Follow up FAQ - Getting started with Atlassian Guard Premium webinar

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Hey folks! I recently hosted the Kickstart your security: Getting started with Atlassian Guard Premium webinar. 

Missed it? You can catch the replay here: Watch on-demand ⏯️

It was awesome to see so many folks excited to learn about AGP. We covered a lot of topics during Q&A, so I wanted to follow up with answers to your most common questions and a couple we didn’t get a chance to answer live. 👇

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How does Atlassian Guard differ from Atlassian Guard Premium? 

There are currently two versions of Atlassian Guard:

Guard Standard allows organizations of all sizes to set and enforce policies to protect data and user access. It gives organizations the flexibility to manage access and ensure only the right people have access to critical data.

Guard Premium is designed for organizations with advanced or evolving security requirements, especially those in regulated sectors. It provides more granular controls, proactive threat detection, and robust investigation and remediation workflows, building on the foundational identity and access management features of Guard Standard.

In short, if you need advanced data protection, comprehensive audit logs, and automated threat detection and response, Guard Premium is the right choice. For basic identity, access, and security controls, Guard Standard is sufficient and is now included as part of our Teamwork Collection. 

What are the data residency aspects of the Guard Premium features/capabilities (i.e. data egress, processing, and storage capabilities for content scanning)?

Atlassian Guard Premium scans and protects your data within Atlassian Cloud. All sensitive data processing (like content scanning) happens in Atlassian’s cloud, and alert data is stored in the US for 180 days.

Data only leaves Atlassian if you set up integrations with external tools. Data residency for detection data is on the roadmap. 

Is Atlassian Guard Premium available for other Atlassian tools, like Trello, or just for Jira and Confluence?

No, Atlassian Guard Premium does not cover Trello, but it does cover Jira and Confluence Cloud. In Atlassian Guard Standard, you can apply organization-wide security policies like SSO, two-step verification, and password policies to Trello users, just like with other Atlassian Cloud products.

Does Guard Detect replace the need to monitor the Audit Log?

Guard Detect and Guard Premium provide advanced monitoring, alerting, and data loss prevention features, but they do not fully replace the need to monitor the Audit Log. Here’s why:

• Guard Detect is designed to surface alerts and provide investigation tools, referencing data from the Atlassian Administration audit logs and product audit logs (Jira, Confluence, etc.). However, it does not store all raw log data itself; it surfaces relevant events for investigation and alerting purposes.

• Audit Logs remain the authoritative source for a complete, detailed record of user actions, system events, and data modifications. Guard Detect and Guard Premium leverage these logs for their alerting and investigation features, but do not capture every event or provide the same level of detail as the audit logs themselves.

• Retention and Export: Both Guard Detect alert data and audit logs are retained for 180 days. For long-term storage or compliance, administrators are advised to export audit logs periodically.

• Access and Use Cases: Guard Detect is optimized for alerting and investigation, while the audit log is essential for comprehensive reviews, compliance, and forensic analysis. Some events and granular details may only be available in the audit log.

Phew, that was a lot! 😮‍💨 The TL;DR is yes, Guard Standard and Guard Premium enhance monitoring and alerting, but you should still monitor the Audit Log for full visibility, compliance, and detailed investigations. Guard Premium references and surfaces audit log events, but does not replace the audit log as the system of record.

How can I learn more about getting started with or trialing Guard Premium?

You're in luck! We host a monthly live demo for Atlassian Guard featuring our security + product experts with a live Q&A.

You can also start a trial at any time from your Administration hub. You will need to have a Guard Standard subscription started first before trialing Guard Premium.

Grab a spot: Live Guard Demo ▶️

Will Atlassian Guard features apply to Forge apps?

Atlassian Guard will alert you to key Forge app events (like installation/removal), but does not provide full, granular monitoring of all Forge app activities. Forge apps benefit from Atlassian’s platform security, but not all Guard features apply directly to their internal operations.

For example, deeper security controls and monitoring (such as data loss prevention, content scanning, or detailed user activity within Forge apps) are not universally applied to all Forge app actions. The primary focus is on surfacing installation/removal events and some anomalous activities. However, the responsibility for certain security features (like authentication and authorization) is shared between Atlassian and the app developer.

What other connectors or integrations does Guard support?

Atlassian Guard offers straightforward integration with other products you may already be using in your security stack – including Microsoft, Netskope, Splunk, Zscaler, and Slack – providing a centralized view of all alerts in your SIEM. For the most up-to-date list, head over here (Available Guard Connectors) to get the latest list! 

Are there controls for admins to control 3rd party connectors?

Yes. In your Admin Hub/Atlassian Guard, you can set controls for which connectors are allowed.

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Feel free to ask more below, or hear directly from our product team at their upcoming webinar - register here! 🙌