utilize both can be found on their website. You can also use Unito’s two-way sync integration for Jira to transfer data automatically between Jira Cloud and Jira Server.
How to migrate seamlessly from Jira Server with a phased migration
Most migrations require some amount of downtime as you pause important projects to transfer essential data between platforms. And since most migrations happen all at once, this doesn’t just extend that downtime, it also creates significant risks. Data can get corrupted or otherwise lost. Even extensive testing can fail to discover significant issues that put a halt on the migration, forcing everyone to start over.
You can avoid all that with a phased migration.
With a phased migration, you partition the data you need to transfer and migrate each section one at a time. It’s low-risk and downtime-free.
Want to learn how phased migrations work?
Get our free guide to phased migrations to learn how they work, how to roll them out, and how Unito can help.
Jira Cloud vs. Server: Pick a solution that will last
Many SaaS companies are making the move to offer only cloud-based services. With Jira Server being phased out, it’s time to make the switch and ensure your teams are set up in Jira Cloud so they can continue working on projects seamlessly.
No one wants to have nightmares about tickets being lost forever, so save yourself the stress and get ready to crush your 2024 workflows!