Due to maintenance, it’s temporarily not possible for customers whose accounts were created after 20 August 2023 to add Jira Software projects to Refined sites.
If you have any questions, please contact us.
We’re here to help you make your migration as smooth as possible.
Differences between Server/Data Center and Cloud
Refined Sites for Jira Service Management (JSM) Cloud combines key features from Server/DC with the convenience of the cloud. However, there are also some notable differences between the two products.
On Server/DC, Refined Sites is added on top of Jira. When enabled globally, it acts as a skin applied to the JSM help center.
On Cloud, Refined Sites is a site builder that runs parallel to Jira:
Your customers create and view JSM requests on your Refined sites.
Your administrators and support agents continue to work in native Jira. If an administrator makes a change to a project, it’s instantly reflected on the Refined site.
Due to the parallel setup on Cloud, it becomes possible to combine Confluence and Jira on one and the same Refined site – more on that later.
Feature comparison
Feature | Server/ DC | Cloud | Comment about the Cloud feature |
|---|---|---|---|
Sites |
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Categories |
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| You group projects with Refined Pages and menu folders instead. |
Site and Category homes |
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| You edit home pages (called landing pages) with the intuitive what-you-see-is-what-you-get Page Builder. Available modules differ slightly from Server/DC, read more in the migration guide below. |
Navigation menu |
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| Users navigate your site with the navigation menu. |
Themes |
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Announcement Banners |
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Promoted Search Results |
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Default JSM Knowledge Base integration |
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| Read more about knowledge bases in step 3 of the preparation guide below. |
Custom Knowledge Base integration |
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| Read more about knowledge bases in step 3 of the preparation guide below. |
Third party App compatibility |
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| Because Refined Sites for Cloud works as a site builder parallel to native Jira, the app doesn’t change native Jira is not changed. Therefore, Refined Sites doesn’t impact third party apps that provide functionalities in native Jira, but might impact apps that provide functionalities in the customer-facing portal. |
Custom domains on sites | - |
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Confluence content on sites | - |
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You can add any project to as many Refined sites as you like.
Preparation guide
Step 1. Consider overhauling your setup
Migrating to a new platform can be a great opportunity to rethink your JSM and Refined Sites setup. We recommend to evaluate what was working well on the Server/DC instance - and what you can improve. You can opt to replicate your Server/DC setup on Cloud with improvements here and there, or see Cloud as a blank canvas to create a totally new setup.
Whichever option you choose, ask yourself how you can leverage these key advantages of the Cloud infrastructure:
You can create as many sites as you want. What content can you split out into multiple sites?
You can add a project to as many sites as you want. Which projects can be relevant to include on multiple sites?
It’s easy to combine both JSM portals and Confluence spaces into one Refined site, if you get both Refined Sites for JSM Cloud and Refined Sites for Confluence Cloud. Could this improve your workflow and your site’s user experience? It opens up many new ways of using Refined Sites, including:
Building an intranet that features JSM portals as well as Confluence pages and blogs. For example, this makes it easy for users to explore the company’s employee handbook and directly contact HR if they have any questions.
Creating an external-facing help site that features not only a service desk, but also Confluence spaces where users can browse documentation.
Have a look at these in-depth get-started guides to see what’s possible:
Step 2. Prepare your base JSM (and Confluence) content
Once you have an idea of your sites' general structure, prepare your JSM projects – and your Confluence spaces too, if you plan to integrate it into your sites. Generally, we recommend to ask yourself the following questions:
Should I restructure my projects/spaces? In other words: which content can be merged and what can be split into separate projects/spaces?
Which projects/spaces should I introduce?
Which projects/spaces can I refresh?
Which projects/spaces can I slim down?
Step 3. Choose how to implement your knowledge base (optional)
Refined Sites always respects Atlassian permissions, meaning that content is only shown to users who have access to the relevant Confluence spaces and JSM projects.
One of the easiest ways to cut down on support tickets is to help customers or employees help themselves before they even need to file a ticket. For organizations using Jira Service Management (JSM), that often means integrating content from a Confluence knowledge base into their help center.
There are multiple ways of doing this. You might face some limitations, based on which option you choose. We recommend adding Confluence spaces to your site using Refined Sites for Confluence Cloud. This lets you take full advantage of Refined Sites’s user-friendly browse and search experience, which includes:
The ability to embed request types directly on Confluence pages.
Page tree menus in the left-hand menu of the Confluence spaces.
Confluence modules on your landing pages:
Use the Page Tree module to guide users to self-help articles.
Use the News module to highlight blogs from Confluence spaces.
Use the Pages module to show the most recently updated pages in the Confluence spaces.
Use the Activity Stream module to show recently updated pages in the Confluence spaces.
Step 4. See if any limitations apply
You may face some technical JSM limitations on Cloud, depending on your setup. Please read our documentation to get an understanding of the limitations, whether they will impact your migration, and how to prepare.
