When two organizations work closely together, their success often hinges on one critical factor - communication. Marko Vlacic, an Atlassian expert with years of experience in agile project environments, found himself at the heart of this challenge.
Marko was tasked with managing the integration between two independent Jira Cloud instances - one used by his client (a company serving multiple customer markets), and another used by their long-term external development partner. Each team had its own processes, permissions, and workflows, but they needed to act as one organism.
The goal? Create a bridge that allows for seamless collaboration, without forcing either organization to abandon its own Jira Cloud environment.
The Challenge: Two Systems, One Workflow
While both teams were committed to delivering high-quality value - one for the customer service and the other for product development, operational silos caused time-consuming processes:
- Tickets were raised by customer-facing teams in the client’s Jira Service Management portal.
- From there, they needed to be relayed to the internal product team.
- Finally, tasks had to be passed to the external development partner for resolution.
This multi-step handoff led to communication breakdowns, time lags, duplicated work, and a loss of context. Every ticket transfer required explaining the issue from scratch. Even a small bug fix could result in an extended email thread or hours of clarification.
They needed an integration that could connect two Jira environments without compromising speed, context, or quality.
The Solution: UI-Based Integration That Feels Like One Unified System
After assessing several options, Marko and his team implemented Getint Jira-to-Jira integration. Unlike traditional integration solutions that rely heavily on scripting, Getint offered them a UI-first experience that made configuring and maintaining the integration approachable and scalable.
Key features of the solution included:
- Automated, bi-directional ticket sync
Jira work items raised by customers in the client’s Jira Service Management system were automatically mirrored into the internal Jira, and then into the partner’s Jira system - no copy-pasting, no email forwarding.
- Full synchronization of fields
Statuses, comments, attachments, custom fields, and priorities were all included in the sync. Everyone stayed on the same page.
- Minimal manual intervention
The integration ran continuously in the background, with minimal effort required to keep things running.
- Human-first support
Marko emphasized the importance of responsive support, especially during field updates or configuration changes.
Results: From Friction to Flow
The implementation of Getint’s integration marked a turning point for Marko and both involved organizations.
Instant Communication, Real-Time Progress
What previously took hours - or even days - now happened in minutes. Tickets flowed seamlessly from the customer portal to the internal Jira, and onward to the development partner’s Jira instance.
There was no longer a need for clarification calls or detailed handover emails. The original ticket, along with its history and attachments, was immediately accessible across systems. The result? Faster responses, quicker fixes, and less frustration.
“It's much quicker, because when we get a ticket now, we don't need to explain to our partners it's already there. It's there in minutes or maybe even less. So they know what is going on and it improves our communication in general a lot.” ~ Marko Vlacic, Atlassian Expert
Two Teams, One Workflow
Despite using separate Jira instances, the two organizations could now collaborate as if they were in a single environment:
- Statuses were synced, enabling joint sprint planning.
- Comments were mirrored, ensuring transparency and continuity.
- Attachments and custom fields retained context, reducing rework.
It allowed both companies to maintain their autonomy while acting in unison, which was especially critical during fast-paced release cycles or emergency bug fixes.
Adaptability Without Technical Debt
Another standout benefit was the UI-driven nature of the integration. When a Jira field changed, Marko didn’t need to write scripts or call in a developer. Adjustments were made quickly through Getint’s interface - streamlining both setup and long-term maintenance.
This reduced the cost of ownership and gave Marko’s team more control over their integration, without increasing complexity.
Ongoing Maintenance: Smooth Operation, Minimal Downtime
No integration is “set it and forget it” - and Marko acknowledged that occasional adjustments were necessary.
What stood out, however, was how predictable and manageable these adjustments were. When Jira field mappings changed or new teams were onboarded, Marko coordinated with the technical teams to realign configurations.
“It's just to catch up with the technical team to go through a list of all the fields and everything; to check what has changed and then just navigate”, he said.
The support team at Getint also earned high praise. Even for unique, organization-specific requests, support responded quickly and with solutions that worked. Whether dealing with internal restructuring or political shifts, Getint helped Marko’s team stay aligned.
Key Insights
From this successful integration project, several valuable takeaways emerged:
- Automated bi-directional sync eliminates bottlenecks
The ability to mirror tickets with all relevant data ensured accuracy and speed across systems. No more copy-pasting or status misalignment.
- Speed drives customer satisfaction
Immediate ticket handoff allowed teams to resolve issues faster, improving SLA compliance and end-user happiness.
- Simplicity is power
By removing the need for complex scripts or custom code, Getint made it easy for teams to manage the integration in-house.
- Support makes the difference
In complex environments, the ability to rely on a responsive support team became a critical success factor. Getint didn’t just provide a product - they became a partner.
- Two systems can feel like one
Despite working across organizational lines, the integration made it feel like everyone was working inside the same Jira, boosting unity and productivity.
Final Thoughts: When Integration Feels Invisible
For Marko and his teams, success wasn’t just measured by uptime or ticket sync speed. It was about achieving something more meaningful: a frictionless workflow across company lines.
He said: “You don't even notice that there are two instances connected.”
So even though they were using two separate Jira Cloud instances, the integration made it feel like they were operating in one unified system. The result was a noticeable lift in morale, confidence, and customer response time.
Customer Snapshot
- Customer - Atlassian Expert Marko Vlacic, representing a company integrating with an external development partner
- Challenge - bridge two Jira Cloud instances across organizational boundaries
- Solution - Getint UI-driven Jira to Jira integration with automated, bi-directional ticket sync
- Results - Faster issue resolution, improved coordination, seamless workflows, and minimal maintenance overhead
Watch the full interview with Marko: Seamless Jira to Jira Integration: How It Transformed Cross-Company Collaboration
Ready to connect your teams across Jira instances? Let’s talk about how we can support your integration journey - contact us or explore more success stories.
