Atlassian\u2019s Backup and Restore feature has recently transitioned from Open Beta (Atlassian BRIE backup) to General Availability (GA), marking an important step forward in SaaS data protection. The solution introduces native app-level backups for Jira and provides organizations with a built-in mechanism to respond to customer-owned disasters such as accidental deletions or configuration errors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, for companies operating in regulated environments or simply needing disaster readiness beyond a marketing slogan, it has limitations that should be carefully considered. Let\u2019s break down this feature step by step.\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Atlassian released its built-in backup capabilities for Jira, Confluence, and Jira Service Management to empower customers with an effective response to customer-owned disasters, like accidental deletions, configuration mistakes, or data corruption. Moreover, Atlassian Backup and Restore is designed to help organizations meet internal and regulatory requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The solution is now generally available as a paid add-on for Premium and Enterprise plans. Open Beta participants can continue using the feature free of charge until April 29, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The feature allows Enterprise customers to define backup policies, including specifying what data to back up and the frequency of backups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, with Atlassian Backup and Restore, you get:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Backups are stored in Atlassian-managed storage with retention of up to 30 days and cannot be downloaded or exported, making the feature primarily a platform-native recovery mechanism rather than a portable backup solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At General Availability, Atlassian Backup and Restore supports:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Organizations exceeding these limits must work with Atlassian support and may not receive guaranteed RPO\/RTO targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Atlassian now positions data protection as a three-layer model:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These layers complement each other but do not replace the need for an independent backup strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the surface, Atlassian\u2019s backup initiative signals recognition of a longstanding gap in SaaS data protection and resilience. The threat is very real. Data loss – two of the most feared words in modern business – can quickly turn from myth to costly reality<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The average cost of downtime reaches $9,000 per minute, and for larger organizations or those in heavily regulated industries<\/a>, the price can be far higher. The true cost depends on scale, industry, and compliance obligations – but in every case, the impact is severe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outages, human errors, and ransomware attacks all have one thing in common – they can result in data loss. This is why data protection and backup aren\u2019t optional checkboxes but essential safeguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the CISO\u2019s Guide to DevOps Threats<\/a>, Atlassian\u2019s Jira services, including Jira Software, Jira Service Management, and Jira Work Management, suffered over 130 incidents in 2024, with 10 classified as major, causing roughly 17 hours of disruption. And let\u2019s not forget one of the most notorious Jira outages<\/a> in 2022, when a faulty script combined with internal miscommunication left more than 700 organizations unable to access their Jira data for weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, does SaaS data need protection? Does SaaS data need backup? The answer is obvious\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gartner predicts that by 2028, 75% of enterprises will prioritize backing up their SaaS applications. In other words, building a reliable backup strategy isn\u2019t a short sprint – it\u2019s a long-term marathon.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, we shouldn\u2019t forget about the Atlassian Cloud Shared Responsibility Model<\/a>, which clarifies the duties of both Atlassian and its customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Atlassian\u2019s duty is to guarantee its service availability and accessibility, and its customers\u2019 obligation is to ensure their customer-owned data protection.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Atlassian Backup and Restore provides an additional safety net but does not fundamentally change customers\u2019 responsibility for data resilience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Atlassian Backup and Restore provides a useful baseline capability but still includes important limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Backups are stored only within Atlassian infrastructure and cannot be downloaded or restored outside Atlassian Cloud. And if you keep your backups with the Atlassian ecosystem and it suddenly goes down, what will happen to your backup copies? Well, if a given region is inoperable, your backup might go down as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Retention is limited to 30 days, which may be insufficient for enterprise or compliance requirements, as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another critical limitation is the inability to meet the golden backup standard – the 3-2-1 backup rule<\/a>: at least 3 copies, stored across 2 different storage instances, with 1 kept offsite. In Atlassian\u2019s case, backups reside in the same environment as production data, violating this fundamental principle of resilient backup strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Atlassian backups remain within Atlassian infrastructure, organizations cannot fully implement this model using native tools alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coverage is also limited. Metadata support is incomplete, Automation Rules aren\u2019t backed up, and Jira backups exclude attachments \u2014 storing only references or links to files in the Atlassian bucket. But what if a region goes down?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perfect timing to address restore capabilities. With Atlassian\u2019s new Backup and Restore, restores are restricted to a new, clean instance – and only within the same region and shard. You cannot restore to the same instance unless it\u2019s fully wiped. Even then, the restore process is all-or-nothing, with no option for granular recovery of specific projects or work items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, organizations might find it difficult to address the most common risks and disaster scenarios:<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to PwC, 85% of organizations report that compliance requirements have become more complex in recent years. It means that more stringent requirements are presented regarding retention periods, resilience, audit trails, availability and accessibility, as well as incident response planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any proof?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Retention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaintain the policies and procedures provided for in subsection (9) above in written or electronic form\u2026. <\/em>Retain the documentation<\/em><\/strong> required by this paragraph <\/em>for six years from the date of its creation or the date when it was last in effect,<\/em><\/strong> whichever is later.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 HIPAA M.10.a<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Availability and accessibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall be based on an all-hazards approach that aims to protect network and information systems and the physical environment of those systems from incidents, and shall include at least the following: \u2026 (c) business continuity, such as backup management and disaster recovery, and crisis management<\/strong>\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 NIS2 Directive<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n And it\u2019s only the tip of the iceberg\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, due to some of the limitations, highly-regulated and compliance-driven industries might need a longer retention period than Atlassian Backup and Restore allow. Moreover, they might require having a few backup copies of their data to meet the 3-2-1 backup rule<\/a> and having at least 3 copies in no less than 2 different storage instances, one of which is off-site.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two kinds of people \u2014 those who have backups, and those who will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While building your backup strategy for an enterprise<\/a>, make sure that you have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Atlassian\u2019s shared responsibility model is clear. Backup and data protection for user-generated content is on you. The new Atlassian\u2019s native tool may cover daily backups, but it doesn\u2019t cover full context or even long-term recovery scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The current implementation provides:<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, organizations still have the possibility to adopt third-party backup tools, like GitProtect backup and Disaster Recovery software for Jira<\/a>, which offers a more comprehensive approach to building a defensive strategy. Immutable backups, full and granular backups, end-to-end encryption, multi-tenant support, zero-knowledge vaulting, and the ability to restore everything turn the tool into a true continuity layer for your Jira environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In critical systems, metadata is essential. Without it, backup is incomplete. Atlassian Backup and Restore adds meaningful value but should be viewed as a baseline protection layer rather than a complete enterprise backup solution.e. Atlassian\u2019s BRIE backup adds value but should be viewed as a first step rather than a full enterprise-grade solution.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nQ: What about the Shared Responsibility Model?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Q: Are there any limitations to Atlassian\u2019s backup and recovery capabilities?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Q: Can Atlassian Backup and Restore Experience help with compliance?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Q: What should I look for while building my backup strategy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Q: What\u2019s the takeaway for IT leaders and Jira Admins?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Core differences at a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n