How UvA and HvA made their Atlassian environment
future-ready with Sopra Steria
|
minute read
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA) are among the largest educational institutions in the Netherlands. Every day, more than 850 employees rely on Atlassian Jira and Confluence to support education, research, and collaboration.
Both institutions had already planned to move these applications to the Cloud. So when Atlassian announced the end of support for its Data Center products, they decided to accelerate the transition.
Their existing environment was valuable but complex. As development for Data Center declined, the maintenance burden continued to grow. By migrating early, the universities could plan the transition carefully, take advantage of favourable licence conditions, and modernise their platform at the same time.
The move to the Cloud became a strategic opportunity to renew, simplify, and prepare for the future.
The Challenge
How do you migrate 131 Jira projects, 96 Confluence spaces, 18 apps, and hundreds of users to the Cloud, without disrupting daily work?
The universities wanted more than a technical migration. They aimed for a platform that could support growth, strengthen governance, and create space for innovation and collaboration.
Approach
Sopra Steria’s Atlassian project team guided the transition in close collaboration with UvA and HvA’s core IT team. In a short time, one integrated team emerged, built on knowledge, trust, and commitment.
Step by step, the migration was prepared and executed:
- Outdated workflows, custom fields, and inactive projects were cleaned up.
- Apps without a Cloud version were replaced by modern alternatives such as Smart Checklist, Xray, and TechTime User Management.
- Confluence underwent a full update, including macro analysis and smart replacements for features that could not be transferred one-to-one.
- Security and access management were improved through integration with SURFconext (Single Sign-On), ensuring secure, simple, and centralised access.
- Atlassian Guard now provides visibility of shadow IT and licence usage, strengthening governance and keeping costs under control.
What made this migration stand out was the collaboration itself. The deep subject-matter knowledge and engagement of the universities were complemented by Sopra Steria’s broad Atlassian expertise, from configuration to adoption, security, and governance.
By looking beyond the tools alone, Sopra Steria ensured not only a successful migration but also laid the foundation for a future-proof way of working together.
Looking Ahead
Atlassian has announced that support for Data Center will end completely in February 2029. For organisations still running on Data Center, now is the time to look ahead.
One of the greatest advantages of Atlassian Cloud is its continuous flow of new features and improvements. Jira and Confluence continue to evolve, giving teams ever more possibilities for collaboration, integration, automation, and AI-driven insights.
With Rovo, the new AI layer within Atlassian Cloud, the next step in collaboration is already within reach. Rovo connects knowledge, context, and tools in one place, giving teams instant answers and recommendations. It brings generative AI across the entire Atlassian platform, elevating insights, content, and teamwork to a completely new level.
Rovo is now available within Atlassian Cloud and offers organisations like UvA and HvA new opportunities to accelerate information sharing and collaboration.
Together Towards the Future
The migration of UvA and HvA demonstrates that a Cloud transition is about more than technology alone, it is a strategic step towards simplicity, security, innovation, and collaboration.
Sopra Steria helps organisations design and deliver their Atlassian Cloud strategy, from early orientation to successful migration, new implementations, health checks, and training. We also support organisations in adopting Rovo, the integrated AI layer within Atlassian Cloud that takes collaboration, knowledge sharing, and decision-making to the next level.
For us, it is not just about technology, but about the people who use it. Our goal is to harness the power of Atlassian in ways that truly connect people, helping teams work smarter, simplify processes, and make technology work for them.
Together with our clients, we build Cloud platforms that not only work, but continue to evolve.
One team. One transformation. One future-ready platform.
Contact our Atlassian experts to discuss how we can help
your organisation prepare for a Cloud-first future.
Talk to an Expert
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Aswin KanhaiAtlassian Consultant Cloud migration specialist | Tom BraatAtlassian Consultant Cloud migration specialist |