Mar 21, 2024
IGS China, an Atlassian Platinum Partner, has marked a significant milestone in the field of IT services and DevOps in the AI era with its self-developed, innovative, and transformative solutions.
On March 21, IGS China successfully hosted the "ITSM + Cloud Dual Certification of Honor and New Plugin Release Conference" in Shanghai. This event, focusing on IT Service Management (ITSM) and Cloud Migration, unveiled IGS's prestigious recognition as the recipient of the Atlassian ITSM Specialized and Cloud Specialized certifications. The conference also showcased a range of practical plugins developed by IGS, highlighting the close technical integration and strategic cooperation between IGS and Atlassian. Together, these advancements are driving ITSM and Cloud towards more intelligent and efficient development. The event brought together industry experts, IT developers, and corporate IT leaders to discuss and share the latest developments in IT service management.
Guest Addresses: Strong Collaboration for Excellent Achievements
The conference commenced with opening remarks from Dr. Julian Lo, CTO of IGS, and Kai Wan, Director of Sales and Marketing. Kai emphasized that IGS has been dedicated to IT services since its establishment in 2007. With a team of over 260 professionals spread across mainland China, Hong Kong, and its development center in Xi'an, IGS has demonstrated strong technical capabilities and earned the trust of its diverse customer base spanning various industries. In addition, IGS has expanded its support capabilities by establishing branches in Australia and Malaysia, with the Malaysian branch providing round-the-clock support.
In the realm of ITSM, IGS began its transition from CA Service Desk to BMC in 2008 and initiated a fruitful collaboration with Atlassian in 2020. This partnership has enabled IGS to expand its business domain in government and enterprise sectors. In 2023, IGS achieved dual certification for Atlassian Cloud and ITSM specialization, solidifying its position as a leading professional in the ITSM domain. Moreover, IGS has ventured into other areas, including big data and network technology, further showcasing its strengths and advantages in these fields. The collaboration between IGS and Atlassian has garnered high praise from clients involved in both domestic and multinational projects.
Kai Wan, Director of Sales and Marketing, IGS
Julian Lo, CTO of IGS
Dr. Julian, the CTO of IGS, elaborated on the openness and flexibility advantages of Atlassian's solution. He presented a comprehensive illustration of how IGS utilizes the integrated platform to break down silos and foster collaborative solutions for development teams, operations teams, and business teams. Through an example in the financial insurance industry, Julian showcased the seamless integration of Jira, Confluence, and JSM platforms, enabling complete lifecycle management from user requests to project management using both agile and waterfall methods.
Kai expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration with Atlassian, highlighting the smooth and harmonious communication between the two parties. He expressed his anticipation for deeper cooperation in the future, aiming to provide clients with even more exceptional services.
Although Kerwin Chung, Greater China Regional Lead of Atlassian, was unable to attend the event in person, he shared the latest developments at Atlassian and emphasized the significance of the cooperation with IGS through an online address. As Australia's largest technology company and a global tech unicorn, Atlassian has been serving over 80% of Fortune 500 companies, boasting 260,000 corporate clients, 700 localized partners, a community of 7.6 million enthusiasts, and a thriving plugin ecosystem. With a strong commitment to charitable activities, Atlassian contributes 1% of its revenue through its Pledge program.
Kerwin Chung, Greater China Regional Lead of Atlassian
Kerwin highlighted Atlassian's high investment in R&D, focus on product quality, and dedication to customer experience. The company has received high praise from evaluation agencies like Gartner and Forrester and has been honored with the FUTURE 50 award. In the field of AI, Atlassian continues to innovate, encouraging employees to leverage AI tools to enhance work efficiency and integrating AI functionalities into its software tools, such as rapid product requirements document generation.
Regarding the collaboration with IGS, Kerwin expressed deep admiration for the strong cohesion and spirit of cooperation within the IGS team. He highly appreciated the leadership abilities and company atmosphere fostered by IGS. Furthermore, IGS achieved the prestigious honor of being a platinum partner in its first year of joining the Atlassian partner network. IGS has been recognized as a professional service team for cloud migration and ITSM, showcasing its professional capabilities and high customer satisfaction in large-scale cloud migration and ITSM service implementation projects. These achievements indicate a future of even closer and more successful cooperation between IGS and Atlassian.
