Jira Service Management Data Center to Cloud migration
Atlassian stops selling new Data Center subscriptions, apps and expansions to existing customers on 30 March 2028, and Data Center products become read-only on 28 March 2029. Systemology is an Atlassian Gold Partner that has delivered Jira Service Management (JSM) and ITSM in Australia since 2012. Our Sydney team plans and runs the move of your service desk to JSM Cloud, including Assets, SLAs, portals and automation.
Atlassian Data Center end of life: what happens in 2028 and 2029
From 28 March 2029, JSM Data Center and its Marketplace apps become read-only, and Atlassian ends technical support, security fixes and Cloud connectors. Existing customers can renew their current user and app counts until then, with renewals prorated to that date. The same dates apply to Jira and Confluence Data Center, which we migrate alongside JSM. Bitbucket and Bamboo Data Center are the exceptions and continue past 2029.
Closed to new customers
New customers can no longer buy Data Center subscriptions or Data Center Marketplace apps. Atlassian's phased support wind-down began on this date.
No growth on Data Center
Existing customers can no longer buy new subscriptions, user expansions, upgrades or new Data Center apps. A service desk that adds agents or apps after this date has to do it in Cloud.
Read-only
Subscriptions and apps expire. Your data stays readable, although your team cannot raise or update requests, and Atlassian advises against running a read-only instance connected to the internet because security fixes have ended.
We plan every migration against the published dates. Source: Atlassian Data Center end of life, checked October 2026.
What should we do before Data Center end of life?
JSM Data Center customers have three realistic paths. The right one depends on your instance, your renewal date and how much of the service desk you plan to redesign.
Migrate to JSM Cloud
Atlassian's supported path. Projects, request types, SLAs and customers move with the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant, and we add design work for the parts it does not handle well, such as Assets, automation, scripts and apps.
Apply for extended maintenance
Atlassian grants extended maintenance and multi-year Data Center extensions case by case. An extension gives more time to complete the migration and does not change the end of life date.
Move to another platform
Leaving the Atlassian suite means rebuilding workflows, request types, Assets and integrations on a new tool, then retraining agents and customers.
Running Data Center read-only does not work for a live service desk, because requests can no longer be raised or updated after 28 March 2029. For most JSM customers the practical first step is an assessment. It shows what moves cleanly, what needs redesign and how long the work takes, so the migration is planned against the March 2028 cut-off.
Running JSM Data Center today? Find out what your migration involves before the 2028 cut-off.
Request a free migration assessment →A service desk needs more than a lift and shift
Atlassian's Jira Cloud Migration Assistant moves JSM projects, request types, SLAs, calendars, queues, approvals and customers. Several parts of a working service desk sit outside it, and those parts decide whether agents and customers notice the change.
Assets
Assets in Cloud needs a JSM Premium or Enterprise plan, which changes the licence decision. Schemas, objects, references and history migrate. Assets imports, Assets automation and reports do not, and a work item keeps at most 20 objects in one Assets field.
SLAs and calendars
SLA goals and calendars migrate with the project. We compare SLA results on sample requests in Cloud with the same requests in Data Center, so service reporting continues across the move.
Automation and scripts
Migrated automation rules arrive disabled, and steps such as Send web request and outgoing webhooks are rebuilt by hand. ScriptRunner scripts do not run on Cloud as written. Each one is rewritten for the Cloud REST API or replaced with a standard Cloud feature.
Portal, email and knowledge
Portal settings and notification templates migrate. Mail handlers, canned responses and knowledge base links to service projects are not migrated, so we configure email channels and the help centre and test them before customers use them.
Customers and identity
Each customer receives a Cloud account. Portal-only customers who already hold an Atlassian account become Atlassian accounts, and inactive customers appear as Former customer. We migrate customers ahead of the data and connect your identity provider in the design.
Marketplace apps
Data Center apps expire with Data Center. Each app needs a decision: move to its Cloud version, adjust to its different Cloud behaviour, replace with a standard JSM feature, or retire.
Using Assets or ScriptRunner? Start with an assessment of your instance.
Request a free migration assessment →How we move your service desk to JSM Cloud
Duration depends on the number of projects, the volume of Assets data, and the apps, scripts and integrations in scope, so the plan comes from your assessment. We recommend a cutover before 30 March 2028, when a Data Center instance can no longer add users or apps.
- AssessProjects, Assets schemas, automation, scripts, apps, security and user management reviewed against Cloud
- PlanCloud plan and data residency, a decision for each app and script, and a migration runbook with your production windows
- PrepareVersion upgrade where needed, server memory and data clean-up, and Atlassian's pre-migration checks completed
- TestTest migrations run from the runbook, timed, reconciled against Data Center and accepted by your agents
- MigrateData Center set to read-only, the production run completed, and portal, email channels and SLAs checked before users are redirected
- Launch and supportHypercare from the consultants who ran the migration, Atlassian University training for your administrators, then annual managed services
Atlassian offers Cloud migration trials that run for the remaining length of your Data Center subscription, and dual licensing for larger customers, so both platforms can run side by side while you test.
What the migration assistant moves, and where we add design work
The Jira Cloud Migration Assistant is Atlassian's free tool for moving Jira and JSM from Data Center to Cloud, and we use it on every migration. The table sets its documented coverage for JSM beside the work Systemology does around it.
