Jira Software Server 7.5 is here, and with it we have some exciting new announcements for both admins and agile teams. For admins scaling Jira Software, we’re introducing more flexibility with a new deployment option for Jira Software Data Center (hint: it’s a brilliant shade of blue), while agile teams get some of the scrum and kanban features they’ve asked for to help streamline their work. Read on to learn what new features are covered in this release.
Deployment flexibility for Jira Software Data Center
This past week at Atlassian Summit, we made an exciting new announcement that customers can now deploy Jira Software Data Center as a proof of concept in Microsoft Azure.
We know that organizations have unique needs for their Jira Software Data Center environment. Following the success of our collaboration with Amazon Web Services this past year, we wanted to provide more flexibility for customers to choose the Jira Software Data Center deployment option that works best for them.
We’ve seen a massive trend of companies moving applications out of their own Data Centers and into new cloud hosting providers. By offering support for Microsoft Azure, we continue to deliver on our promise of flexibility and performance for our customers. -Cameron Deatsch, Head of Server Marketing at Atlassian
Now, customers can easily get started using a jointly-built Atlassian template for Azure Resource Manager, accessible in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Build a Jira Software Data Center instance with configurable nodes in a few guided clicks, or simply spin up a test instance with dummy data. Extended services like automatic backups, geo-replication and encryption are supported with Azure SQL Database.
We are excited by the new collaboration between Atlassian and Microsoft. Our work together has resulted in this first Microsoft Azure Marketplace offering of Jira Software Data Center which will help many teams deploy and operate worldwide. – Juergen Daiberl, Director of Worldwide Commercial Business at Microsoft
With this new collaboration, admins get the option to start planning their migration of Jira Software to AWS with the help of evaluation templates.
Please note that currently, Atlassian templates for Azure Resource Manager are recommended for proof of concept deployments only.
Kanban and Scrum flexibility for agile teams
Easier deployment is something to celebrate for system admins, but what’s in Jira Software 7.5 for development teams? As we continue to focus on growing agile teams we look to our customers to tell us what features and functionalities are most needed to reach their goals. With that said, we’re closing some of the highest voted requests (a whopping 2,702 votes to be exact!) and introducing new agile-specific features for teams working in scrum and kanban.
The next phase of Kanplan
In the previous Jira Software release we introduced a backlog view for kanban boards. With this feature teams can prioritize work still in the planning phase in a separate space from the development phase. However, when teams have a lot of issues the backlog can quickly become cumbersome and difficult to navigate. To alleviate this pain point, we added a panel with version and epic filters so issues stay organized and easy to find. And, users can assign an issue to an epic or version with new drag and drop functionality, removing the manual step of opening the issue, and any excuse to not bring their organizational A-game.
Divide (issues) and conquer
Issue estimation is hard. There are many factors and moving pieces that need to be taken into account and often a task that seemed small takes on a lot more weight during planning. Now if an issue is too big, users have the ability to split the issue into two or more issues to make work more manageable. So, an estimate can remain as it sounds: an estimate. 
Stay focused with sprint goals
When building software, it’s important for teams to define the value of a release ahead of time to make sure everyone is working towards a shared goal. For teams doing agile with scrum, it’s best practice to break down defined goals to the sprint level and display them throughout the sprint’s lifecycle. This way, the goal always remains top of mind. Now teams can keep track of their sprint goals in a designated field that is visible on the current sprint and in sprint reports. No longer do teams need to keep their goals in another document, but can simply place them on their board and stay aligned and on track.
Edit, delete & declutter closed sprints
We understand that creating a sprint without the ability to delete or rename it once it’s closed can feel like writing on a whiteboard with permanent marker. The team’s workspace can become disorganized and simple tasks, like pulling together an accurate report, are seemingly impossible. Now teams have the ability to ideate, test, and commit sprints with the adaptability to delete or update the name. Reduce information clutter and keep work organized, streamlined and accurate.
Any more flexibility announcements and we’re going to break
Well, we sure hope not because in Jira Software 7.5 we shipped much more. Read the release notes to get the full rundown of new features and bug fixes.