Limitation regarding | Description |
|---|---|
JSM customers sharing their JSM request | Two limitations depending on customer settings. |
Sharing requests with organizations | When a JSM customer creates a request, they cannot add organizations to it. The request view doesn't show which organization(s) the request is shared with. |
Link in customer notification email | When adding a customer to a JSM project, the customer receives an email with a link to complete the signup. After signing up, they are directed to the default JSM project URL, which is (YourCompany).atlassian.net. Due to Refined Sites working parallel to Jira on Cloud, we don't have control over the (YourCompany).atlassian.net URL. This means that we can't redirect users from a (YourCompany).atlassian.net site to a Refined site.
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JSM request fields | Although we support most JSM request fields, some have limitations. |
Step 5. See how the parallel Cloud setup may impact third party apps
Because Refined Sites for Cloud works as a site builder parallel to native JSM, the app doesn’t change native JSM. Therefore, Refined Sites doesn’t impact third party apps that provide functionalities in native Jira, but might impact apps that provide functionalities in the customer-facing portal.
Step 6. Set up a rollout plan
Because Refined Sites works parallel to Jira Cloud, your sites don’t have to be ready directly after migrating. Users can access the native help center while you build your Refined sites. This gives you ample time to get feedback and fine-tune the sites before introducing them to your user base.
Migration guide
The migration tool is only available to Jira administrators.
Step 1. Migrate JSM to Cloud
Use Atlassian’s Jira Cloud Migration Assistant to migrate your JSM Server/DC instance to Cloud.
Step 2. Install Refined Sites apps on Cloud
Install these apps on your Atlassian Cloud instance:
App | Description |
|---|---|
Refined Sites for Jira Service Management Cloud Required | Required app. |
Refined for Confluence Cloud | Install if you want to integrate Confluence spaces in your Cloud sites, for example to create a help center. |
Step 3. Upgrade Refined Sites for Jira Service Management Server/DC
Upgrade Refined Sites for JSM Server/DC to the latest available version. How to upgrade depends on which version you currently use. To check your current version, go to the Confluence Administration > Manage apps.
Your current version | How to upgrade |
|---|---|
Version 1.0.0 - 2.1.10 |
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Version 3.0.0 - 3.2.x |
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Version 3.3.0 or newer |
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Step 4. Export a site with the migration assistant
Go to the Refined Administration.
Go to the Site Builder tab.
Toggle on Cloud migration mode and click a site’s Cloud button.
Follow the steps in the dialog that opens.
Possibility to migrate only single layouts
To get more granular control over the modules, you can always migrate layouts individually, outside of the migration assistant. You can then import these layouts on Cloud, where they are called landing pages.
To migrate a single layout:
Make sure you have the following installed:
Refined Sites for Jira Service Management Server/DC version 3.6 or newer
Jira Server/DC version 8.20 or newer or Jira Service Management Server/DC version 4.20
On your Refined site, go to a site or category home and click the … Three dots in the top right corner > Edit site/category home.
Click the Import/Export button > Download latest published version for use on Cloud.
If the layout contains modules that are unavailable on Cloud, a popup will appear. Select if you want to exclude or replace these modules in the Cloud layout. See the module comparison below.
When you're ready, click Download.
Go to the landing page on your Cloud site where you want to use the layout.
Click the … (three dots) > Edit page to open the Page Builder.
Click the Three lines in the top-left > Export/Import page layout.
Upload the layout.
Make adjustments if necessary and hit Publish.
Module comparison
Because of technical differences between Cloud and Server/DC, there are some differences between the modules in the Layout Editor (on Server/DC) and the Page Builder (on Cloud). If the layout you export contains modules that are unavailable on Cloud, you can configure how they should be handled in the export.
Layout Editor modules | Page Builder modules |
|---|---|
Replace the module with a Text module in the layout that you download, or exclude it altogether. In the Text module, you can manually add links to your Confluence Cloud knowledge base. | |
This module is automatically replaced with an Image module with the Navigation Content style. | |
This module is automatically replaced with an Image module with the Navigation Highlight style. | |
Replace the module with a Text module in the layout that you download, or exclude it altogether. In the Text module, you can manually add links to projects that you know are most popular. | |
There is no alternative for this module on Cloud, so it won’t be included in the downloaded layout. If you plan to add another module in its place on Cloud, a placeholder can help you see where the module used to be. |
Once you’ve migrated the layouts, you can also start using these modules:
Page Tree (if you also have Refined Sites for Confluence Cloud)
News (if you also have Refined Sites for Confluence Cloud)
Pages (if you also have Refined Sites for Confluence Cloud)
Activity Stream (if you also have Refined Sites for Confluence Cloud)
Need more help?
Have a look at the migration FAQ and the demos & other resources page.
And of course don’t hesitate to contact us:
Migration assistance. Our support team is always there to help you with questions before, during or after migration.
Migration assessment. In a one-on-one meeting, we give personalized advice on how to move and improve your sites.