Data center Vs. Cloud

[Emily _ DevSamurai]

Hi, wishing you guys an awesome Monday!

I have been doing research about the differences between Data Center and Cloud but it seems quite complicated for me to comprehend all of the docs.

Can anyone help me summarize the significant differences? I would really appreciate that. 

[Dirk Ronsmans · Accepted solution]

Hi @Emily _ DevSamurai ,

While the main idea of @Evgenii 's explenation is correct you'll also have to keep the following in mind.

Yes, Datacenter is a self-hosted solution and Cloud is on AWS and managed by Atlassian.

However, with Atlassian's Cloud strategy, keep in mind that all the main new features will be either first on Cloud or Cloud only.

So while Datacenter does give you full control over your data it also locks you in to a product that is not getting many feature updates anymore. The focus for DC is mainly on Scale and Stability while Cloud is more toward evolution

[Emily _ DevSamurai]

Hi @Dirk Ronsmans 

Thank you, I will also note them down and take into account those. Very much appreciate your time and information!

[Walter Buggenhout · Accepted solution]

Hi @Emily _ DevSamurai,

I am not sure if you have seen these pages, but I am afraid I can't point you to a better comparison than this if you want to get a high level overview of the most significant differences:

Comparison: cloud and data center at a glance 

Atlassian has a lot of products and some very well known and widely used ones have a cloud and data center version. For a feature comparison by product, see:

• Jira Software cloud vs DC 
• Jira Service Management cloud vs DC 
• Confluence cloud vs DC 
• Bitbucket cloud vs DC 

Apart from that, not that the most significant new products are cloud only, as that is where Atlassian is focusing its investments on. To name a few: Jira Work Management, Jira Product Discovery, Atlas, Atlassian Intelligence, Beacon, ...

Hope this helps!

[Emily _ DevSamurai]

Hi @Walter Buggenhout 

Thank you for your help! I have read the Comparison page but have not carefully read the comparison by each of the products. Thank you for sourcing them out. I will take a look.

[Evgenii · Accepted solution]

Hi, @Emily _ DevSamurai 

Sure :)

Here is a list of differences between on-premise and cloud Jira in bullet points:

On-Premise Jira:
- Installed on your own hardware
- Maintained by your own IT team
- Complete control over your Jira instance
- Server configuration, customization, and security is up to you
- Accessible from within your organization's network or through a VPN connection
- Full customization and integration capability
- No subscription fees, only hardware and software costs (annual charge, depending from users in license)
- You have to manage and apply upgrades manually
- IT overhead can be costly to maintain
- Limited scalability

Cloud Jira:
- Hosted on Atlassian's servers
- Maintained by Atlassian
- Quick and easy setup in just a few clicks
- Automatic upgrades and server maintenance by Atlassian
- High availability and reliability provided by Atlassian
- Easy scalability with just a few clicks
- Low maintenance cost with no IT overhead required
- Subscription fees apply
- Limited customization and integration capability
- Dependence on Internet connectivity
- No offline access possible

Conclusion:
On-premise Jira allows complete control over the installation, configuration, and customization of the instance, making it ideal for organizations that require high customization and control over their IT infrastructure. Cloud Jira, on the other hand, offers convenient and low-maintenance access to Jira from anywhere, with easy scalability and high availability. The decision between on-premise and cloud Jira depends on the specific needs of the organization, including budget, technical expertise, customization requirements, and scalability.

[Emily _ DevSamurai]

Hi @Evgenii 

Thank you for your input. This is very helpful for my research!