The process of a Cloud Migration

1. Evaluation

This phase takes stock of the current environment and identifies the differences between cloud and self-managed deployments, such as features, maintenance and costs. In reviewing the current environment, it is noted what products are available, both from Atlassian but also from other vendors that will be integrated.

Once the information has been gathered, it is time to understand the potential complexity of the migration by reviewing the amount of data and the number of users that will be migrated to the cloud.

2. Planning

After determining what the project should entail and the direction, one plans the actual migration. One determines one's optimal strategy and creates a timeline to complete the remaining steps. This involves deciding if Atlassian Access is needed, determining the app migration paths, and the user migration strategy.

At the end of this phase there should be the final project plan.

3. Preparation

Once the plan is in place, the environments and data must be prepared for migration. The details of the migration are discussed with the stakeholders and the teams affected by it. To perform the migration, the server or data center instance must have a specific version.

The more data that is migrated, the more complex and longer the migration is likely to be, which can impact cloud performance later. Thus, cleanup is recommended before the actual migration.

In addition, the preparation of training materials is also part of the process. To guarantee a smooth process, it is important that the migration plan is also communicated and the final dates are set.

4. Testing

In this phase, a test run is performed and it is ensured that everything is in order. In addition, it is determined how long the actual migration will take and whether there are any problems before the productive migration. The content is already imported into a test environment of the Atlassian Cloud. During this process, any obstacles or problems are identified. These are documented and resolved.

Test migration includes running user acceptance tests so that end users can replicate everyday tasks.

To ensure a smooth production migration, the test migration can be simulated again for complex instances to check that all steps have been followed. This is not always necessary, but is discussed on a case-by-case basis together with the customer based on scope and complexity. This is also the point at which we usually start preparing users for the new system.

5. Migration

In this phase, production migration is executed and users and data are moved to the cloud. Short-term issues are resolved and the identified app migration paths are followed.

After this migration, employees will start working in the new environment. Fundamental to this is that all data has been transferred in a qualitatively and quantitatively flawless manner. To ensure this, the test migration was carried out.
During the productive migration, the systems are only accessible in a read-only state. For this reason, the migration is carefully planned to keep the restrictions for the employees as low as possible.

6. Introduction

After the migration has been successfully completed, it is important to ensure that the team and admins are well prepared for the cloud. In the first few weeks after the migration, it is still important to keep time free for questions, feedback and resolving migration issues. Minor rework or training occurs during this phase. It also ensures that all project participants can continue to work successfully.