Liu Yin, Senior Product Manager of IGS: IGS Atlassian Plugin, a perfect fusion of technical innovation and efficiency enhancement
Liu Yin, the Senior Product Manager of IGS, unveiled the highly anticipated IGS Atlassian Plugin during the new product launch session. With a perfect fusion of technical innovation and efficiency enhancement, Liu Yin introduced a range of exclusive plugins that aim to optimize software functionality and improve team efficiency. These plugins are designed to provide powerful and flexible tools for implementing ITSM and cloud platform solutions while meeting the diverse needs of customers.
One of the showcased plugins allows users to add custom watermarks to documents and exported files, offering extensive parameter settings for customization. Another plugin, the SSO (Single Sign-On) plugin, simplifies the process of unified authentication by seamlessly connecting with the enterprise's authentication center. It supports OAuth2 and OKTA standard protocols, and it can automatically delete user data upon departure, effectively freeing up license resources.
Liu Yin, Senior Product Manager of IGS
Liu Yin also provided a glimpse of an upcoming plugin designed for parallel approval. This plugin utilizes JQL query functionality and enables email notifications for the approval process. It supports project-level configuration based on personnel information, email sending, and delegation settings. Additionally, there are enterprise office docking plugins for popular platforms like DingTalk and WeChat Work, as well as a Uranus Search plugin that unlocks advanced search capabilities based on document content.
Furthermore, Liu Yin highlighted the ongoing development of general plugins that facilitate integration with different middleware and operating data centers. These plugins offer flexible data source configuration and field mapping, allowing for data synchronization and API access to key fields by third-party applications. Additionally, IGS has developed technology encapsulation packages that encompass security management, SDK re-encapsulation, and operation encapsulation. These packages simplify the development process and enhance operational flexibility and efficiency.
Liu Yin emphasized that IGS is committed to continuous innovation and optimization of its proprietary plugins to better serve customer needs and enhance team collaboration efficiency. The goal is to provide robust and adaptable tools that empower organizations in implementing ITSM and cloud platform solutions.
Li Chen, Senior DevOps Architect from a Securities Firm: From Traditional Securities Firm to Digital Leader
Li Chen, a Senior DevOps Architect from a Securities Firm, provided insights into the enterprise's business and its journey towards becoming a digital leader. As a senior architect in the technology R&D department, Li Chen plays a crucial role in coordinating R&D platform work, including the R&D toolchain and operations-related enablement. The securities firm, ranked among the top 15 local securities firms in Chengdu, invests significantly in financial technology, matching the investment level of industry leader CITIC Securities. The company is proactive in embracing financial technology, exemplified by its launch of a groundbreaking 24/7 securities app for account opening, which had a significant impact on the Chinese securities market. This demonstrates the company's recognition of the importance of the financial technology industry and its dedication to driving industry development.
Li Chen, Senior DevOps Architect from a Securities Firm
Li Chen's team utilizes a technology stack that encompasses various cutting-edge elements, such as Kubernetes, GitOps, private clouds, AI large models, and code generation. This integration of DevOps and AI showcases the team's commitment to leveraging advanced technologies. Given the stringent regulations and data security requirements in the financial industry, the company adopts a localization deployment strategy to ensure compliance.
Li Chen also shared the experience of collaborating with IGS, with a specific focus on the seamless transition from Jira Server to the Data Center. This successful integration of dispersed systems and historical data has significantly improved project management and data integration efficiency. The professionalism and efficiency demonstrated by the IGS team during this transition highlight their expertise and capabilities.
Overall, Li Chen's insights shed light on the securities firm's commitment to technological advancement and digital transformation, as well as the strategic collaborations with partners like IGS to achieve their goals in the financial technology space.
Niu Xifeng, ITSM Solution Architect of IGS: JSM Drives Transformation in Enterprise Service Management
Niu Xifeng, the ITSM Solution Architect of IGS, delivered a presentation titled "JSM Drives Transformation in Enterprise Service Management," focusing on the capabilities and benefits of JSM (Jira Service Management). He began by highlighting the existing problems in service management, including high costs, poor user experiences, and information silos within enterprise management systems. Niu Xifeng then explained how JSM addresses these challenges by reducing costs and leveraging Atlassian's ecosystem to provide an improved user experience.
Niu Xifeng emphasized the effectiveness of JSM in IT service management solutions, highlighting its easy configuration, responsiveness to changes, seamless integration with Jira Software and other Atlassian products, and the free usage policy that only requires payment for support personnel. This approach ensures that organizations can efficiently manage their IT services while keeping costs under control.
