Most long-time Jira Server Admins, like myself, were skeptical of Jira Cloud. But now, I'm a proud Jira Cloud convert. Join me on my journey of migrating to Jira Cloud and learn the tips and tricks that helped me survive and thrive in a cloud world. I'll share the techniques to keeping your instance running smoothly (even when you can't log into the system to troubleshoot issues, restart it, or see where slowdowns are occurring). And, you'll learn how to navigate critical concerns areas around information assurance and security on the cloud.

1. RUSSELL J ZERA | MANAGER OF AGILE DEVELOPMENT | ELSEVIER, INC
Embracing Jira Cloud
Tips from an ex-Server admin

2. 1998
Bowling Green, OH
Two months before first move

3. TIMELINE OF THE JOURNEY
1998 2008 2015 PRESENT
Russell’s first
personal move
Russell begins
using Jira Server
Russell goes to
Atlassian Cloud
Personal –
Home! (Marlton,
New Jersey)
Atlassian –
2019 Atlassian
Summit in
beautiful Las
Vegas, NV with
you!

4. YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD
OF US BUT WE’RE A PRETTY
BIG DEAL

5. 1/20
Drugs successfully treat the diagnosis

6. MEDICAL ERROR IS THE
THIRD LARGEST CAUSE OF
DEATH IN THE UNITED
STATES

7. SO BASICALLY,
AT ELSEVIER
WE HELP SAVE LIVES

8. 10,000
Elsevier user license tier on Jira and
Confluence server in use in the UK
5,200
Elsevier users on Jira and Confluence
Cloud instances globally

9. Emotions and concerns in a move
SCARY RISKY UNKNOWN

10. Going to the
cloud is just
like moving!

11. Tips for embracing a move
Face it Head On
“The only thing we
have to fear is fear
itself.”
~Franklin D.
Roosevelt
Explore
The best way to
learn is to experience
Identify the
Challenges
You can’t fix it if you
don’t know it’s
broken!
Embrace
How you respond is
how your users will
respond

12. Tips for embracing a move
Face it Head On
“The only thing we
have to fear is fear
itself.”
~Franklin D.
Roosevelt
Explore
The best way to
learn is to experience
Identify the
Challenges
You can’t fix it if you
don’t know it’s
broken!
Embrace
How you respond is
how your users will
respond

13. Tips for embracing a move
Face it Head On
“The only thing we
have to fear is fear
itself.”
~Franklin D.
Roosevelt
Explore
The best way to
learn is to experience
Identify the
Challenges
You can’t fix it if you
don’t know it’s
broken!
Embrace
How you respond is
how your users will
respond

14. Adventures
with Mom

15. Tips for embracing a move
Face it Head On
“The only thing we
have to fear is fear
itself.”
~Franklin D.
Roosevelt
Explore
The best way to
learn is to experience
Identify the
Challenges
You can’t fix it if you
don’t know it’s
broken!
Embrace
How you respond is
how your users will
respond

16. Tips for embracing a move
Face it Head On
“The only thing we
have to fear is fear
itself.”
~Franklin D.
Roosevelt
Explore
The best way to
learn is to experience
Identify the
Challenges
You can’t fix it if you
don’t know it’s
broken!
Embrace
How you respond is
how your users will
respond

17. Tips for embracing a move
Face it Head On
“The only thing we
have to fear is fear
itself.”
~Franklin D.
Roosevelt
Explore
The best way to
learn is to experience
Identify the
Challenges
You can’t fix it if you
don’t know it’s
broken!
Embrace
How you respond is
how your users will
respond

18. “We’re in this
together!”

19. Tips for embracing a move
Face it Head On
“The only thing we
have to fear is fear
itself.”
~Franklin D.
Roosevelt
Explore
The best way to
learn is to experience
Identify the
Challenges
You can’t fix it if you
don’t know it’s
broken!
Embrace
How you respond is
how your users will
respond

20. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Understanding the Benefits of Cloud
• Early access to the latest and greatest features!
• Lower cost of administration and no physical hardware
• SAML Integration Exists (Atlassian Access!)

21. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Understanding the Benefits of Cloud
• Early access to the latest and greatest features!
• Lower cost of administration and no physical hardware
• SAML Integration Exists (Atlassian Access!)

22. https://status.atlassian.com/

23. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Understanding the Benefits of Cloud
• Early access to the latest and greatest features!
• Lower cost of administration and no physical hardware
• SAML Integration Exists (Atlassian Access!)

24. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Understanding the Benefits of Cloud
• Early access to the latest and greatest features!
• Lower cost of administration and no physical hardware
• SAML Integration Exists (Atlassian Access!)

25. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Understanding the Benefits of Cloud
• Early access to the latest and greatest features!
• Lower cost of administration and no physical hardware
• SAML Integration Exists (Atlassian Access!)
• Many more!

26. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:

27. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards

28. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards

29. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices

30. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices

31. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices

32. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices
• Choose add-ons that run critical operations on low-use times

33. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices
• Choose add-ons that run critical operations on low-use times

34. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices (number o
• Choose add-ons that run critical operations on low-use times

35. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices (number of ticket calls on a single page)
• Choose add-ons that run critical operations on low-use times (eg.
Eazy-BI)
• HAR FILES!!!!!

36. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices (number of ticket calls on a single page)
• Choose add-ons that run critical operations on low-use times (eg.
Eazy-BI)
• Focus on Efficient Administration
• HAR FILES!!!!!

37. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices (number of ticket calls on a single page)
• Choose add-ons that run critical operations on low-use times (eg.
Eazy-BI)
• Focus on Efficient Administration
• HAR FILES!!!!!

38. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices (number of ticket calls on a single page)
• Choose add-ons that run critical operations on low-use times (eg.
Eazy-BI)
• Focus on Efficient Administration
• HAR FILES!!!!!

39. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
System Resources and Getting Help
Clean configurations are King! Be a good tenant and be proactive.
You can’t just add resources if your instance is running slow.
What you can do:
• Avoid auto-refreshes on dashboards
• Smart Confluence practices (number of ticket calls on a single page)
• Choose add-ons that run critical operations on low-use times (eg.
Eazy-BI)
• Focus on Efficient Administration
• HAR FILES!!!!!

40. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration

41. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in Cloud!

42. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in Cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning

43. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in Cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning

44. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning

45. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in Cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities

46. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities

47. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities

48. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities

49. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in Cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows

50. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows

51. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows

52. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in Cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows
• Custom Field Contexts

53. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows
• Custom Field Contexts

54. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows
• Custom Field Contexts

55. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in Cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows
• Custom Field Contexts
• Confluence shopping cart configuration

56. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows
• Custom Field Contexts
• Confluence Shopping Cart Configuration

57. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows
• Custom Field Contexts
• Confluence Shopping Cart Configuration

58. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows
• Custom Field Contexts
• Confluence Shopping Cart Configuration

59. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Efficient Administration
• Less site-admins is key to success in cloud!
• Atlassian Access for user provisioning/deprovisioning
• Role-Based Permissioning > Group-Based Permissioning
• Reduce ‘Special Snowflake’ statuses/resolutions/priorities
• Simplified Workflows
• Custom Field Contexts
• Confluence Shopping Cart Configuration

60. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Risk & Security
ELSEVIER TP-SAQ
51-page questionnaire filled out by every vendor to
assess their risk based on our usage
Data Classification
What is the sensitivity of the data we are housing on
the cloud solution?
Cloud Sprawl is still a risk
Easy to take on and start using, generally free to start
using until you buy license, hard to develop good
governance.

61. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Risk & Security
ELSEVIER TP-SAQ
51-page questionnaire filled out by every vendor to
assess their risk based on our usage
Data Classification
What is the sensitivity of the data we are housing on
the cloud solution?
Cloud Sprawl is still a risk
Easy to take on and start using, generally free to start
using until you buy license, hard to develop good
governance.

62. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Risk & Security
ELSEVIER TP-SAQ
51-page questionnaire filled out by every vendor to
assess their risk based on our usage
Data Classification
What is the sensitivity of the data we are housing on
the cloud solution?
Cloud Sprawl is still a risk
Easy to take on and start using, generally free to start
using until you buy license, hard to develop good
governance.

66. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Risk & Security
The more breaches happen, the more sensitive
companies become towards housing cloud data.
The Home
Depot
POS system
Malware*
Target
HVAC Company
Login Compromise†
Equifax
• Identification
• Detection
• Segmentation
• Data
Governance‡

67. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Risk & Security
The more breaches happen, the more sensitive
companies become towards housing cloud data.
The Home
Depot
POS system
Malware*
Target
HVAC Company
Login Compromise†
Equifax
• Identification
• Detection
• Segmentation
• Data
Governance‡

68. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Risk & Security
The more breaches happen, the more sensitive
companies become towards housing cloud data.
The Home
Depot
POS system
Malware*
Target
HVAC Company
Login Compromise†
Equifax
• Identification
• Detection
• Segmentation
• Data
Governance‡

69. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Risk & Security
The more breaches happen, the more sensitive
companies become towards housing cloud data.
The Home
Depot
POS system
Malware*
Target
HVAC Company
Login Compromise†
Equifax
• Identification
• Detection
• Segmentation
• Data
Governance‡

70. Challenges &
Tips
Understanding
the Benefits
System
Resources
Efficient
Administration
Risk & Security
Risk & Security
The more breaches happen, the more sensitive
companies become towards housing cloud data.
The Home
Depot
POS system
Malware*
Target
HVAC Company
Login Compromise†
Equifax
• Identification
• Detection
• Segmentation
• Data
Governance‡
sources:
* https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/analysis-home-depot-breach-details-a-7323
† https://www.computerworld.com/article/2487425/target-breach-happened-because-of-a-basic-network-segmentation-error.html
‡ https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/694158.pdf

71. TIMELINE OF THE JOURNEY
1998 2008 2015 PRESENT FUTURE
Russell’s first
personal move
Russell begins
using Jira Server
Russell goes to
Atlassian Cloud
Personal –
Home! (Marlton,
New Jersey)
Atlassian –
2019 Atlassian
Summit in
beautiful Las
Vegas, NV with
you!
Where will
your move
take you?

72. TIMELINE OF THE JOURNEY
1998 2008 2015 PRESENT
Russell’s first
personal move
Russell begins
using Jira Server
Russell goes to
Atlassian Cloud
Personal –
Home! (Marlton,
New Jersey)
Atlassian –
2019 Atlassian
Summit in
beautiful Las
Vegas, NV with
you!
FUTURE
Where will
your move
take you?

73. RUSSELL J ZERA | MANAGER OF AGILE DEVELOPMENT | ELSEVIER, INC
Thank you!