How a Global Travel Tech Company Migrated 16,000 Users to Atlassian Cloud

To deliver seamless experiences for millions of travelers worldwide, a travel technology company relies on a vast ecosystem intricately woven together by thousands of integrations, apps, and automations. As part of its plans to drive innovation and stay competitive, the online travel agency initiated a bold project to migrate its sprawling Atlassian Data Center environment to the Atlassian Cloud.

With almost 16,000 users, 6TB of data, and countless custom integrations forming the backbone of their operations, the stakes were high. Praecipio's expertise in cloud migrations and intimate understanding of the organization’s systems played a key role in making this ambitious transition a success.

The Scale of the Move

The travel technology company’s Jira instance housed over 3,000 projects going back more than 10 years and 68,000 user accounts, including almost 16,000 active users. The platform was peppered with complex automations, thousands of workflows, and mission-critical integrations that kept work flowing and operations running. Similarly, Confluence hosted 12,000 spaces with more than 8 million pages and endless attachments representing decades of travel industry knowledge and documentation.

On top of this, our client heavily relied on Marketplace apps like ScriptRunner and custom-built solutions, adding layers of intricate interdependencies and nuances to an already complex cloud migration involving countless moving parts and people. Another massive hurdle involved migrating 6TB of data while preserving millions of links and ensuring integrations with systems like GitHub and financial tools stayed intact.

Zero Tolerance for Downtime

Our client’s platforms operate 24/7, ensuring travelers can book hotels, manage itineraries, and access support at any hour. With tight travel schedules and financial systems in the mix, any disruption could impact customer experience, revenue, and compliance. They needed a strategy that would keep everything running smoothly, even during peak booking hours.

Compliance and Privacy Complexities

The global online travel agency operates across multiple regions, each with its unique data residency laws, financial reporting standards, and travel industry regulations. Handling this data carefully while meeting SOX compliance and global data privacy requirements added even more complexity.

Organizational Complications

Having thousands of users meant coordinating global teams with different priorities and timelines, along with getting executive leadership on the same page. Preparing these users for the Cloud interface demanded precise communication, tailored training, and updated documentation for travel-specific processes. With a migration of this size, a solid support framework was also essential for handling post-migration issues and ensuring users adapted quickly.

Comprehensive Planning and Partnering with Atlassian

The first step involved understanding the ins and outs of our client’s systems to determine archive and consolidation opportunities with Jira projects, identify how to optimize Confluence spaces, and thoroughly assess Marketplace apps and custom integrations for Cloud compatibility. We also reviewed their 68,000 user accounts to uncover duplicates, inactive users, and appropriate ways to right-size licenses. 

After analyzing the client’s Jira and Confluence environments, Praecipio initially planned a phased migration approach, but as the engagement progressed, shifting priorities and technology developments called for a pivot. Through careful analysis of project dependencies and data volume, our team decided that a big bang strategy was the best approach. While risky, this strategy would minimize downtime and align with the client’s operational needs. We also carefully designed risk-mitigation plans for SOX compliance, integration continuity, and data integrity.

Another important piece involved partnering with Atlassian through an early version of their Fast Shift program. This gave us access to resources to accelerate this complex cloud migration. Atlassian handled core data while Praecipio managed third-party apps, validations, and hypercare.

Pre-Migration Optimization

Before switching over, Praecipio laid the groundwork for a smooth transition. We identified where the client could utilize standardized processes across teams and optimize permissions.  We cleaned up years of redundant or obsolete data and manually recreated 1,000+ ScriptRunner behaviors and countless automations. Our team also integrated Atlassian Guard with our client’s identity provider, Okta, ensuring seamless user authentication post-migration.

Testing environments were a priority, with sandbox environments enabling repetitive dry runs. Real production-like test cases helped ensure everything would work as expected in the Cloud, from custom scripts to critical integrations.

Migration Execution

When the big day arrived, meticulous preparation paid off. Praecipio led a global cloud migration of over a decade's worth of data within a tight 44–48-hour window. We migrated their core data in a quarter of that time, and the rest was spent doing validation and initial post-migration fixes.

Our teams were also on standby 24/7 to monitor the process and address any hiccups in real-time. Backup plans and rollback procedures were ready but never needed, as the migration unfolded smoothly and the travel company’s global user base seamlessly transitioned overnight.

Post-Migration Support

Moving to the Cloud was only the beginning. Our team fine-tuned app configurations, optimized workflows, and enhanced integrations to improve connectivity with travel booking systems. We created a comprehensive training program to help users fully utilize Cloud-specific features and support power users to become go-to internal resources. To ensure the client’s long-term success, Precipio provided administrator training, shared maintenance best practices, and established governance principles. Finally, we completed a knowledge transfer to the travel company’s internal team.

Minimal Disruption

The migration’s scale alone was enough to set records, representing one of the largest Atlassian cloud migrations ever completed. Large projects like this also require flexibility, as priorities and technology often evolve along the way. By staying adaptable and pivoting to a big bang approach, we helped our client avoid months of drawn-out disruptions, preserve data integrity, and pave the way for future success with their new cloud platform.

Operational and Cost Efficiencies

The operational and cost-saving benefits were immediate and impactful for the online travel agency:

• A 52% reduction in Jira projects, streamlining management efforts.
• Cost savings through license optimization, as we removed inactive accounts and carefully managed usage rights.
• Enhanced performance and reliability, thanks to Atlassian Cloud’s scalability and modern architecture.

Lower infrastructure overhead by eliminating the need for on-premises Data Center management.

Improved Collaboration and Business Resilience

Cloud-native tools enable better cross-team communication, faster access via mobile, and opportunities for real-time collaboration. These updates have enabled our client to foster innovation and stay competitive in the evolving travel technology landscape. Additionally, the migration addressed critical risks by ensuring compliance, strengthening security, and utilizing Cloud capabilities for disaster recovery. 

A Blueprint for Enterprise Cloud Migrations

Through this migration, the travel technology company has shown that even the most complex systems can evolve into a thriving ecosystem under the right guidance. Our partnership serves as a testament to the power of strategic collaboration and expert execution. Together, we navigated the technical challenges, met stringent operational requirements, and initiated a new era of innovation for our client’s brands.