As businesses increasingly rely on cloud-based tools for collaboration, project management, service management and automating workflows across the enterprise, Atlassian's suite of Jira Cloud products has become a popular choice. These tools, including Jira Software, Service Management, Work Management, and Product Discovery, empower organizations to work efficiently.
However, with valuable data like intellectual property, customer data, and business project details among other types of data being stored on Jira Cloud, safeguarding it becomes critical. This is especially true considering the shared responsibility model of cloud security. A reliable enterprise-class backup and granular restore solution is essential to protect your data against accidental deletion, corruption, or external threats. Axians, a trusted partner of Revyz, recommends them as the go-to vendor for backup solutions on Atlassian. Revyz provides a flexible, secure way to backup and restore all of your business-critical Atlassian Jira data.
Selecting the right enterprise class data backup and granular restore so
lution can be complex, so let’s break down the essential factors you need to prioritize during your evaluation process.
Key Evaluation Criteria In The Order Of Importance
Backup Functionality: Lets start of with the basics
- What Jira objects can be backed-up? Here is a list to evaluate against If the list of supported objects does not include what you use in your environment, you might as well stop the evaluation right here.
- How often is your data backed-up automatically
- Can you select the time when your data is backed-up
- Can you do an on-demand backup
- How long do backups take – subjective question
Granular Restore Functionality: Backup is easy data restoration is hard
- What Jira objects can be restored? Here is a list to evaluate against If the list of supported objects does not include what you use in your environment, you might as well stop the evaluation right here. Given that all the data protection vendors are dependent on the API’s that Atlassian provides, there are limitations on what can be restored and how. Ask for those nuances. It is important to know what you can’t do compared to what you can do. Most vendors promise the moon, validate the promises made.
- Check to see if configuration for Jira issues and assets can be granularly restored – most vendors will demonstrate restoring a single jira issue or asset and perhaps an attachment that goes along with it, the complexity comes in when you are trying to restore interdependent objects such as a workflow scheme or an epic which has 20 other nested issues and or assets
- Check to see if the hierarchy of issues and assets can be maintained while restoring data back
- Can an entire project be restored back while maintaining the project structure
- Support for team managed projects
Data Residency: Are you geographically compliant
- Where will your backed-up Jira data be stored? Data sovereignty regulations might mandate that your data resides within specific geographic boundaries. Choose a backup solution that offers multiple data residency options to align with your compliance requirements and preferences. Check to see where your Atlassian data resides today – more information here and pair up your backup data in the same region. Atlassian operates out of multiple AWS data centers, here is a comprehensive listing of them.
- Validate from the vendor that your backup data or any meta-data corresponding to your data is not moving across boundaries else you will be not in compliance. Most vendors have architectures such that meta-data related to your data flows into the US.
Security and Encryption: Security is not negotiable
Top-tier security measures are non-negotiable. Look for solutions that offer:
- Compliance with industry standards like SOC 2 or ISO 27001
- Robust encryption protocols for data in transit and at rest (e.g., AES-256)
- Validate the encryption architecture of the vendor, enquire about encryption key rotation and bring your own key, features which enterprises care about.
Native Jira Console Integration: A seamless user experience
- Think of who is going to be the primary operator of this system – Atlassian / Jira Administrator or a Backup administrator? Look for a solution that makes it easier for the operator to learn and operate.
Deleted Data Identification: Mistakes happen! Your backup solution should make it simple
- Does the backup and restore application help you easily identify what was deleted?
Most of the times the operators of the application do not know what the end user did, all they know is the end user is asking for something to be restored, how fast can the operator identify what was deleted if there are no analytics to help
In Jira when an issue is deleted, it is gone instantaneously, without an audit log, having an independent log of delete actions is critical not only from a data recovery standpoint but also security and compliance.
Analytics and Reporting: Insightful analytics and reporting
Some key considerations for analytics and reporting
- Does the application provide reporting on when backups are run for compliance purposes?
- Does the application provide notifications via email / slack / teams on the state of your backup jobs
- All your data has been backed-up, what can you learn about your data? Do you know how much storage you are using, how many issues are there in your Jira site, how many attachments are there …
Comprehensive Logging and Audit Trails: Thorough logging is essential for both security and troubleshooting
Verify that the solution provides:
- Detailed logs of backup and restore activities.
Proactive Support: When you need help, does the vendor have your back
Consider solutions that offer:
- 24/7 support availability.
- Responsive and knowledgeable support teams.
- Clear documentation and self-service knowledge bases.
Beyond the checklist
- Vendor Reputation: Research the backup solution provider’s track record, customer base, and industry recognition. Look for customer reviews and case studies.
- Pricing Model and Scalability: Make sure the pricing model aligns with your budget and growth projections. Evaluate the flexibility to scale as your Jira usage expands.
- Testing and Demo: Before committing, arrange a demo and thoroughly test the solution within your environment to ensure it meets your expectations.
The Bottom Line
Choosing an enterprise-grade Jira Cloud backup solution is an investment in your organization’s data resilience. By carefully considering these essential factors, your valuable Jira data and offers peace of minder for your business operations. Remember to explore the detailed features of each backup solution and tailor you choice to your organization’s unique needs. Happy safeguarding!