From Data Center to Cloud: how customers are rethinking apps

[#1]

Over the last months, I have spoken with many teams who are making the move from Data Center to Cloud. It is not always an easy decision. Some teams have been running the same setup for years, with apps they know very well. Change feels risky.

But what I see is interesting: once the first step is taken, many of these teams start to see opportunity instead of just challenge.

The first reaction: hesitation

At the beginning, most customers say the same thing:

• “We don’t want to lose what we already have.”

• “We are afraid Cloud apps won’t be strong enough.”

• “Migration sounds complicated.”

This hesitation is normal. Data Center gave them stability, and moving means facing the unknown.

What changes in Cloud

After some weeks in Cloud, the conversation usually shifts. Customers discover:

• New apps they never considered before.

• Easier ways to integrate tools directly inside Confluence or Jira.

• That Cloud is not “less powerful,” but sometimes even more flexible.

One big factor here is Forge. Customers often tell me:
 — “If this app runs on Forge, it means Atlassian is behind it. That gives us trust.”

Forge creates a clear signal: apps can be secure, compliant, and safe for enterprise use. This is something many Data Center admins were waiting for before giving new vendors a chance.

A chance to rethink workflows

I’ve seen several teams use this moment of change to also change how they work.

Instead of just replacing their old setup “1 to 1,” they ask:

• “Can we simplify this process?”

• “Do we still need three tools, or can one app now do the job?”

• “If we are starting fresh in Cloud, what would be the smarter way to set things up?”

For me, this is the positive side of migration: it’s not only a technical move, but also a chance to improve.

Moving from Data Center to Cloud is not always easy. But what I see is that many customers—after the first hesitation—discover new apps, new trust with Forge, and new ways of working.

• If you already moved, did you also see this change in mindset?
• If you are still on Data Center, what is the biggest thing holding you back?

Enjoy!

— Mia Tamm

[Elena_Communardo Products]

@Mia Tamm _Simpleasyty_ Totally agree: the first step is the hardest, but once teams experience the possibilities, the conversation changes. Thank you for sharing these insights!

[Nick Wade -Opus Guard-]

Totally resonate with this, Mia. That “first step” mindset shift is real. Once teams are in Cloud, they can stop trying to mirror the past and start really optimizing for the future.

One practical way we see that happen is with content lifecycle. Confluence and Jira are powerful, but without clear retention from day one, content sprawl creeps in fast. Search and Rovo/AI output quality drops, onboarding gets harder, governance gets real fuzzy. Establishing automated, policy‑driven retention early (review → archive → delete, with exceptions for evergreen or regulated content) keeps the signal high and the noise lower. Side-benefit: backups are more efficient and more compliant as well, and their object storage simply costs less (to store 3x copies of a 35% larger backup costs approximately double what it could be).

This the core idea behind Opus Guard’s Content Retention Manager for Atlassian Cloud: set policies once, apply them consistently across spaces (and fka projects), track all the decisions with audit-ability, honor legal holds, and give content retention to delegated groups of content admins to do lightweight approvals when needed. It’s a small change that compounds: better search relevance, less model drift and cognitive decline from Rovo, leaner workspaces everywhere, stronger compliance posture, and happier teams who do less manual upkeep to better find what they need and trust what they see.

In short: start fresh, and stay fresh. Cloud gives you the flexibility; automated retention gives you the discipline to keep it that way.