Niu Xifeng, ITSM Solution Architect of IGS
Furthermore, Niu Xifeng emphasized that JSM extends beyond IT service management and encompasses domains such as HR, sales, and other service management areas. These services are accessible through a unified help center, enabling users to find the assistance they need across various departments.
Niu Xifeng also mentioned the integration of artificial intelligence and chat software in JSM. For instance, JSM seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Teams, allowing users to submit requests and make inquiries using natural language directly within the Teams platform. This integration enhances user convenience and streamlines the service management process.
Regarding deployment options, Niu Xifeng highlighted that JSM offers two choices: the Data Center and Cloud versions. Both versions are available for free trials, allowing organizations to explore and evaluate the platform's suitability for their specific needs before making a commitment.
Overall, Niu Xifeng's presentation showcased how JSM serves as a transformative solution for enterprise service management, providing cost-effective and user-friendly capabilities across various domains while leveraging the power of Atlassian's ecosystem.
Su Liang, DevOps Solution Expert of IGS: Across the Clouds, Experiencing the Journey from Data Center to Cloud
Su Liang, a DevOps Solution Expert from IGS, delivered a comprehensive presentation titled "Across the Clouds, Experiencing the Journey from Data Center to Cloud," focusing on the crucial topic of cloud migration in enterprise operations. Su Liang began by introducing the current termination policy for server version support and highlighting the associated security vulnerabilities that enterprises face. He emphasized that organizations have two main options: migrating to the Data Center or directly transitioning to the cloud.
Su Liang proceeded to describe the key characteristics of Atlassian's cloud platform, emphasizing data security, privacy, and recovery capabilities built on Amazon's technological architecture. He also highlighted safeguards for user identification and information security, reassuring enterprises about the reliability and protection provided by the Atlassian cloud.
Su Liang, DevOps Solution Expert of IGS
The advantages of the cloud platform were a particular focus for Su Liang. He explained that the cloud reduces operational workloads by handling tasks related to version upgrades and user management. Su Liang emphasized that Atlassian's cloud platform enables rapid product and feature iterations, especially in terms of mobile support and integration with artificial intelligence technologies. For example, seamless integration with platforms like Teams allows for interactive issue handling using natural language. By migrating to the cloud, administrators can shift their focus to more business-related work, thereby improving overall product usage efficiency.
Su Liang then delved into the specific process of cloud migration, outlining five key stages. These stages include assessing the differences between current products and cloud products, devising a detailed migration plan, conducting trial migrations and necessary preparations, ensuring server read-only access during the go-live stage, and ultimately achieving the migration of the production environment to the cloud.
Overall, Su Liang's presentation provided valuable insights into the importance of cloud migration in enterprise operations. He highlighted the advantages of the Atlassian cloud platform and outlined a structured approach to the migration process, enabling organizations to make informed decisions and successfully transition to the cloud.
Han Cheng Lu Siqing from Ctrip: Ctrip's Agile Management Practice Based on Jira Cloud
Han Cheng Lu Siqing from Ctrip delivered a presentation titled "Ctrip's Agile Management Practice Based on Jira Cloud," providing insights into how Ctrip, a renowned company in the travel industry, leverages Jira Cloud for agile management. Her presentation encompassed four core aspects: goal alignment, a product-centered collaboration framework, delivery team management, and alignment with overseas subsidiaries.
Han Cheng Lu Siqing emphasized that successful project management relies on people, with tools serving as auxiliary components. She explained how Ctrip achieves high visibility of objectives by utilizing Jira Cloud and connects different teams and departments through product demands, ensuring transparent information transmission.
The presentation highlighted the importance of a product-centered collaboration framework. Han Cheng Lu Siqing described how Ctrip uses Jira Cloud as a platform to link various roles, including business, product, and R&D, through product demands (Stories). This approach facilitates smooth communication and collaboration across departments, functions, and even international borders.
Han Cheng Lu Siqing from Ctrip
Han Cheng Lu Siqing demonstrated how Jira Cloud enables efficient iterations at different stages of Ctrip's projects. The flexibility provided by Jira Cloud allows Ctrip to align different departments and teams seamlessly, enabling them to adapt and respond to changing requirements effectively. Additionally, she emphasized Jira Cloud's role in aligning Ctrip with the objectives of its overseas subsidiaries. Through Jira Cloud, Ctrip successfully manages cross-border teams, achieving unity in strategic goals and transparency in information sharing.
