Best practices to be followed for Data center to Cloud migration

[Suvidhaa Meenachipuram Subramani]

Hi,

We are planning to migrate our Jira and Confluence data center to Cloud. Kindly guide us on the Do's and Don'ts for this migration.

If there are any best practices need to be followed to ensure a smooth transition, please let us know. 

Thanks,

Suvidhaa

[Support Application]

Migrating both Jira and Confluence DC to Cloud together is ambitious but very doable with the right plan. Here's what matters most:

Do's:

• Clean your DC instance before migrating — unused schemes, archived projects, duplicate users all add risk.
• Run parallel migrations for Jira and Confluence but validate them independently.
• Test app compatibility early — many DC apps don't have Cloud equivalents and you need to find replacements before cutover day.
• Use SCIM provisioning via Atlassian Guard to keep user management clean post-migration.

Don'ts:

• Don't skip the staging migration — every DC environment has surprises.
• Don't migrate during business hours — schedule your cutover for a weekend or low-usage window.
• Don't assume automations will just work — rebuild and retest every rule.

One thing people always miss: Confluence macros. Many DC macros don't exist in Cloud — Audit them all before you migrate or you'll have broken pages everywhere.

We've run DC to Cloud migrations for multiple clients — feel free to ask specific questions here.

[Evie Z_]

@Support Application 

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Thank you for your understanding!

[OpsHub - Enterprise class Integration and Migration Solutions for Jira]

Hi @Suvidhaa Meenachipuram Subramani

Absolutely — migrating both Jira and Confluence to the Cloud is a big move, but planning ahead makes all the difference.

What to do:

• Start with a health check: Clean up unused projects, spaces, and users before migration.
• Use Atlassian’s Cloud Migration Assistants: These tools help move project/space data but don’t cover everything (like apps).
• Test in a staging environment: Do a dry run before your actual cutover to catch surprises early.
• Plan for identity management: Move to Atlassian Access for SSO and user mapping early in the process.

What to avoid:

• Don’t assume apps will work the same way in Cloud—many need replacements or manual setup.
• Don’t migrate everything “as-is” if you’ve got legacy data or unused configurations. Update your field templates. Merge or split projects.
• Avoid weekend migrations without support—have a rollback plan in place.
• And finally, a big NO to down time.

OpsHub Migration Manager, an Atlassian Solutions Partner can help by:

• Migrating Jira data with full fidelity: workflows, fields, attachments, comments.
• Handling app gaps, field mismatches, and version conflicts that can derail native tools.
• Migrate without any down time i.e. Jira DC teams continue to edit data while migration is going on.

Thanks

[Prachi Bolar]

hello ,

Welcome to community :) 

Please check this guide : https://www.atlassian.com/migration/plan/cloud-guide#atlassian-team

Thank you,

prachi

[Deleted user]

For data transition, I'd recommend you to use this tool https://marketplace.atlassian.com/vendors/1215318/help-desk-migration 

That transfers issues much better that Jira native tool. It can do both Jira SM issues and Jira tasks. 

For the settings (like workflows, etc.) you need to be very careful when you transfer them, and do a lot of manual checks if everything transferred properly

[Deleted user]

This is the seventh time you've recommended apps from the Help Desk Migration company.

It is against the policy of this forum to promote products or services for companies without disclosing if you are an employee of that company or being paid to promote them.

Sorry, but I have to report your post to the moderators.

[Deleted user]

Just Google "What are the best practices for migrating Jira and Confluence Data Center to Cloud?" to find all the documentation that Atlassian has published that on that exact topic that explains exactly what to do.