Overview: Use Jira Service Management for External Client Services
A globally recognized nonprofit dedicated to advancing cybersecurity readiness and response has long been trusted by organizations in the public and private sectors. While they excelled in defining best practices to handle cyber threats, their service management system told a different story.
The leading cybersecurity organization had adopted Atlassian’s Jira Service Management (JSM) to improve service delivery. Yet, over time, the platform became a patchwork of processes without clear oversight. Aiming to extend JSM to external client services, the organization partnered with Praecipio to redesign their service management strategy, optimize JSM, and leverage service delivery as a driver of strategic growth.
Challenges: Managing Growth Without Governance
Admin Sprawl and Unchecked Security
When the cybersecurity organization first adopted JSM, the tool was meant to serve as a prototype alternative to other platforms. The initial setup was minimal but functional, supporting internal teams like HR, Facilities, and IT. Over time, however, this ad hoc approach began to show cracks.
Without proper governance in place, their JSM instance became the wild, wild west of service management. Multiple administrators meant anyone could create projects, add fields, and implement workflows independently, which led to inconsistencies, duplicated efforts, and knowledge silos. This lack of oversight also introduced security risks, as admins had access to sensitive data without adequate controls.
Multiple Service Portals and Confluence Complexities
One of the biggest challenges our client faced was merging its various user portals, many of which had similar names like "Company Support" or "Company Central Support." Each portal operated with its own unique processes, automations, and reporting requirements, creating confusion for users trying to access services. Reporting had also become a major pain point, with scattered data making it nearly impossible to standardize reports or extract meaningful insights.
Confluence spaces added another layer of complexity. Each space represented years of accumulated knowledge and documentation, and organizing them was essential to ensure end-users could quickly and easily access the information they needed.
Delays and Disorganization
Decision-making for the client had become a bottleneck. With so many stakeholders involved, it wasn’t always clear who had the final say. Without clear leadership, scope creep derailed project timelines and budgets.
The organization also envisioned expanding JSM to support customer-facing solutions, but their current setup wasn’t up to the task. They needed a partner who could not only implement best practices but also bring order to their disorganized system and optimize it for future growth.
Solution: A Streamlined and Secure Service Management Platform
The cybersecurity nonprofit enlisted Praecipio’s ITSM and Atlassian expertise to help them properly configure their JSM platform so it could scale to customer-facing services, all while complying with strict security requirements.
On-Site Visits & Clear Communication
The client requested on-site consultations, which enabled both teams to build trust and foster collaboration from the start. From guiding the client’s decisions to align with best practices to implementing long-term solutions, the Praecipio team worked as an extension of our client’s organization.
Regular communication was another essential piece that made this project successful. Daily meetings kept everyone aligned, while biweekly and weekly presentations helped stakeholders stay involved and informed, including the CIO.
Fewer Admins, More Governance
To support our client's scalability needs, Praecipio implemented governance practices to reduce admin sprawl and maintain order within their JSM instance. The cybersecurity organization reduced the number of admins and adopted Praecipio’s best practices, simplifying processes for both agents and users.
Clean Up and Organization
To address our client’s disorganized Atlassian environments, Praecipio merged multiple JSM projects and Confluence spaces into a single, streamlined system. This involved consolidating user portals, standardizing naming conventions, and organizing forms to ensure that requests reached the correct teams.
We restructured service projects to better reflect actual service needs and reorganized the client’s Confluence knowledge bases linked to these service management projects. Additionally, we created a dedicated Help Center for internal operations, such as HR, IT, and Legal. This consolidated all internal portals into one centralized section, allowing the other Help Center to focus exclusively on Product Support. These efforts in cleanup and organization significantly improved usability, making it easier for users to find what they need.
Automation and Standardization
Automation played a significant role in this project. By creating customized, targeted automation rules for each team, Praecipio helped our client reduce manual work and standardize processes across departments. New automations allowed agents to retroactively adjust request types for better categorization and reporting purposes.
Security and Integrations
Integration was another critical focus. Our team introduced tools like the Salesforce Connector and Dashboards Hub to integrate the client’s systems, ensuring seamless collaboration across platforms. Additionally, Praecipio worked closely with the cybersecurity organization to ensure all their efforts met regulatory and compliance requirements. Every change was meticulously documented and tested before final approval by the steering committee.
Results: A Unified JSM Platform Sets The Stages for Scaling
What started as a plan to improve service delivery for a handful of internal teams evolved into a cohesive system supporting customer- and product-facing services. Praecipio’s guidance and decades of Atlassian experience helped the cybersecurity organization go from disorganized and fragmented projects to a structured, unified system capable of growing with the company’s future needs.
Unified Service Management Platform
Our client successfully created a centralized service management hub by consolidating multiple Jira Service Management (JSM) projects and Confluence spaces into a single, streamlined environment. Standardized naming conventions also contributed to a more cohesive and organized platform and simplified navigation for both agents and end-users.
Administrative Excellence
The client reduced their JSM administration team, minimizing admin sprawl while improving both security and accountability. Governance frameworks now support faster, more informed decision-making, fostering a culture of responsibility and progress. Requests that once took weeks are now completed in days, and comprehensive audit trails have been implemented to uphold stronger compliance standards.
Improved Service Delivery and Accurate Reporting
Service speed has dramatically improved through standardized workflows and automated escalations, significantly reducing ticket resolution times. Users now benefit from a seamless experience with branded portals and intuitive self-service options, while automation has minimized manual tasks, ensuring smoother and more efficient operations.
Agents can now quickly access the fields and screens they need, while end-users easily find the forms and knowledge they’re looking for. Automation rules have further enhanced this seamless experience by routing requests to the right teams.
Additionally, Praecipio’s organized data structure and governance practices have enabled accurate and standardized reporting. Agents now work with well-structured queues and have all the critical information at their fingertips, ensuring no ticket or request slips through the cracks.
A System Built to Scale
With tools like Salesforce Connector, their systems are seamlessly integrated and fully compliant with regulatory requirements. The redesigned JSM platform supports multi-tenant configurations, featuring customized portals and client-facing SLAs tailored to their needs. With their revamped service management system, the cybersecurity organization is now equipped to scale service delivery to customer operations, driving innovation and delivering exceptional experiences both internally and externally.
Subscribe For Access to Exclusive Content and Resources.
WE ARE ON A MISSION TO
Build Connected Enterprises, One Organization at a Time.
At Praecipio, we don’t just deploy tools; we integrate them seamlessly, aligning your strategic vision and the teams executing it. We understand that tech’s true value lies in how it’s used—empowering, not complicating. We leverage our VISTA approach to dive into the heart of your business, aligning strategies, processes, and people. We’re the hands-on experts who get the right shit done, redefining how you work, not just the tools you use.