Preparation guide

Before starting your actual migration, we recommend the following:

1 Step 1. Learn the differences between Server/Data Center and Cloud
2 Step 2. Consider overhauling your setup
3 Step 3. Prepare your base JSM (and Confluence) content
4 Step 4. Choose how to implement your knowledge base (optional)
5 Step 5. See if any limitations apply
6 Step 6. See how the parallel Cloud setup may impact third party apps
7 Step 7. Set up a rollout plan

Step 1. Learn the differences between Server/Data Center and Cloud

Refined Sites for JSM Cloud combines key features from Refined for Server/Data Center (DC) with the convenience of the cloud. However, there are also some notable differences between the two products. Read this page to know what to expect when migrating

Step 2. Consider overhauling your setup

Migrating to a new platform can be a great opportunity to rethink your JSM and Refined 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 – some examples:
- It enables you to build an intranet that features Confluence spaces and JSM service desks, for example to contact HR and IT.
- Similarly, you can create an outside-facing help site that features not only a service desk but also a full-blown knowledge base.

Have a look at these in-depth get-started guides to see what’s possible:

Step 3. 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 4. 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’ 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 5. 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

Limitation regarding	Description
JSM customers sharing their JSM request	Two limitations depending on customer settings. Read more
Sharing requests with organizations	When a JSM customer creates a request, they can't add organizations to it. The request view doesn't show which organization(s) the request is shared with. See the workaround
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. See the workaround To keep track of this issue or vote/comment on it, click here.
JSM request fields	Although we support most JSM request fields, some have limitations. Read more

Step 6. 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 JSM, but might impact apps that provide functionalities in the customer-facing portal.

Step 7. 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.

When you’re ready, get started with your migration.