Automation for Jira will be included in Jira Data Center

[#1]

Hello!  I'm Olga - a Product Manager working on Jira Data Center here at Atlassian! 

We are excited to share that Automation for Jira (A4J) will be included as native functionality in Jira Software Data Center and Jira Service Management Data Center in a to-be-determined release coming before June 30, 2022. At the time of the release, the Automation for Jira app for Data Center will become a free marketplace app, meaning as long as you are on a supported Jira Data Center license you can leverage the app for free until you upgrade to a future release where it is included natively.

Benefits of Automation for Jira

The Automation for Jira marketplace app is a powerful no-code automation engine that allows customers to automate and extend Jira’s capabilities. It supports thousands of use cases, such as synchronizing parent and sub-tasks, smart auto-assigning, tracking SLAs, the ability to act on linked issues, and more. Automation also supports more advanced processes like approval workflows or defect management. Automation can even support communication between separate instances and integrate with other tools using available webhooks based triggers.

In short, Automation for Jira empowers end-users to automate mundane tasks safely and enables easier management for admins at scale.

Automation makes teams more autonomous

We understand it may not always seem feasible to customize workflows for every team separately. Instead, it can be easier to create standardized templates that all teams follow, not allowing granular changes or unique inputs.

Automation for Jira is a game-changer enabling teams to be more autonomous, by providing an opportunity to customise their process and workflows. With our simple rule builder, Project Admins can configure powerful automation rules to handle even the most complex scenarios and boost team efficiency.

Built-in automation is easier to manage

We know that automation can generate large traffic loads for an instance. It requires your attention to build proper processes and rules that scale - to achieve powerful solutions but also satisfying performance and stability. On the product side, we’re constantly improving diagnostics and performance related to Automation for Jira. Learn more about detailed audit logs and other build-in solutions that allow you to achieve stable performance.

Benefits of automation at scale

Benefit	Examples of automation capabilities
Improve workflows by adding global automation	synchronize parent and sub-tasks auto link related issues auto-assign Jira issues for distributed teams identify SLA breaches issue creation from one instance to another one
Empower teams to create their own rules	smart auto-assign auto-create subtasks
Keep your boards and instance clean	close duplicate Jira issues delete old issues delete issue links delete comments delete attachments from old issues move issues between instances

Deprecation of Automation for Jira Server application in the marketplace

With the inclusion of Automation for Jira in Data Center, and the A4J DC app becoming zero-dollar we will be delisting Automation for the Jira Server app from the marketplace on June 30, 2022. We will continue to support customers with an active license and maintain the Automation for Jira Server app within the bounds of the Server EoL policy (Feb 15, 2024).

What does it mean for Server customers?

• After June 30th, 2022 you will not be able to purchase or request a quote for this app anymore. If you’d like to leverage Jira’s automation capabilities, we recommend migrating to either Cloud or Data Center.

• If you have an existing license of Automation for Jira Server you can continue to renew support and maintenance for these apps until the end of the support date.

As always, thank you for your support and feedback! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

[Ravi Sagar _Sparxsys_]

Oh wow this is really good news. Thanks for the update @Olga Springer 

[Juan Camilo Guerrero Chaya]

Hi Olga, excellent news!

we're excited to start with this new functionality for data center.

[Taranjeet Singh]

That's really great news! Thanks for sharing the updates, @Olga Springer !

I have a question:

- What will a customer do if they upgrade to a higher Jira Server version anytime after June 30, 2022, when there is no longer a compatible version of Automation for Jira Server app for the upgraded Jira Server version? Would they need to purchase & apply a DC license for Automation for Jira app to run a newer compatible version on Jira Server, or do something else? Please clarify.

[Olga Springer]

Customers who have a paid licence of Automation for Jira Server would be able to continue using the app after they upgrade to a higher Jira Server version. Automation for Jira Server app will be compatible with the new versions of Jira Server.

Customers with the paid licence of Automation for Jira Server will be able to continue renewing support and maintenance until the end of the support date (Feb15, 2024).

Let me know if it helps, thank you!

[Taranjeet Singh]

Thanks for the clarification, @Olga Springer ! This answers my question, mainly when you mentioned that existing Automation for Jira Server app will be made compatible with the newer or higher versions of Jira Server, post June 30, 2022.

Would the existing customers with the paid license also get newer versions of Jira Automation for Server app after June 30, 2022, as part of renewing their maintenance & support for the app? 

[Olga Springer]

Yes, existing customers with the paid licence will get newer versions of the A4J Server app after June 30, 2022, as part of renewing their maintenance & support.

[Taranjeet Singh]

@Olga Springer Thanks for the clarification!

Does that mean that after June 30, 2022, only the purchase of new licenses for Jira Automation for Server app and new feature development for the Server app will be ended? 

And the newer compatible versions of the Server app (with only possible bug fixes or security improvements, if any) will still be available and downloadable from the Marketplace app listing, for the existing customers with a paid license?

Is my understanding correct?

I am asking because the statement "the Server app will be delisted from the Marketplace on June 30, 2022" is a bit confusing here.

[Jyoti Singh]

Hi, We have a paid licenses for A4J Data center version and we love it. We are heavily using it. Our renewal in July 2022, does that mean we don't have pay and it will be included for us to continue to use. 

[Olga Springer]

Hello! 

Correct -  @Jyoti Singh by the end of June 2022 Automation for Jira Data Center will become a free marketplace app, which means you don't have to pay to continue to use it.

@Taranjeet Singh - that is right, after June 30, 2022, new purchases of Automation for Jira Server won't be possible. New versions of the Automation for Jira Server app will still be available and downloadable for existing customers with a paid licence. 

[Taranjeet Singh]

Thanks you for the clarification, @Olga Springer !