October 20th, 2020 by Adam Sandman
With Atlassian's recent announcement that they would be discontinuing Jira Server in favor of the cloud version, we, at Inflectra would like to reaffirm our long-standing commitment to releasing Spira as both a cloud-hosted subscription and an on-premise solution. Why and how we are staying true to our customers is outlined in these passages below.
We at Inflectra believe that you, our customers, should have the choice of how you would like to use our products. Since 2006 we have been providing software for managing teams, products, testing, and development in all manner of industries and environments. During that time, we have embraced the cloud, with more than 70% of all new customers choosing our Spira cloud platform. However, we have a passionate group of customers who prefer our server products for various reasons, and we have a long-term commitment to them. So it was with surprise that we read about Atlassian's recent announcement that they would be discontinuing Jira Server in favor of the cloud version.
Our Thoughts on Cloud vs. On-Premise
When we originally released SpiraTest in 2006, it was available (like Jira) only as a server product. You could install it on a server in your data center or local area network and access it from anywhere you needed using just a web browser. As customers became receptive to the idea of Software as a Service (SaaS), we released all three flavors of the Spira platform (SpiraTest, SpiraTeam, and SpiraPlan) as a cloud-hosted service. Initially using our own colocation servers and now using the global infrastructure of Amazon Web Services (AWS), we are able to host our customers' instances in any continent of the world, with the choice usually based on speed, data privacy, or other legal/compliance reasons.
Most of our new customers typically choose our Spira cloud-hosted option for its performance, ease of deployment, and global accessibility. In fact, many existing customers have migrated to our cloud version in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To facilitate this, we announced in early 2020 a program to make it easier and more affordable for existing customers to move to the cloud as part of the "Inflectra Cares" program.
However, although we believe that the cloud option is the best choice for many customers, we are passionate believers in giving customers of all sizes and budgets the choice of both Cloud and On-Premise options (unlike Atlassian that is only going to be supporting on-premise for the largest customers). The reasons for this include:
- We have customers who have made investments in their own cloud infrastructure and would like to use that instead of using the Inflectra managed cloud.
- Customers in the Government, Defense, and Intelligence communities cannot use the cloud in many cases (even AWS GovCloud) since the networks and data are classified.
- We support customers in a wide variety of industries and countries. Many of our larger European customers or those dealing with healthcare information are not able to use the public cloud.
These reasons, coupled with our fervent belief in giving our customers a choice, guide our long-standing commitment to releasing Spira as both a cloud-hosted subscription and an on-premise solution. Besides, unlike Atlassian, which has different platforms, APIs, and plugin architectures for the cloud and server products, Team Inflectra worked diligently to ensure 100% compatibility between our cloud and on-premise products. This means that:
- The APIs available on Spira Cloud and Spira On-Premise are 100% identical. The code can be written once and run anywhere.
- The database schemas are identical between Spira Cloud and Spira On-Premise. You can migrate from cloud to on-premise and back again with ease.
Harmony and Stability in a Changing World
So as you consider your choice of platforms, we would like to remind you that at Inflectra, we look to provide harmony and stability in this ever-changing world. If you choose SpiraTest, SpiraTeam, SpiraPlan, Rapise, or KronoDesk, we will make sure your product is supported and that you can choose the cloud, then switch to on-premise, and then change your mind without regret. That is our promise to you.
What About Jira Server Customers
If you are a Jira Server customer right now and unsure of your plans, don't worry; we've got you covered. Firstly, our data synchronization platform that lets you connect Spira to Jira is available for Jira Cloud and Server products (including the Data Center edition). In fact, we have just released a new update to our cloud synchronization platform that lets you more easily sync Spira with Jira Server:
However, if you decide that you cannot (or don't want) to move to Jira Cloud, don't worry. You can use the same Jira data synchronization system to seamlessly migrate all your projects to your choice of Inflectra product - SpiraTest, SpiraTeam, or SpiraPlan - and have all your Jira Server data running safely and securely in your own Spira On-Premise installation.
So as you navigate this new journey, we at Inflectra have got your back. If you would like to find out more about how you can switch to Spira and keep your data securely managed on-premise, contact our sales team, who will be happy to assist, or sign up for a free trial of Spira (on-premise or cloud trials available naturally) on our website today...