Companies that want to convert from their current company wiki system to Confluence must overcome a few challenges: existing users are used to working with the platform, changing systems always involves trade-offs, and transferring existing content is complex and painful. In the previous article, we described these common challenges in detail. In this article, we will explain why the switch to Confluence is still a good idea and why the exhausting migration process is still worth the effort.

Fully integrated into the infrastructure

Confluence can be integrated seamlessly into existing infrastructure and is a true single sign-on solution that fully supports LDAP and Active Directory.

Hundreds of plugins let Confluence adapt to almost any specific system scenario and link to an existing, larger productivity suite. Confluence’s integration with Office and SharePoint is good, but its integration with other Atlassian tools, such as JIRA, is truly fantastic.

Better usability

When it comes to usability, Confluence is unsurpassable on the market, even directly "out of the box" with customization or usability optimization. The most recent big steps taken to improve usability were introducing the new Rich Text Editor (Version 4.0) and the new intuitive interface (5.0).

Admittedly, not all Confluence users were enthusiastic about the new Editor at the get-go. Heavy users and developers in particular were grumbling at the time. But in retrospect, this conversion proved to be the right decision.

The Editor is as easy to use as a basic word processor. External multimedia content can be integrated easily and directly via links, and Confluence offers drag-and-drop support for attachments. No programming skills are required, even for creating complex wiki pages including macros for advanced functions. And functions unrelated to content, such as area, user and authorization management, are accessible via user-friendly web interfaces. Even loading plugins takes just a few clicks.

This makes it incredibly easy for new users to get started, which in in turn makes it easy to bring new employees on board. Less tech-savvy users and beginners are not discouraged by complex wiki syntax and can actively use the system right way. Training new employees to use the wiki becomes a whole lot easier. And experienced wiki users also benefit because improved usability means greater effectiveness, efficiency and productivity.

More functions

Confluence has been more than just a wiki for a long time now and is successfully becoming an enterprise collaboration platform. Apart from actual wiki functions, the system also offers @-mentions, in-app notifications in a personal workbox and a small-scale personal task management for wiki-specific tasks.

E-mail integration is great and the mobile interface for smartphones and tablet has also been success. The list of Confluence features for numerous use cases (66 examples can be found here) is as long as it is impressive and includes around 180 sophisticated functions.

Improved support from the community

Behind every wiki stands a greater or smaller but mostly committed community. MediaWiki, in particular, is developed and supported by a huge community. In this case, however, the focus is on the developing Wikipedia.

The Confluence community, on the other hand, has directed its focus on using wikis in companies and enterprise teams. The manufacturer Atlassian provides major releases on a semi-annual basis and publishes truly comprehensive support material online and free of charge.

Companies and groups around the world continuously support Confluence with bug reports, feature requests, contributions to documentation, public tips, tricks and best practices and develop plugins that can be integrated into your own wiki for specific use cases within your company. The plugins are provided on the Atlassian Marketplace for free in some cases or for a fee. No other wiki platform offers enterprise support comparable with the Confluence community.

Improved advice and support

Atlassian offers the software only. Atlassian has established a worldwide network of partners and experts for individual Confluence services, such as implementation, customization, strategy, training and consultation. These partner companies are experts in Atlassian products and assist customers with introducing and effectively using Confluence in their own companies.

Companies that use a less widely used wiki are often left to face challenges and individual adaptation requirements on their own because there is not enough expertise on the market and because not enough service providers support the system. Confluence customers, on the other hand, have an experienced local contact directly in the network for services ranging from standardized training workshops to integration, design adaptation and scaling of the wiki as well as custom plugin development.

Furthermore, Atlassian partners like //SEIBERT/MEDIA are often in direct contact with the manufacturer and can act as the German-speaking interface for the English Atlassian support, effectively deal with specific requirements and rapidly and firmly escalate when there are problems.

Conclusion

As the first article showed, converting from one wiki platform to another cannot be done on a whim. A conversion requires a great deal of persuasion within the company to give up an existing system.

But the mid-term and long-term benefits of converting to Confluence make up for the initial effort. Confluence’s user-friendliness creates the foundation for increased productivity within a company. All the features make it so more processes can be displayed and centralized in the company wiki. Atlassian and the support of the community ensure rapid development with an enterprise focus. And support from an Atlassian partner like //SEIBERT/MEDIA guarantees professional customization, seamless integration and fast problem solving. Experience has shown that Confluence’s high ROI quickly makes up for any difficulties with migration.

We are your Confluence partner!

Do you have questions about Confluence and company wikis? Are you thinking about introducing a wiki? Do you want to optimize or update an existing system or migrate from another platform? We are an official German Atlassian partner with experience from hundreds of Confluence projects and will be happy to support you with all aspects of introducing a wiki.

There are many advantages to purchasing your licenses via //SEIBERT/MEDIA. Please feel free to contact us with no obligation. You can find out more about Confluence as an enterprise wiki here. For more detailed information about our wiki services with example calculations, please refer to our wiki orientation offer in our information library.

Additional information

11 Questions to Answer when Evaluating Enterprise Wiki Software
Atlassian tools used for internal organization at //SEIBERT/MEDIA: Confluence, JIRA, HipChat
111 Reasons why you need an Enterprise Wiki

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