Recently Atlassian company shocked and angered its community of users worldwide (including ourselves) by deciding to sunset its on-premises software.
We support many customers with Atlassian on-premises installations, and during the last few weeks we have received dozens of inquiries asking, “What do we do now?”
My first response was, “Wait a little, if you can”, because there was no need to take a hasty decision before we had the full picture. However, now that the situation is clearer, I would like to suggest some ways to deal with the new situation regarding Jira and alternative tools. Later we will publish articles regarding Bitbucket and Confluence.
The main points of Atlassian’s Announcement
On October 16th Atlassian Corp. issued an official announcement, which could be shortened to the following:
- They will stop developing the following products:
- Jira Software Server
- Bitbucket Server
- Confluence Server
- Crowd Server
- Bamboo
- Jira Service Desk Server
- New licenses for the above products will be sold until Feb. 1, 2021 (and then the support renewal price is expected to go up).
- Support and updates of the above products will be sold until Feb. 2, 2022.
- Support of the above products will be fully terminated on Feb. 2, 2024.
- The marketplace of 3rd party apps will be closed on Feb. 2, 2023.
The timeline diagram of the changes (from the website of Atlassian). Click to zoom in.
We recommend that you read the official announcement of Atlassian (see the link at the end of this article).
As an existing Jira Server user, what can you do from now on?
- You can move to Jira Cloud. We help companies to examine the implications and costs of such a move and to learn a number of ways to reduce those costs.
- You can switch to Jira Data Center. This is essentially Jira Server in a high-availability configuration, which can be installed on-premises or in the cloud. However you should note that the price will probably be much higher. Moreover, since Jira Data Center runs the software of Jira Server and the development of the latter is discontinued, you shouldn’t expect any new and improved features in Jira Data Center as well.
- You can stay with Jira Server (acknowledging that there will be no new features and updates). We can support that product as we have done during the last couple of years.
- You can consider moving to another tool.
If you don’t want to stay with Atlassian Jira, there are a number of other options:
We have divided these options into two categories: private server, and cloud.
All options relate to tools, which we know, have tested, and represent, and for which we provide licenses, consulting, training and support.
The list is quite long so we’ve prepared a questionnaire that will help you narrow down the options and make your choice easier. Click here for the questionnaire or contact us to ask questions about your certain situation (see contact information below).
If you prefer your own server (self-hosted/on-premises):
- GitLab – In addition to code management, version control and CI/CD, GitLab includes issue management, and it all comes in a single package (see more here). Since 2017 we are officially certified to support GitLab, and we are the sole authorized representatives of GitLab in many countries.
- Taiga – An open-source tool, which has already existed for a number of years. We are authorized to provide its support, in cooperation with the manufacturer. Taiga targets software teams, which use agile methodology like Kanban, Scrum, etc. and are looking for alternatives to Jira or Asana. Click here to learn more.
- OpenProject – A veteran open-source-based tool, suitable for projects which do not necessarily use Agile methodology (and not necessarily develop code). Click here to learn more.
- Azure DevOps – An all-in-one tool including issue management, git-based code management, test management, and CI/CD (based on the veteran TFS).
- HCL Compass – Project and issue management. A rich tool with multiple capabilities and customization options (in that sense, similar to Jira).
- Managed ClearQuest – A tool which we know well and have supported for more than 20 years.
If you prefer a cloud-based solution, without the need to maintain your own server:
- GitLab – As described above.
- Taiga – As described above.
- OpenProject – As described above.
- Azure DevOps – As described above.
- ClickUp – A collaboration tool including documents, issues, chats, milestones, etc.
- Miro – An innovative tool for task planning, collaboration, Agile development, etc.
- Trello – Light-weight task and project management (mostly for non-complex projects).
- Managed Compass – Managed private server in the cloud.
- Managed ClearQuest – Managed private server in the cloud.
We know that the variety is large and the choice is difficult, therefore you can contact us at alm@almtoolbox.com for help in finding the tool which suits your needs best.
For some tools, we have a “sandbox” environment, to which we can give you temporary access (when available).
A tip: Sometimes the best way for a fast selection of a suitable tool is to make a list of criteria and their weights. Then you will be able to perform primary filtering of all candidates and remain with a few “finalists”, which you will be able to test thoroughly.
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