ACP-120 · ● Active · Professional · Atlassian
Certification ID: ACP-120 (as of 2024). Atlassian transitioned from the older "Jira Cloud Administrator" pathway to a unified Cloud Organization Admin track under Atlassian University. This cert validates administration of multi-product cloud organization instances (Jira Cloud, Confluence Cloud, Bitbucket Cloud, etc.).
Exam facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost | ~$200 USD (includes exam attempt; varies by region) |
| Duration | ~75 minutes |
| Questions | 60 questions (all scored) |
| Passing | 65% (≈39/60 correct) |
| Format | Multiple choice + multiple response |
| Delivery | Atlassian Proctored (onsite at authorized testing centers or online via proctor) |
| Languages | English (vendor tests primarily in English; other languages on request) |
| Valid | 2 years |
| Renewal | Retake required; CE credits not accepted for renewal |
| Prerequisites | None formal; 6 months Atlassian Cloud product experience recommended |
| Released | Updated to ACP-120 structure in 2023; exam iterated through 2024–2025 |
| Retiring | N/A (Active) |
Vendor source — Atlassian University ↗
Certification overview — Atlassian Cloud Organization Admin ↗
Exam guide — Atlassian publishes exam blueprint via University portal (login required; see public outline below)
About
The Atlassian Certified Professional — Cloud Organization Admin (ACP-120) validates expertise in administering Atlassian cloud products at the organization level. Released in updated form in 2023, it consolidates earlier role-specific certs (Jira Cloud Admin, Confluence Admin) into a single professional-level credential that covers user management, identity integration (SSO/SAML/SCIM), multi-product governance, security, permissions, data residency, cloud migrations, and marketplace ecosystem administration. It is the primary professional certification for those managing Atlassian cloud deployments across medium to large organizations.
Domain context — Collaboration & IT Management
IT operations and team-collaboration platform administration. Atlassian products (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Service Management) dominate agile, ITSM, and development team coordination in enterprise and startup settings. This domain encompasses user lifecycle, identity federation, product configuration, security posture, and multi-product governance.
Read full deep dive — Atlassian Ecosystem → (file not yet created)
Topics covered
The ACP-120 exam blueprint covers:
- User & License Management (15–20%) — Adding/removing users, license assignment, user deprovisioning, user directory synchronization
- Identity & Access Control (15–20%) — SSO (SAML 2.0, OAuth), SCIM provisioning, Directory Sync, user authentication flows, permission schemes
- Product Administration (20–25%) — Jira Cloud, Confluence Cloud, Bitbucket Cloud, and Service Management Cloud basic admin (at org level, not site-specific workflows)
- Security & Compliance (15–20%) — IP allowlisting, audit logging, data residency, PII handling, export controls, permission audits
- Migration & Cloud Readiness (10–15%) — Server to Cloud migration path, Data Center to Cloud considerations, API-driven data transfer, downtime planning
- Marketplace & App Governance (5–10%) — Viewing installed apps, app permissions, marketplace app vetting, cloud app implications
- Organization Settings & Governance (10–15%) — Organization structure (domains, sites), shared resources, global policies, multi-instance administration
- Troubleshooting & Support (5%) — Common admin issues, logging, vendor support interaction
Source: Atlassian University exam blueprint (accessible post-enrollment)
Common skills at Collaboration & IT Management · Professional
Shared content for the Collaboration & IT Management domain at Professional level — not specific to this cert.
- Identity & Access Management (IAM) — SAML, OAuth, LDAP/Active Directory integration, federation, provisioning
- Enterprise user lifecycle — onboarding, deprovisioning, compliance audits, permission modeling
- Multi-product platform governance — cross-product policies, security posture, audit trails
- API-driven administration — REST APIs, scripting, bulk operations, custom integrations
- Security hardening — least-privilege principles, encryption, data residency, regulatory compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001)
- Incident response & troubleshooting — logging analysis, permission debugging, data recovery, root-cause analysis
- Vendor relationship management — SLAs, support escalation, roadmap planning, licensing negotiation
Recommended courses at Collaboration & IT Management · Professional
| Provider | Title | Cost | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian University | Atlassian Cloud Organization Admin Certification Training | Free (basic) / $99 (full) | https://university.atlassian.com/student/catalog |
| Udemy (Bert Jan Verhulst) | Atlassian Cloud Organization Administration | $15–$99 | https://www.udemy.com/course/atlassian-cloud-administration/ |
| LinkedIn Learning | Atlassian Cloud Administration Fundamentals | $30/mo (membership) | https://www.linkedin.com/learning/atlassian-cloud-administration-fundamentals |
| Coursera (if available) | Cloud Administration & Collaboration | Varies | Check Coursera.com for current offerings |
Course-selection rule: Prefer Atlassian University's official materials. Udemy options from certified instructors (e.g., Bert Jan Verhulst) are popular and affordable. LinkedIn Learning offers structured paths but may not be certification-specific.
