I've worked on dozens of Atlassian instances across federal, state, and commercial organizations over the past eight years. There's one pattern I see everywhere, and it's costing organizations more than they realize: they're drowning in plugins they don't actually need.
The Plugin Dependency Trap
Every long-standing Jira instance I encounter has the same issue — they're over-leveraged on plugins. I rarely see organizations using plugins without developing the highest degree of dependency on them. Take ScriptRunner for example, especially in federal environments.
I've seen ScriptRunner used as the glue holding entire ecosystems together. Organizations build complex third-party integrations through it, create elaborate automations that span multiple Jira projects, and essentially make it the backbone of their operations. The problem? They've painted themselves into a corner.
The Cloud Migration Reality Check
With Atlassian's end-of-life announcement for Server products and the push toward Cloud, these heavily plugin-dependent organizations are hitting a wall. I've been part of this migration process for over a year now, and the first thing clients discover is that ScriptRunner on Cloud is fundamentally different.
Here's the technical reality: most processes and scripting techniques that worked on Server ran synchronously. Cloud, however, is largely asynchronous. This isn't just a minor difference — it changes everything.
Let me give you a real example: You have vulnerability scanning on your network doing remediation tracking, posting Jira tickets automatically. On Server, this happened in a predictable sequence. On Cloud, the flow might not behave the way you expect — tickets might not populate in the same order, automated reports might run differently, and your carefully orchestrated workflow falls apart.
I'm simplifying here, but the point is clear: Cloud forces you to rethink how you incorporate these plugins entirely.
It's Not Just Federal Agencies
While I see this pattern heavily in federal regulated industries, it's not exclusive to them. State, local, and commercial organizations that have been using the Atlassian stack for years often fall into the same trap. The longer they've been on the platform, the more likely they are to be using too many plugins.
The tech debt just sits there, building and compounding over time. I've worked with customers where it's extremely difficult to get them off Server instances because they're so intertwined with plugin dependencies that untangling them feels impossible.
The Hard Questions You Need to Ask
When I work with organizations on this issue, I always ask the same question: "Is this really necessary for your organization?" I know they've been doing things a certain way for years, but that doesn't mean it's the right way.
My job is to find alternatives that actually fit their needs. Yes, I'm an Atlassian SME at heart, but I'm looking out for their best interests first. That means finding solutions that work for their organization, not just pushing more Atlassian products.
After some time and persuasion, more often than not, organizations discover that many of their plugins aren't actually organizational needs. They're there because there was budget for them, or because "that's how we've always done it."
The Budget Trap
This creates a false perception that the plugin is actually needed when it might not be. Just because you have budget for something doesn't mean you should use it, especially when it's creating technical debt that will cost you more down the road.
A Practical Approach to Plugin Cleanup
I'm not suggesting everyone go out and delete all their plugins tomorrow. But I am strongly recommending that every organization implement healthy optimization and cleanup practices on their instances regularly.
This is exactly the kind of work we specialize in at XAZA LLC. We help organizations audit their plugin usage, identify what's truly necessary, and create migration paths that don't leave them trapped by technical debt.
The goal isn't to eliminate all plugins — it's to ensure that every plugin in your environment serves a genuine business need and isn't just there because it seemed like a good idea three years ago.
Looking Ahead
Here's what I tell every client: if you're planning to stick with the Atlassian SaaS platform long-term, think carefully about your plugin strategy now. What happens in 10 years if Atlassian Cloud is no longer the right fit for your needs? If you're too intertwined with the system, you'll face the same migration challenges we're seeing with Server customers today.
The best time to audit your plugin usage and clean up technical debt is now, before you're forced to do it during a crisis migration.