Schaeffler Technologies: Successful transformation of the Atlassian product world

With a clear focus on precision technology, Schaeffler is continuously optimising its internal systems and processes. To meet the challenges of an increasingly digitalised working environment, the company decided in 2023 to comprehensively transform its Atlassian infrastructure. In doing so, it is drawing on catworkx's expertise to support the structural change while ensuring the consolidation of Atlassian products.

Until now, Schaeffler has used almost exclusively on-premises products from the Atlassian world, including Jira Software Data Center, Jira Service Management Data Center and Confluence Data Center. While these systems functioned, a multitude of customising measures, numerous apps and several on-premises instances led to rising license costs and increased complexity. Managing the licences was particularly challenging because each new app had to be ordered for the maximum number of users. This situation was exacerbated by a shadow IT that included both cloud and on-premises solutions.

In spring 2024, catworkx began developing a comprehensive strategy for transforming the Atlassian product landscape at Schaeffler. A key objective is the gradual integration of Atlassian cloud products, while proven on-premises products remain in use for specific use cases. To enable a seamless transition, work is currently ongoing in both the on-premises and cloud environments.
 
Another goal was to introduce a flexible, unique-user-based licensing model that would allow Schaeffler to restructure the Atlassian product landscape as needed or adapt it to new challenges. This model should not only cover current requirements, but also take into account future company restructuring and M&A processes. To this end, Atlassian Cloud Enterprise licensing for up to 5,000 users will be introduced, supplemented by a multi-year contract with a fixed price and customisation options.

The transformation process is not yet complete, but the course has been set. The first steps have been taken to reduce the number of third-party apps by relying on the advanced out-of-the-box features of the Atlassian Cloud. Close coordination between Schaeffler, catworkx and Atlassian is crucial to success. At the same time, preparations are under way to consolidate the various on-premises instances and integrate existing security solutions to ensure future scalability.
 

The collaboration between Schaeffler and catworkx is at a crucial stage. The successful implementation of the transformation strategy and the optimisation of licensing will enable Schaeffler to continue to drive digital transformation forward and to meet future challenges with a stable, flexible and cost-efficient Atlassian infrastructure. The coming months will show how the strategic decisions will affect the efficiency and agility of the IT infrastructure.