Sources: Atlassian documentation on what the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant migrates, how Assets are migrated, migrating automation, migrating JSM customers and data residency, and ScriptRunner's Jira migration guide, checked October 2026.
Cloud migrations for Australian organisations
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) moved Jira Software and Confluence from Server to Cloud with Systemology. The assessment reviewed 12 Marketplace apps one by one, and apps without a vendor-supported migration path were agreed with UTS and handled outside the migration. Varsha Agarwal, Senior Project Manager at UTS, talks through the project in our customer interview.
A Jira Data Center to Cloud migration combined with a new Jira Service Management design and build. The engagement runs as separate workstreams for the technical migration, the JSM design, and commercial and licensing.
A migration assessment for your JSM Data Center environment
We review your instance with your IT Manager and return a written assessment your CIO can take to the business case.
Send us your Data Center version, agent numbers and current renewal date. We arrange a working session with your administrators, run Atlassian's pre-migration checks with them, and walk your team through the findings.
What the assessment contains
- Inventory of projects, Assets schemas, automation rules, scripts and Marketplace apps
- Recommended JSM Cloud plan, including whether Assets needs Premium or Enterprise
- A decision for each app and script: move, replace with a standard feature, or retire
- Your licensing position and the Atlassian migration offers that apply to you
- An indicative plan to your preferred cutover date, with a fixed-price quote where the data allows
Australia's most specialised Jira Service Management consultancy
Depth in JSM
More than 90% of our delivery work is JSM and ITSM, so we know how Assets, SLAs and portals behave once they reach Cloud. Read more about how we work as your Atlassian partner.
Enterprise and government grade
Consultants hold security clearances from Baseline to Positive Vetting, and we sit on Commonwealth and state government supply panels.
One Australian team
All delivery is performed by Systemology staff in Sydney, and your data is accessed only from Australia.
The same engineers after cutover
Annual managed services keep the consultants who ran your migration on your Cloud site. Many clients then extend JSM beyond IT with enterprise service management.
JSM Data Center to Cloud migration FAQ
When does Jira Service Management Data Center reach end of life?
On 28 March 2029. From that date Data Center subscriptions and Marketplace apps expire, the products become read-only, and Atlassian ends technical support and security fixes. Existing customers can no longer buy new subscriptions, apps or expansions after 30 March 2028.
What should we do before Atlassian Data Center end of life?
Most JSM Data Center customers should plan a migration to JSM Cloud, which is Atlassian's supported path. Atlassian grants extended maintenance by exception only, and moving to another platform means a full re-implementation. Start with an assessment of your instance so the migration is planned and tested before 30 March 2028.
When should we start planning the migration?
Start with an assessment now if your instance uses Assets, ScriptRunner or several Marketplace apps, since those take the most design work. We recommend completing the cutover before 30 March 2028, because after that date a Data Center instance cannot add users or apps to cover growth while the migration is under way.
How long does a JSM Data Center to Cloud migration take?
It depends on the number of projects, the volume of Assets data, and the apps, scripts and integrations in scope. We give you a plan for your instance after the assessment, and test migrations confirm it before the cutover date is set.
Does our Data Center instance need work before migration?
Often. Newer versions carry newer versions of the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant, so an older instance may need an upgrade first. Migration also places heavy demand on server memory. In our experience an under-resourced server can make a single migration run take more than 30 hours or fail part way through. The assessment checks version, memory and the data clean-up needed before the first test run.
Can our JSM data stay in Australia?
Yes. Atlassian offers an Australia (Sydney) data residency region for JSM on Standard, Premium and Enterprise plans. Work items, attachments, SLA data, request types and Assets objects are in scope. Customer accounts and user account information are held in Atlassian's central identity service and sit outside data residency.
Will Assets migrate to Cloud?
Yes, on a JSM Premium or Enterprise plan. The Jira Cloud Migration Assistant moves object schemas, objects, references, history and attachments. Assets imports, Assets automation and reports are not migrated and are rebuilt in Cloud, and Cloud limits such as 20 objects per Assets field on a work item apply.
What happens to our ScriptRunner scripts?
Data Center scripts do not run on Cloud as written. Each script is rewritten for the Cloud REST API or replaced with a standard Cloud feature such as automation, and the assessment lists the decision for each one.
Do we pay for Data Center and Cloud at the same time?
Atlassian offers Cloud migration trials that run for the remaining length of your Data Center subscription, step-up credits for unused Data Center maintenance, and dual licensing for larger customers. Eligibility varies, so the assessment sets out which offers apply to you. Systemology supplies Atlassian Cloud subscriptions billed in Australian dollars. See Atlassian licensing through Systemology.
Do our administrators need training for Cloud?
We recommend it. Cloud administration differs from Data Center in important ways, including user and site administration through Atlassian Administration. Systemology is an accredited Atlassian University training provider and runs administrator training as part of the launch phase or as a separate course. See our Atlassian training courses.
Can Systemology support us after the migration?
Yes. Annual managed services keep the consultants who ran your migration on your JSM Cloud site, with planned capacity for improvements after cutover.
Find out what your migration involves
Tell us about your JSM Data Center environment below. Your request reaches the migration team directly, and we reply within one business hour to arrange a time.
Request a free migration assessment
We review your JSM Data Center instance with your team and return a written assessment: Cloud plan, app and script decisions, licensing position and a plan to your preferred cutover date.
Not ready to talk yet? Register for a JSM Showcase event and see Jira Service Management running live.