My Digital Odyssey: From On-Prem Outlaw to Cloud Champion

Remember those old "Wild West" ads with tumbleweeds blowing by? That was my team at Good Technology a decade ago. We were the internal tools group – a bit stuck in our ways, more focused on maintaining our dusty software setup than embracing anything new. Boom. Enter me, a fresh-faced Scrum Master secretly tasked with shaking things up. Little did I know I was about to embark on an Atlassian adventure that would shape my career.

The mission was clear: get us off our outdated, expensive tools and onto something modern, scalable, and (crucially for management) cheaper. After much digging, Atlassian emerged as the winner. It wasn't just about cost; Jira and Confluence blew the competition away with features!

The next six months were a whirlwind. I became a Jira and Confluence configuration ninja, tackling everything from complex workflows to command-line upgrades. It was tough but thrilling, and it gave me a problem-solving toolkit I'd never had before. My time at Good might have ended, but my Atlassian journey was just revving up.

Next stop: Clearvision, as an Atlassian Consultant. Rinse and repeat – new clients, unique needs, but at the core, I was helping companies make that same transformative Atlassian shift. Back then, though, everyone was buzzing about Atlassian's Cloud vision. Jay Simon wouldn't shut up about it, and it was clear where their focus lay. Fast forward a few years, and boom - Server is getting the ax, forcing us old-timers to get cozy with the Cloud.

Here's the thing: today's Cloud is a beast compared to its early days. Packed with features, integrations galore...it's almost unrecognizable. And Atlassian? They're not slowing down with the changes! This is where the "digital transformation" buzzword actually has some truth to it.

Atlassian Cloud won't magically change your company overnight. But it's a powerful foundation, built to evolve with the crazy pace of the tech world. And it scales like a dream.

My key takeaway, after all these years? If you're going the Atlassian Cloud route, don't forget about the people behind the screens. Change management matters! Support, training, open communication – those are what make the transition truly stick. Sure, Cloud updates are smaller than the old days of On-Prem upgrades, but change is still change.

So, there's my little Atlassian tale. From reluctant change agent to full-fledged advocate, it's been one heck of a ride – and it's far from over!