Migrating from Jira Server to Cloud is no small feat, especially when managing over 800 projects and 5,000+ users in a highly-regulated industry such as the Energy one. For this European major electricity provider, Elements Connect proved to be at the core of the migration by allowing them to simplify and scale external data integration, replacing custom-built solutions with robust, maintainable connections.
Background: a mission-critical migration
The migration of the utility company’s Jira environment to the Cloud was one of the most significant projects for Sngular, their long-time partner, had ever led. With over 32 Jira apps on their legacy Server instance, thousands of users, and strict data compliance requirements, the stakes were high. Bryan, a Technical Architect at Sngular, oversaw the project end-to-end, ensuring the system was modernized without compromising business continuity.
One of the most business-critical Jira initiatives at this utility company is the project where it is managed the global demand management program that captures and manages all requests for application development and modifications. But Jira is more than just a project management tool for them. It supports diverse workflows across marketing, sales, HR, and development, making it a backbone of their digital operations.
Consolidation and simplification
The migration from Server to Cloud took nearly 12 months and involved a true rationalization: the multinational went from 32 apps down to just 9 on Cloud. This consolidation was strategic, focusing on security, performance, and scalability. Custom-built solutions were phased out in favor of robust apps that offered out-of-the-box support for complex use cases, an easier maintenance and better integration to Jira, with Elements Connect emerging as a standout tool.
Two key use cases for Elements Connect
1. Seamless SQL integration
The first challenge was integrating Jira with a legacy SQL database. At face value, it might seem like a simple data connection but for this global player in the energy sector, it played a vital role in streamlining how information was surfaced across their workflows.
Using Elements Connect, the company configured dynamic fields in Jira that displayed live data from the SQL database, ensuring teams always have access to up-to-date information without duplicating data or requiring manual updates.
This setup significantly reduces maintenance, simplified reporting, and ensures a single source of truth for critical data points.
2. Component management via API
The second, and far more complex challenge was managing global components representing different internal teams. These components needed to be dynamically populated into Jira fields and accessible across various screens and workflow steps.
Here’s how Elements Connect helped:
● Two custom fields were created, each connected to a single API endpoint.
● Each API returned a structured list of components specific to a project or team.
● These fields were displayed in multiple workflow transitions and screens, empowering users with contextual, real-time data throughout the process.
This solution delivered flexibility to project administrators who could now update component lists autonomously, without involving the platform team or risking inconsistencies in data sources.
“We wanted to avoid high maintenance in our instance. By using one API as a single source of truth, we’ve greatly simplified the system.” — Multinational utility company team member
Reducing administrative overhead
One of the company’s primary goals was to lower the administrative burden on their Jira instance while empowering individual teams to maintain autonomy.
Before implementing Elements Connect, updating components meant changing multiple data sources, a time-consuming and error-prone process. Now, by centralizing control through a single API, any changes cascade automatically across all relevant projects.
This architecture also ensured that sensitive data remained secure and compliant with company policies, an essential requirement given the regulatory context in which this major utility company operates.
Overcoming technical and performance challenges
As with any large-scale migration, the project wasn’t without challenges. Two major hurdles emerged:
● Security concerns related to accessing external data under strict privacy policies.
● Performance delays when rendering dynamic field values via API, especially for complex datasets.
Thanks to the close collaboration between Sngular and Elements Connect’s support team, both issues were addressed within a couple of months. The app’s performance was optimized for large-scale use, and security configurations were fine-tuned to meet company standards.
“The experience related to the support was really helpful.” – Bryan, Technical Architect at Sngular
Migrating custom fields with Python automation
Before adopting Elements Connect, the electricity provider relied on custom apps to integrate external data into Jira. To ensure continuity and avoid data loss during the migration, Bryan’s team developed a Python script that mapped and migrated all values from the legacy custom fields into newly created Elements Connect custom fields in Cloud.
This scripting approach allowed the team to automate a large portion of the migration, reducing manual effort and minimizing downtime.
Why Elements Connect?
In Bryan’s view, Elements Connect wasn’t just a plugin, it was a core enabler of the migration. By centralizing data sources, reducing maintenance, and empowering local project administrators, the app played a critical role in simplifying the architecture of the company’s Jira Cloud instance.
Benefits delivered:
✅ Better Jira Integration, thanks to Elements Connect ability to be fully compatible with Jira native functionalities
✅ Faster maintenance handled by a Jira specialist team via centralized APIs and simplified field configuration.
✅ Improved scalability by empowering local admins to manage data.
✅ Compliance-ready setup, designed for the highest security standards in highly regulated industries.
✅ No tools switching, by accessing live external data without any manual actions and from a single source of truth
A successful partnership between Sngular and Elements
The success of the multinational migration is also thanks to the long-standing and trusted partnership between Elements and Sngular. With extensive knowledge of Elements apps and deep expertise in Atlassian solutions, Sngular has been a reliable partner for years, delivering tailored implementations and support for complex enterprise environments. Their strong collaboration ensures customers benefit from proven experience and seamless integration, helping organizations unlock the full potential of Elements’ products and drive successful digital transformations.
Looking ahead
With the successful migration behind them, the energy provider and Sngular are now looking at how they can extend the usage of Elements Connect to other parts of the organization. Given the app’s flexibility, they’re considering more API-based integrations and advanced field configurations to further streamline cross-functional workflows.
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