Practice exams
| Provider | Title | Cost | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian (Official) | ACP-120 Sample Questions | Free | https://university.atlassian.com/student/catalog (bundled with study materials) |
| Whizlabs | Atlassian Cloud Admin Practice Tests | $20–$40 | https://www.whizlabs.com (search for Atlassian ACP-120) |
Note: Atlassian does not publish extensive third-party practice exam bundles compared to AWS or Microsoft. Official sample questions and hands-on labs in Atlassian Cloud trial instances are the primary prep tools.
Books
| Title | Author | Publisher | Year | ISBN | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlassian Cloud Administration Guide | Atlassian | Self-published (digital) | 2024 | N/A | https://www.atlassian.com/software/cloud/administration |
| Mastering Jira Cloud | Bert Jan Verhulst | Packt | 2023 | 978-1801810746 | https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Jira-Cloud-Bert-Verhulst/dp/1801810745 |
Book rule: Formal study guides for ACP-120 specifically are limited; Atlassian publishes digital administration guides. "Mastering Jira Cloud" covers foundational cloud admin but is Jira-focused rather than organization-wide. Official Atlassian docs remain the primary reference.
Typical job titles at Collaboration & IT Management · Professional
Atlassian Cloud Administrator · Jira Cloud Administrator · Confluence Cloud Administrator · Atlassian Systems Administrator · Cloud Operations Engineer (Atlassian Stack) · IT Systems Manager (Collaboration Tools) · DevOps Tools Administrator
(Job titles drawn from current job-board postings that list ACP-120 or "Atlassian Cloud Admin" as required or preferred.)
Salary
| Region | Range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| USD | $85,000–$130,000 | Glassdoor ↗ · Robert Half ↗ · LinkedIn Salary ↗ |
| ZAR | R800,000–R1,400,000 | Pnet ↗ · CareerJunction ↗ |
| GBP | £60,000–£90,000 | IT Jobs Watch ↗ · Hays ↗ |
| EUR | €65,000–€100,000 (DE/NL) | Stepstone ↗ · Indeed Germany ↗ |
| AUD | A$110,000–A$160,000 | Indeed Australia ↗ · SEEK ↗ |
Salary rule: Ranges reflect mid-career cloud admin roles. Salary varies by organization size, team scale (supporting 100 vs. 10,000 users), and geographic market. Entry-level (6–12 months experience) typically 15–20% below lower bound; senior cloud architects 10–25% above upper bound.
Skills validated
Cert-specific — what the ACP-120 exam actually tests.
- Atlassian Cloud product suite — Jira Cloud, Confluence Cloud, Bitbucket Cloud, Service Management Cloud
- SAML 2.0 & OAuth 2.0 — Identity provider integration, token flows, SSO configuration
- SCIM (System for Cross-Domain Identity Management) — Automated user provisioning, attribute mapping, directory synchronization
- Atlassian Directory (user management) — User invitations, license lifecycle, inactive user handling, API-driven bulk operations
- Atlassian Cloud security model — IP allowlisting, audit logs, workspace isolation, data residency
- Permission & space governance — Project roles, space permissions, group management, permission inheritance
- Cloud-to-Cloud migrations — Data transfer, downtime planning, cloud readiness assessment
- Marketplace app administration — App security review, permission implications, installation workflows
- Atlassian REST APIs — User admin endpoints, site admin endpoints, scripting for bulk tasks
- Compliance & audit — SOC 2, GDPR, export controls, audit log review, retention policies
Related certifications
- Stacks with: Jira Cloud Certified Associate ↗ (file not yet created)
- Prerequisite for: Atlassian Certified Specialist — Advanced Administration ↗ (file not yet created)
- Replaced by: N/A (ACP-120 is current as of 2024–2026; earlier "Jira Cloud Administrator" merged into this pathway)
- Stacks well with: Jira Automation Certification, Confluence Cloud Specialist (if created in roadmap)
- Vendor overview: Atlassian Vendor Overview ↗ (file not yet created)
- Related domain: Collaboration & IT Management Domain Overview ↗ (file not yet created)
Sources
- Atlassian University: https://university.atlassian.com/student/catalog
- Atlassian Cloud Administration Guide: https://www.atlassian.com/software/cloud/administration
- Atlassian Cloud Roadmap & Security: https://www.atlassian.com/trust/security
- Mastering Jira Cloud (Bert Jan Verhulst, Packt 2023): https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Jira-Cloud-Bert-Verhulst/dp/1801810745
- Robert Half Salary Guide: https://www.roberthalf.com/salary-guide
- Glassdoor Salary Data: https://www.glassdoor.com/
Last verified: 2026-05-01
Parent ecosystem: Atlassian Ecosystem (file not yet created)
Parent domain: Collaboration & IT Management (file not yet created)
Vendor overview: Atlassian (file not yet created)