Atlassian Server vs. Data Center

When to consider switching to the Atlassian Enterprise solution and the factors that could help you decide


Server Architecture

With the server option, your application runs on a single server. The server will eventually reach its performance limit with more users. The application will slow down, decreasing the productivity of your teams. Should the server or database completely fail, your teams will no longer have access.

Data Center Architecture

With the data center option, your applications run simultaneously on several servers. Requests are simply distributed with the help of a load balancer should the number of users increases. Thanks to the data center architecture, the systems remain available in the case of failures because there are other servers available to process the requests.





Server or Data Center: an in-depth comparison

Scaling & Performance


Performance

Large instances must be able to withstand performance problems that often occur under heavy peak loads

Server

(tick) guarantees performance for small instances 

(error)  minimal ability to withstand increased user load during peak usage times of large instances

Data Center

(tick) distributes user requests equally among several servers 

(tick) ensures consistent performance with increasing user load

Scalability

Increasing demands for fast exchange and easy collaboration must be ensured as teams and processes grow.

Server

(tick)  vertical scaling possible by increasing the technical resources

(error)  Scalability limited by physical hardware

Data Center

(tick)  horizontal scaling possible by connecting additional hardware 

(tick)  seamless extension of the systems immediately and without downtime

Availability

Teams need uninterrupted and trouble-free access to their applications - updates should not affect their work.

Server

(error)  User access to relevant systems not possible during scheduled downtimes (e.g. updates)

Data Center

(tick)  constant and trouble-free access to Jira applications

(tick)  High availability of the systems for updates through load distribution 


Reliability & Stability


Disaster Recovery

Complete system failures should not lead to productivity losses of your teams and high costs for your company.

Server

(error)  Low assurance of system availability in the event of a disaster

(error)  greater effort to restore the systems, combined with long downtimes

Data Center

(tick)  Access to the systems in the event of a server failure by operating a locally separated computer centre, guaranteed

(tick)  Easy integration of a disaster recovery option to quickly restore system availability in the event of a disaster

Compliance & Security

As organizations grow, security and compliance requirements become increasingly complex. 

Server

(tick)  secure authentication protocols and advanced auditing

Data Center

(tick)  secure authentication protocols and advanced auditing

(tick)  additional security through personal authentication with the integration of SAML 2.0

Infrastructure

A high degree of flexibility and control is important when choosing the infrastructure.


Server

(tick) Flexibility and full control in the choice of infrastructure

Data Center

(tick)  Flexible deployment options - whether on-premise or in the cloud (AWS and Azure)


Expenses & Operations


The expenditure for the operation, maintenance and servicing of the systems must be in line with requirements.


Server

(tick) Low cost for few operational components that need to be managed

(tick)  Administration and operation of a single server

(tick) Outsourcing of the server operation possible

Data Center

(error)  Operating costs increase as more infrastructure components have to be provided

(error)  more complex administration and operation of the system architecture

(tick) Outsourcing of the operation possible



Strategy & Benefits


Functionality

The future-proof and functional development of the systems is a strategic basis for decision-making.

Server

(error)  less innovation and functional development of server products on the part of Atlassian

Data Center

(tick)  continuous further development of the functionality of data center products on the part of Atlassian

(tick)  additional administrative features for enterprise companies (exclusive features for Confluence, Jira, Bitbucket or Crowd)

(tick)  long-term enterprise solution for the operation of Atlassian products

Available Marketplace Apps

Systems should be adapted to individual needs through extensions that are available through the Atlassian Marketplace.

Server

(tick)  all Atlassian Marketplace apps available for servers

Data Center

(error)  So far not all manufacturers offer their apps for data centers.

(tick)  Many manufacturers are already working on a data center version of their apps (currently over 800 Marketplace apps)

License costs

You should plan the costs for the purchase and extension of licenses according to your needs. 

Server

(tick)  one-off costs for the purchase of a licence 

(error)  running costs for support extension and maintenance

Data Center

(tick)  individually plannable scaling options through appropriate user scales

(error)  Data Center is sold by subscription (same usage fee year after year)



From Atlassian Server to Atlassian Data Center - does a change make sense for you?



Number of users, performance, downtime and administration are values that you as a company should consider when considering Data Center as a solution for your Atlassian products.

Here you will find a detailed list of decision criteria for switching to Atlassian Data Center.

Click here



All deployment variants at a glance



Do you have any questions? We would be happy to help you objectively assess your need for a data center version instead of the classic server version: As an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner with experience from thousands of Atlassian projects, we can advise you on evaluating the best licensing model for your needs, take care of all your license setup issues and support you in all aspects of scaling your Atlassian products.



More on
Atlassian Data Center

This page is available in German: https://seibert.biz/servervsdatacenter | Shortlink to this page: https://seibert.biz/servervsdatacenteren 

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This content was last updated on 08/14/2020.

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