Case Study: A rapid, high-assurance migration from end-of-support Jira Server to a self-hosted ServiceNow ITSM platform

Client: Department of Defence, Joint Collective Training Branch (JCTB), HQJOC J7

Project: Jira Server to ServiceNow transition

How Profectus led a rapid, high-assurance migration from an end-of-support Jira Server to a self-hosted ServiceNow ITSM platform for the Joint Collective Training Branch, spanning assessment, design, build, integration, data migration, deployment automation and organisational change.

Client and context

For more than a decade, the Joint Collective Training Branch (JCTB) operated its IT Service Management (ITSM) environment on an on-premises Jira Server instance. As Atlassian’s end of support for Jira Server approached in February 2024, JCTB faced a strategic inflection point: modernise its ITSM capability or risk operational degradation.

Recognising the need for a secure, scalable and ITIL-aligned platform that could continue to operate within a self-hosted environment, JCTB selected ServiceNow as its future-state enterprise service platform of choice. To support the transition, Profectus was engaged to supply ITSM expertise, project delivery capability, technical support and change management leadership, working side-by-side with JCTB and an external ServiceNow implementation partner.

The engagement

Profectus played a critical role across the full lifecycle of the transition, from assessment and design to implementation, integration, deployment and organisational change. Our multidisciplinary team provided IT architecture, project management, systems, network and database SME support, and ITSM expertise, organised around six major streams: current-state assessment and discovery; target operating model, roadmaps and process design; agile delivery with Now Create; platform implementation and deployment automation; integrations, data migration and technical enablement; and organisational change management, training and go-live readiness.

The challenge

The legacy Jira environment had become a significant operational burden across several fronts:

Security and compliance exposure: without vendor support or updates, the ageing platform posed increasing risk to a Defence environment
High maintenance overhead: internal teams were troubleshooting manually, maintaining ageing infrastructure and compensating for a declining platform
Poor ITIL alignment: rigid workflows and an outdated interface could not keep pace with modern practices or evolving mission needs
Scaling limitations: cross-departmental service integration was difficult, and demand had outgrown the system, affecting SLA adherence and reporting accuracy

Our approach

JCTB leadership required a rapid, high-assurance transition that preserved operational continuity while enabling future digital transformation. Profectus delivered this across the six streams.

Assessment and target design

Profectus led and contributed to a comprehensive assessment of the Jira-based environment, running structured workshops with the vendor to analyse people, process and technology, and providing deep SME insight into Jira workflows, configurations, infrastructure and known issues. This established a clear baseline, then Profectus collaborated with the vendor to define the future-state operating model, including roles, RACI, SLAs and governance, and to redesign processes across Incident, Problem, Change, Knowledge, CMDB and Security Incident Response.

Agile build with Now Create

Using the Now Create methodology, Profectus helped structure sprints and implementation phases, created, refined and groomed user stories, ensured legacy workflows were accurately translated into ServiceNow requirements, and worked with architects and developers to validate sprint outcomes, sustaining a well-governed agile delivery rhythm.

Deployment automation and environment management

Profectus developed Ansible automation scripts to build, clone and patch ServiceNow instances, managed deployment scheduling across non-production and production environments, registered instances in the Now Support Portal, and assisted with Test Management 2.0, Security Incident Response, Vulnerability Response and CMDB configuration, producing highly repeatable and efficient environment management.

Integration, migration and go-live

Profectus facilitated LDAP and Exchange integrations, deployed MID servers across all required environments, validated CMDB ETL results, migrated Confluence knowledge articles into ServiceNow and supported Security Incident Response log ingestion using CrowdStrike LogScale. In parallel it led organisational change, developing the OCM plan, training materials, user guides and task cards, running UAT with ServiceNow Test 2.0 and assessing go-live readiness.

What we delivered

Clear delivery baseline: a documented current-state assessment and gap analysis enabling accurate solution design, roadmap definition and a structured, scalable operating model aligned to ServiceNow standards
Automated platform build: Ansible-driven build, clone and patch automation with coordinated deployment across non-production and production environments underpinning a reliable platform launch
Secure, integrated foundation: LDAP and Exchange identity integration, MID servers, validated CMDB ETL and a complete migration of data, workflows and knowledge from the legacy environment
Confident go-live: UAT conducted with ServiceNow Test 2.0, defects logged and readiness assessed, supported by training, onboarding and capability uplift that drove strong user adoption

Configuration and asset management

Underpinning the platform transition, Profectus established an authoritative configuration and asset baseline for the Defence Training and Experimentation Network (DTEN) that JCTB relies on. Configuration items were initially captured in Insight and Jira, then, once verified and normalised, migrated through a structured data migration into ServiceNow as the enduring single system of record. This gave JCTB a controlled as-built baseline enabling dependency mapping, impact assessment and change control aligned to Defence governance expectations.

Systems and methods

ServiceNow · Now Create · Ansible automation · MID servers · LDAP and Exchange integration · CMDB ETL · Security Incident Response · CrowdStrike LogScale · Test Management 2.0

The result

The transition from Jira Server to ServiceNow represents a major digital uplift for JCTB. By combining a modern enterprise platform with strong delivery, integration, ITSM and change management expertise, Profectus helped JCTB mitigate critical operational risk, modernise workflows and establish a future-ready, self-hosted ITSM foundation. JCTB is positioned to realise improved operational efficiency, a stronger cybersecurity posture, better leadership insight through real-time reporting, and scalable cross-department service delivery, equipping it to drive long-term optimisation and broader digital transformation across Defence.