As Atlassian Server customers, many companies are currently faced with the same tricky question: data center or cloud, what happens to our instances after support for server products ends in February 2024? The Uelzener insurance companies also had to ask themselves this question – and decided to switch to the Atlassian Cloud, supported by Seibert Media.
In December 2022 the time had come: The animal insurer with around 340 employees migrated from Jira Server to the cloud. And just a few months later, the conclusion is: successfully arrived (with Jira Software and Jira Service Management). In our customer story, we take a closer look at why Uelzener chose the cloud, how the migration went and what stumbling blocks we had to overcome in the planning.
Data center vs. cloud – spoiled for choice?
With this migration story we have to start at the very beginning, because: Even before Uelzener Versicherungen could plan and test the move of their server instances, they first had to make the fundamental decision in the duel “DC vs. Cloud” as to where the journey should go. But what were the arguments that led to Data Center being knocked out?
For Marie Organiszak and Bettina Marquardt, who make the products at Uelzener Yes, Jira Service Management and Confluence support, the following advantages of the cloud outweighed:
Automated updates Less effort for configuration work Use of the native asset and configuration management tool Assets Better usability in Jira Cloud Greater flexibility More room for innovation Jira Cloud is the larger overall package
As an insurance company in the cloud: is that possible under data protection law?
That is a legitimate question – after all, as an insurance company, Uelzener is one of the financial companies and must therefore comply with the strict BaFin data protection requirements meet 100%. For this reason, in the run-up to the migration, the topic “Data protection in the cloud” carefully examined together with the data protection expert Thomas Rosin.
“What data do we actually store in the cloud and where is the data residency later? […] We also had a workshop with Mr. Rosin, […] in which some things became clear to us again. And that was great preparation, where we really decided afterwards: ‘Okay, Cloud, that’s safe and that’s the best product.’
– Bettina Marquardt
Evaluate and test first, then migrate!
After the cloud migration had been intensively checked and given the green light under data protection law, it was time to get down to business. But by that we don’t mean the actual migration, but rather the assessment and test phase – the importance of which should not be underestimated. Because what’s the saying? Testing is above studying.
And that’s exactly what Uelzener Versicherungen did: they explored the latest cloud (admin) functions in a sandbox environment, tested the data migration first and were able to find out where there could be problems with the actual migration. This phase also provided the opportunity to evaluate apps and integrations and explore what the animal insurer needs for its identity and access management (keyword: Atlassian Access). At the same time, the first training concepts for future users could be worked out.
As soon as enough tests were carried out and all stumbling blocks were cleared, the “real” Jira server instances from Uelzener were successfully migrated to Jira Cloud in December 2022. The hypercare phase began with the go-live, which meant close monitoring and extensive user support for the insurance company.
Well prepared is half the migration!
Of course, this sentence applies not only, but also to a cloud migration. And especially if you – like Uelzener Versicherungen – have no experience in this area, it is advisable to have an experienced migration partner at your side. The larger and more complex your company is and the more data protection or compliance regulations you have to take into account, the more you have to consider when planning and implementing the migration.
At Seibert Media, we have already successfully completed hundreds of migration projects and, with our expert knowledge, can help companies like Uelzener to master all the important and possibly problematic points of a cloud migration.
“For us it was simply a success factor that we had such strong partners at our side. We’ve never done anything like this before. The experience of our colleagues from Seibert Media was there and that also took away a lot of our fears because you didn’t know what was going to happen. Simply to be properly prepared, especially when it comes to data protection, BaFin, etc. All of these were the things that ultimately gave us a secure feeling about the migration.”
– Marie Organiszak
Uelzener Versicherungen goes Jira Cloud – the migration story in full length
Would you like more details on the cloud migration of Uelzener Versicherungen? Then click on our reference page or watch our in-depth video and find out which Atlassian product the pet insurer plans to move to the cloud next:
Are you also considering migrating to the Atlassian Cloud? We are happy to support you on your journey – from license advice and license purchase to systematic app assessment to test and productive migration. You want to learn more? Then simply e-mail your questions to [email protected] or make an appointment directly with our experts (at Deutsch or English possible)!
Further information
VR Payment Customer Story: Our move to the Atlassian Cloud – experiences, learnings, successes
Top 5 privacy mistakes in cloud migration
Fit for cloud migration – that was the 2nd Atlassian Cloud Day
Podcast: Migration to the Atlassian Cloud – Best Practices and Answers