How to Migrate from Jira to Azure DevOps?

Atlassian Jira is one of the most widely used issue tracking and project management platforms used by enterprises that have adopted the agile methodology. It is a convenient platform for assigning tasks and managing bugs in products. As projects become more complex and there is an increasing need to consolidate operations, enterprises look to integrate or migrate to platforms that have the capabilities to fulfill their changing requirements. In this article, we will focus on migrating work tracking data from Atlassian Jira to the Azure DevOps platform.

Why Migrate Data from Jira to Azure DevOps?

Many enterprise projects pose unique challenges that are not supported by Jira but can be solved with the scalability of Azure DevOps. Here are some advantages of migrating data from Jira to Azure DevOps.

• Azure DevOps can be a more flexible and affordable option for enterprises that need a large instance with full testing capabilities.
• Despite its flexibility, Azure DevOps is simple to set up and does not require as much technical expertise to administer an Azure DevOps instance as Jira.
• While Jira is built for Agile project management, enterprises with mature products naturally transition to continuous integration and continuous delivery, for which Azure DevOps is better suited at a later stage of the software lifecycle.
• While there is no direct visibility on work items that were completed with specific deployments in Jira, there is complete traceability from start to deployment with Azure DevOps services with tight integration with GitHub.

How to Migrate Work Tracking Data from Jira to Azure DevOps?

Although there is no native method for migrating data from Jira to Azure DevOps, there is a wide range of solutions, including open-source tools available to move between the development platforms.

Most tools can export Jira issues, map users between the platforms, migrate work items, labels, and attachments.

Typically, migration is done in two phases. In the first phase, data is extracted from Jira as text files. These files are then imported into Azure DevOps. Some tools also allow synchronization in real-time. Here are some of the factors to consider for tools used for Jira to Azure DevOps migration.

• Most businesses have to perform the Jira to Azure DevOps migration in a live environment. Consequently, the tool must be reliable enough to perform the migration with zero/ minimal downtime.
• The workflows are often different in the two platforms, and the tool must be flexible enough to allow users to select the data that can be shared to handle discrepancies.
• Ideally, there should be an ability to maintain architectural autonomy so that teams that need to work independently on the two platforms can do so without having to change the system. This also ensures better security of data.

Apps4Rent Can Help with Jira to Azure DevOps Migration

Although there are tools to migrate work tracking data from Jira to the Azure DevOps platform, the task is complex even for most enterprises as it requires deep knowledge about business and team management, enterprise awareness, workflows, and several years of experience to design solutions to cater to different scenarios.

As a Microsoft Gold Partner in several competencies, including Cloud Platform and Cloud Productivity, Apps4Rent provides managed Azure services to help enterprises migrate to Azure. Contact our Microsoft-certified cloud architects, available round-the-clock via phone, chat, and email for assistance.