Overall, Han Cheng Lu Siqing's presentation showcased how Ctrip leverages Jira Cloud to drive agile management practices. By emphasizing goal alignment, a product-centered collaboration framework, and effective team management, Ctrip has been able to achieve efficient project iterations and seamless coordination across departments and international subsidiaries.
Roundtable Discussion
After the guests' speeches session, three experts from IGS returned to the stage for a deep and insightful roundtable discussion. As partners of Atlassian, they are not only leaders in the industry but also pioneers in innovation. They shared their experiences working with Atlassian and their planning for the era of AI.
Faced with complex customer needs, how do you usually combine your expertise with Atlassian products to design solutions? Are there any impressive cases or strategies you can share?
· Su Liang: Typically, customer needs that are straight forward tend to resemble product functionalities. For such needs, we directly utilize the functions of Atlassian products to provide solutions. For more complex needs, we recommend using third-party plugins or our own custom-developed plugins. If a solution cannot be found within the native capabilities and plugin market, we engage in development work to create specific functionalities in collaboration with the customer.
· Liu Yin: When dealing with complex ITSM-related needs, I generally advise customers to start with simple processes. For example, the flexibility and convenience of JSM make it an excellent choice to start with the most commonly used processes. By gradually introducing and refining more processes, we can progressively build a complete service management system. It's essential to start practicing rather than remaining in the planning phase.
Which Atlassian product do you like the most, and why?
· Su Liang: I have a personal preference for Confluence because my work involves a lot of documentation. With Confluence, I can efficiently edit articles and accumulate knowledge, which I can easily share with others. That's why I particularly like Confluence.
· Liu Yin: I prefer Jira. As my main responsibilities involve development, Jira is perfectly suited for managing development requirements and realizing the DevOps cycle. Our company itself uses Jira, covering the entire process from requirement to development, deployment, and release, forming an effective practice loop.
· Niu Xifeng: I think JSM has unique advantages among many ITSM tools. Its simple configuration and integration of AI technology, allowing for problem-solving through natural language, are particularly appealing to me. Additionally, the Automation feature in JSM is very powerful, simplifying collaboration with third parties or integration with other applications, significantly enhancing efficiency.
Indeed, artificial intelligence technology is constantly affecting us, and IT professionals are often the first to be mentioned. Which recent innovations have had a significant impact on your work or life?
· Niu Xifeng: In recent years, artificial intelligence, AI, ChatGPT, and other technologies have had a significant impact. Although we can't use ChatGPT directly in Mainland China, its concept still influences us. Additionally, domestic technologies like Wenxin Yiyan and Bytedance have showcased the potential of big data models and AI. I've found these AI technologies particularly powerful in helping with coding or packaging executable programs, such as aiding in calling Jira's API or troubleshooting system errors. In the future, I hope to see further developments in using AI to automate service management systems, such as automatically generating service catalogs.
Will artificial intelligence change in the coming years due to some technological innovations? Can you share your thoughts on what it might look like?
· Liu Yin: Recent breakthroughs from OpenAI and various algorithms have significantly impacted many technological fields. I believe artificial intelligence will primarily serve humans, bringing convenience to everyone. Although some suggest AI might replace programmers, I think this is unlikely. The maintenance and development of AI will still require human involvement. I envision a future where everyone can control an AI robot to assist with coding, enhancing development efficiency. We need to input information and make corrections to AI, but it can assist in programming work.
In recent years, topics about intense workplace competition often trend online. Do you also feel this competitive pressure? I've heard Atlassian has many challenging exams; do you find them difficult?
· Su Liang: Indeed, there are many exam tasks, and everywhere in the workplace is competitive. The Atlassian exams we face are incredibly stringent, covering various certifications, especially for cloud services. The exams require a completely unsupervised environment, and the questions are mostly scenario-based. This means we need not only familiarity with product functionalities but also extensive practical experience to tackle complex scenario questions.
· Niu Xifeng: I also find Atlassian's exams challenging. Unlike other exams, their questions are primarily scenario-based, requiring solutions based on actual situations and product knowledge. These scenario questions test both practical operation and deep understanding of the product. Therefore, to handle these exams, we need real operational experience and in-depth product knowledge, rather than simply finding answers or memorizing questions.
As the collaboration between IGS and Atlassian continues to deepen, this event displayed the unlimited potential and forward-looking perspective of their partnership. Together, they will continue to drive technological innovation, bringing more disruptive solutions to the industry.



