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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteAtlassian Cloud shifts infrastructure operations to Atlassian; Jira and Confluence Data Center give your team more direct control of the hosting environment, but also make your team responsible for running and securing it. Neither option is automatically more secure. The right choice depends on your requirements, operational capacity and controls—and Data Center customers need to plan for Atlassian’s announced March 28, 2029 end of life for affected products.
Is Jira cloud-based or on-premise?
Jira and Confluence Cloud are hosted and managed by Atlassian. Data Center is self-managed: your organization installs and operates the software on infrastructure it controls. That infrastructure might be in your own data center or in a public cloud environment that your team administers, so “self-hosted” does not necessarily mean a server physically located in your office. Atlassian describes these hosting models and their operational differences in its Jira hosting guide.
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The distinction is about who operates the stack and where control sits—not a guarantee about security. Cloud customers configure the controls Atlassian makes available and rely on Atlassian to manage the hosted service. Data Center customers choose and administer the hosting environment, while taking on the work and risk involved in operating it.
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How do Cloud and Data Center compare?
| Decision area | Atlassian Cloud | Jira and Confluence Data Center |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Atlassian hosts and manages the service. | Your team installs and operates the software on infrastructure it controls. |
| Routine operations | Atlassian manages servers, upgrades, backups, security and scaling. | Your team manages infrastructure, upgrades, backups, security and scaling. |
| Hosting location | Atlassian operates the underlying infrastructure; eligible organizations can select residency locations for in-scope app data. | Your team chooses and administers the hosting environment. |
| Encryption-key options | Customer-managed keys are an Enterprise add-on for selected data, with eligibility and site limitations. | Your team can implement encryption and key operations according to its infrastructure and policies. |
| Product lifecycle | Atlassian identifies Cloud as its recommended hosting direction in its hosting guide. | Jira Software Data Center and Confluence Data Center are in the affected end-of-life cohort, with end of life announced for March 28, 2029. |
Is Jira Cloud secure?
Atlassian says Cloud includes security, privacy and compliance controls, and describes encryption in transit and at rest. Atlassian also manages the hosted service’s infrastructure and platform operations. That transfers substantial operational work to the vendor; it does not remove your organization’s responsibility for identity, configuration, data governance, integrations or choosing a plan with the controls your requirements demand.
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Assess the controls against your actual use case. Confirm the relevant plan and service scope, review account and access configuration, understand how integrations and Marketplace apps handle data, and verify that the available controls meet your contractual or regulatory obligations. Do not treat a vendor’s general security statement as proof that every feature, app or data flow in your deployment is covered.
Data residency is not infrastructure ownership
Atlassian’s data-residency documentation says organization admins can select where eligible, in-scope Jira and Confluence app data is hosted, with geographic locations such as Europe or the US. Residency has a defined scope; it is not the same as owning or administering the underlying infrastructure. Before relying on a regional setting, inventory the app data you need covered, including attachments, integrations and third-party apps. Atlassian advises customers to review Marketplace app vendors’ documentation and confirm compliance directly. See Atlassian’s data residency guidance for eligibility and scope.
Customer-managed keys have specific limits
Atlassian describes customer-managed keys (CMK) as an add-on to Cloud Enterprise for selected data across Jira and Confluence, as well as other named services and limited Rovo functionality. The feature currently applies only to new Cloud sites and uses AWS Key Management Service. It does not mean all Cloud data is controlled by customer-held keys. Check the current eligibility and precise data scope before treating CMK as satisfying a compliance requirement; Atlassian’s customer-managed keys page describes the offering.
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What security work does self-hosting require?
Data Center offers more direct control over infrastructure and hosting location, but control is useful only if your organization can operate the environment securely and consistently. Atlassian’s shared-responsibility guidance places key operational tasks on customers. A self-hosting plan should assign accountable owners and make the following work routine:
- Network protection: Operate the software on private networks and use appropriate protections such as a web application firewall (WAF) and VPN access.
- Security updates: Track and apply released security fixes promptly, with a defined process for assessing urgency and verifying updates.
- Identity and access: Configure multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), and access controls appropriate to your environment.
- Encryption: Implement encryption and manage its configuration and keys according to your policies.
- Backups and recovery: Maintain regular backups and ensure the team can restore service and data when needed.
- Audits: Conduct regular security audits of the deployment and its controls.
These are not automatic benefits of buying Data Center software. If your team cannot maintain patching, access controls, network protections, backups and audits over time, the additional infrastructure control may come with an operational security burden it is not equipped to meet. Atlassian sets out customer responsibilities in its Support End of Life Policy.
Where is Jira Cloud data hosted?
Atlassian hosts Cloud on its cloud infrastructure. For eligible, in-scope app data, organization admins can select a geographic residency location. That answers a location question for the data covered by the residency feature; it does not establish that every related data flow, Marketplace app or integration is hosted in the same place. Validate each component that matters to your organization against its own documentation and scope.
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When does Jira Data Center reach end of life?
Atlassian’s published policy lists Jira Software Data Center and Confluence Data Center among the affected products. It says their subscriptions and associated Marketplace app subscriptions expire and the products become read-only on March 28, 2029 at 23:59 PST. Atlassian says new customers could no longer buy new Data Center subscriptions or Marketplace Data Center apps after March 30, 2026. Existing customers can buy subscriptions, Marketplace apps and expansions through March 30, 2028. Atlassian says it will provide technical support, critical-vulnerability security bug fixes and connectors to Cloud through March 28, 2029. These are vendor policy dates; check the current end-of-life policy when planning around them.
Atlassian specifically advises against leaving an internet-connected product running in read-only mode after end of life, because it will no longer receive new security bug fixes. Treat the end-of-life date as a planning deadline, not as a safe point at which to stop maintaining a deployment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should you choose—or plan a move?
Cloud is a stronger fit when
- You want Atlassian to operate infrastructure and handle platform upgrades, backups, security and scaling.
- Your requirements can be met by Cloud’s available configuration, data-residency options and plan-specific controls.
- Your organization prefers to focus its own effort on identity, configuration, data governance and integrations rather than operating the hosting stack.
Data Center may fit a present requirement when
- Your organization needs to choose and administer the hosting environment directly.
- A requirement cannot be met by an available Cloud option, and your team can sustain the security and operational responsibilities of self-hosting.
- You have a credible transition plan that accounts for the announced product lifecycle.
Atlassian’s hosting guide also identifies Government Cloud and Isolated Cloud as options for specialized needs: it says Government Cloud became generally available in October 2025 and describes Isolated Cloud as planned for 2026. Availability, authorization and eligibility can depend on geography and regulatory regime; confirm the current status directly with Atlassian before relying on either option.
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Migration approaches
Atlassian describes three broad approaches: move the existing deployment in a single lift-and-shift window, start fresh with selected data, or migrate in phases for a large or complex environment. The appropriate route depends on what must move, how much change the organization can absorb at once, and how it will validate the result.
For Jira, Atlassian offers the free Jira Cloud Migration Assistant to help plan and transfer projects, users and data. A migration plan should also account for integrations, Marketplace apps, customizations, testing and cutover. Confluence-specific steps and sequencing depend on the deployment, so consult the current Confluence migration documentation rather than assuming Jira’s process applies unchanged. Atlassian outlines the Jira tool and migration patterns in its hosting guide.
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