JIRA Sync tools between Client/Vendor acct - Any preference between Backbone, Exalate and Jira Jira?

[Ann Godfrey]

Working with a client who wants to have their own JIRA instance and sync with a vendor for their JIRA project.  Having reviewed a number of posts, questions and reviews there seems to be a number of tools, with recommendations for Backbone, Exalate and Jira Jira.

I've read the reviews but wonder if anyone has any preferences or issues with any of those tools i.e. performance, security etc?

Project is still in discovery from client perspective but we are reviewing tools and options for syncing so any help/advice would be appreciated.

[Matthias Gaiser _K15t_ · Accepted solution]

Hi @Ann Godfrey

I'm Matthias from the team behind Backbone Issue Sync. I'm probably the wrong one to give you an objective recommendation, but no matter what tool you use, I'd recommend that you get started looking at your requirements (if you haven't done so already), starting with questions like:

• Which issues do you want to synchronize? The whole project or only certain issues based on some (custom) field?
• Which fields do you want to sync? Are they the same in both projects? If not, how would you like to map them?
• How would you like to map the users? As you probably know, every user costs some money for the Jira instance. Is it enough to map a user to a text field on the other side? Is it needed?
• How would you like to map the workflow status?
• Do you only want to sync issues or also related objects, like project versions, components or similar?

If you're clear about your requirements outside of a certain tool, it helps you selecting the fitting tool for you and later also configuring it.

Cheers,
Matthias

PS: Happy also to discuss your use case and/or give you a demo. Let us know via help@k15t.com.

[Ann Godfrey]

Many thanks  Matthias.  We're still in discovery phase  at the moment but this is my understanding:

1.  All issues - including bugs.  Not sure if we need the whole project - depends on what the client wants but would think so

2. Sync required for all issues as far as I'm aware

3.  Users and user permissions would be different - we probably don't need their users but as they would own many of the issues (and may need to be assigned issues) we'd need to review

4.  This was my concern.  Not sure if the Client is familiar with workflows so I'd hope they'd take vendor workflows and keep it simple

5.  We'd probably take the vendor related objects such as components, but as there's another vendor there may be others. 

I realise this is a little vague but there's another month or so of discovery hence why I don't have all requirements, but I 'd really like to come back to you when this is clearer?

[Matthias Gaiser _K15t_]

It's totally fine to have this vague right now, @Ann Godfrey. And as you stated, I'd also try to keep it simple for the beginning and expand on it afterwards.

If the fields, issue types or workflow is the same on both sides, it makes the communication (outside of the sync tool) also easier. E.g. you pick up the phone and talk with the vendor about a bug, it helps if it's also called bug on their end and not defect. 😏

All the best for your selection. And of course, come back - and we take up the conversation again.

[Ann Godfrey]

Thanks Matthias.  I'm really hoping that the vendor's JIRA setup is quite simple.  I've relayed the message that sync is definitely possible but highlighted areas to consider.   As soon as we're close to finalising requirements I'll come back to reviewing/demos of the tools for the best fit - but I think we're a few weeks away from that.  Really appreciate your feedback.

[Syed Majid Hassan -Exalate- · Accepted solution]

Hi @Ann Godfrey

This is Majid @ Exalate. 

It seems like you have already performed your due diligence! We have a number of clients in the financial and government sectors using Exalate already. We value the security above everything else as the tool is very powerful. You can review our Security Whitepaper to get an idea about the details.

Please feel free to book a demo if you would like to see the product in action or discuss these aspects further. 

Thanks

Majid

[Ann Godfrey]

@Syed Majid Hassan -Exalate- Many thanks Syed - will take a look at the whitepaper and would definitely like to see a demo with a couple of colleagues once we've done that.

[Katarzyna Szumilas_Deviniti_ · Accepted solution]

Hi @Ann Godfrey

If you are open to other solutions than those already mentioned in this post, you might like to take a look at Issue Sync - Synchronization for Jira that my team is developing.

This no-code tool allows you to integrate multiple Jira instances, create issues in remote projects automatically, and keep them in sync also when ticket data (as field values, statuses, attachments, or comments) change.
What might be useful in your case - the app exposes to your synchronization partner only the projects, issue types and fields that you select, the rest remain private.

If that sounds interesting, feel free to test the app for 30 days, or book a free demo session with our support team via Calendly.

Hope you find the perfect tool for your needs!
Kasia

[Ann Godfrey]

Many thanks for reaching out Katarzyna.  I'll have a look at the website today and add the solution to my comparison sheet.  As I've mentioned previously, we're still working through requirements with the client so not ready to see demos yet but I'll come back to you as soon as we're ready.  

[Diana_Architect_ZigiWave · Accepted solution]

@Ann Godfrey hello! May I propose another tool that might also be useful for your project? It's a no-code integration platform. It's fully customizable to fit any use case and needs less than 15 min to establish smoothly working bi-directional integration between the two Jira instanced. It can transfer any data/fields and sync them and reads the schema dynamically. Feel free to take a look at it and book a demo to see it in action.

Regards, Diana (ZigiWave team)

[Ann Godfrey]

@Diana_Architect_ZigiWave  - would love to have a look at this with a couple of colleagues.   Is there a website we can review - then book a demo?

[Diana_Architect_ZigiWave]

@Ann Godfrey , yes, you can check out our ZigiWave's website . 

[Ann Godfrey]

Hi Diana - I saw the website yesterday and added ZigiOps to my tools comparison.   As we're still working through requirements I think we're a few weeks away from reviewing/demos of tools but I'll keep in touch -  appreciate your feedback :)