Before You Migrate to Atlassian Cloud, Clean Up Your Users - Here’s Why

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Atlassian’s recent announcement of Data Center End of Life has sent waves across the global corporations.

With the deadline set for March 2029, that gives organizations less than three years to decide their next move. No new licenses will be sold after March 2026, and after 2029, it will become read only. 

For teams who’ve relied on the Data Center for years, this isn’t just a product update, it’s a fundamental shift. The path forward is clear; it’s time to start planning for Atlassian Cloud.

But here’s the part that doesn’t get talked about enough, migration is not as straightforward as it seems.

Generally, teams think of Cloud migration as a “lift and shift.” Move everything over, switch on the new instance, and carry on.

But ask anyone who has gone through it - migrating everything as-is rarely works out well. Why? Because the mess of the existing setup often comes along too:

• Inactive and duplicate user accounts.
• Overcomplicated group structures.
• Permissions nobody remembers assigning.
• Old accounts tied to contractors or vendors who left years ago.

The result? Your “fresh start” on Cloud isn’t fresh at all.

Why User Cleanup Should Be Step One

Cloud migration is the perfect chance to hit reset. But it only works if you clean up first.

Here’s why:

• Cost savings: Cloud licenses are billed per active user. If you migrate thousands of inactive accounts, you’re literally paying for seats no one uses.
• Better security: Old, forgotten accounts are security risks that you don’t want to take to your Cloud environment.
• Faster migration: The fewer accounts and groups to carry forward, the easier and less error-prone the migration becomes.
• Compliance confidence: A lean, well-audited user base makes it easier to meet internal and regulatory requirements.

In other words, user cleanup isn’t optional, it’s foundational.

The Challenge: Manual Cleanup is Painful

Now, here’s the tricky part. If you’ve ever tried to manually audit users and groups in Data Center, you know it’s a nightmare:

• Thousands of accounts spread across directories.
• No easy way to spot duplicates or dormant users.
• Permissions scattered across projects and spaces.

Doing this manually before migration could take months and that’s time most teams don’t have.

                                   

A Must-Have Tool for Pre-Migration Success

This is where the miniOrange Automated User Management app on Atlassian Data Center becomes a game changer.

Instead of drowning in spreadsheets and manual checks, the right tool can:

• Automatically detect inactive accounts based on login history.
• Generate a CSV for stakeholder review and approval.
• Provide one-click actions to deactivate or clean up accounts safely.

It’s like having a migration-ready filter built right into your Data Center environment.

The Payoff: A True Fresh Start on Cloud

By running user cleanup on Data Center first, your migration becomes:

• Cheaper - no wasted spend on inactive users.
• Faster - less data to move, fewer errors.
• Safer - only the right people get access to Cloud.
• Cleaner - you start fresh, without old baggage.

Think of it like moving into a new home. You wouldn’t pack up broken furniture and boxes of clutter you haven’t touched in years. You’d sort, clean, and only take what you really need.

Cloud migration is no different.

Final Thoughts

The Atlassian Data Center EOL is a turning point. Whether you’re ready or not, the countdown has begun. But it’s also an opportunity: a chance to modernize, simplify, and secure your Atlassian environment.

And it all starts with user cleanup.

If you want to make that process faster and stress-free, miniOrange Automated User Management app can help you get there-giving you the visibility, automation, and confidence you need before migration.

Because the best way to move forward is to start fresh.

[Darin - Opus Guard]

Yes and clean your content too! User + Data clean up before migration, that way you can start fresh when you're in the Cloud. Bring only what you need, this is an awesome opportunity for every enterprise to do some spring cleaning.

I'm available for a coffee chat any time (free just so you know). miniOrange Automated User Management is a great start to your migration, check out Content Retention Manager for Cloud Migrations  to compliment user management with content management and keep your new cloud clean too!