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GitLab Professional Services Products - A Simple Guide

Introduction

GitLab Professional Services help organizations maximize the value of their GitLab investment through expert guidance, targeted solutions, and enhanced user education. As part of GitLab's Customer Success department, these services accelerate adoption and support customers in achieving their business goals more efficiently. This page presents a high level overview of each of our services offerings, for education purposes.

Core Service Categories

1. Implementation Services

What it is: Expert assistance to set up and configure GitLab for your organization's specific needs.

Self-Managed Implementation

What it is: This is when GitLab is installed and hosted on your own infrastructure (servers) that your company manages, rather than using GitLab's cloud service.

In simple terms: Think of this like buying software and installing it on your own computer, rather than using a web-based version. Your company takes full responsibility for maintaining the servers, handling backups, and performing upgrades.

Key benefits:

  • Complete control over your GitLab environment
  • Ability to customize settings extensively
  • Data stays within your own infrastructure (good for strict compliance requirements)
  • No dependence on GitLab's cloud availability

Best for: Organizations with regulatory requirements to keep data on-premises, companies with strong IT infrastructure teams, or businesses that need extensive customization.

Single-Node Implementation

What it is: A specific type of self-managed GitLab deployment where all GitLab components run on a single server (or "node").

In simple terms: Imagine having all parts of GitLab running on one computer rather than spreading it across multiple machines. It's the simplest way to deploy GitLab in a self-managed environment.

Key benefits:

  • Easier to set up compared to multi-node deployments
  • Lower infrastructure costs (just one server)
  • Simpler maintenance and troubleshooting
  • Good for smaller teams or test environments

Best for: Small to medium-sized teams with moderate workloads, organizations just starting with GitLab, or development environments where high availability isn't critical.

GitLab.com Implementation

What it is: Using GitLab's cloud-hosted service (GitLab.com) rather than installing GitLab on your own infrastructure.

In simple terms: This is like using Gmail instead of setting up your own email server. GitLab handles all the infrastructure, maintenance, backups, and upgrades while you just use the service through your web browser.

Key benefits:

  • No infrastructure to maintain
  • Automatic updates to the latest GitLab version
  • No hardware costs or setup required
  • Quick to get started (immediate access)
  • GitLab handles all backup and availability concerns

Best for: Teams that want to focus on their work rather than maintaining infrastructure, companies without dedicated server operations staff, or organizations that prefer subscription-based pricing models.

Implementation services for GitLab.com typically involve:

  • Setting up organizational structure
  • Configuring user permissions and access controls
  • Migrating existing projects from other systems
  • Integrating with other tools in your workflow
  • Training on GitLab.com features and best practices

2. Migration Services

What it is: Expert assistance to move your existing code, workflows, and data to GitLab from other systems.

Below, we present some of the ways in which data can be moved from SCM systems to GitLab.

Direct Transfer

What it is: A newer migration method specifically for GitLab-to-GitLab transfers that moves data directly between instances without requiring file exports.

In simple terms: Think of this like directly transferring files between two computers over a network connection, rather than having to download files from one computer and then upload them to another.

Key benefits:

  • No admin token required
  • Streamlined process with fewer steps
  • Reduces potential for file corruption during transfer
  • More efficient for larger projects

Best for: Organizations moving between GitLab instances that want a simpler migration process with less manual intervention.

File-based Export/Import

What it is: The traditional method for migrating projects or groups by exporting data to files and then importing those files into the target GitLab instance.

In simple terms: Similar to downloading all your data as files from one system, then uploading those files to another system. Like backing up your photos to an external drive and then restoring them on a new computer.

Key benefits:

  • Works across different versions of GitLab
  • Well-established with predictable results
  • Still the primary method used by most migration tools
  • Provides a backup copy during the migration process

Best for: Cross-version migrations, organizations that want a backup copy of data during migration, or when Direct Transfer isn't available.

GitLab Importers - Internal

What it is: Built-in tools within GitLab designed specifically to import from particular external systems (like GitHub, Bitbucket).

In simple terms: These are like specialized adapters that know exactly how to read data from other systems and properly convert it to GitLab's format.

Key benefits:

  • Purpose-built for specific source systems
  • Handles the peculiarities of each source system
  • Built directly into GitLab's interface
  • Often simpler than manual export/import processes

Best for: Organizations migrating from specific supported platforms who want a straightforward migration path with minimal tooling.

Congregate

What it is: A GitLab Professional Services automation tool that wraps around various import methods to enhance their capabilities and address limitations.

In simple terms: Think of this as a Swiss Army knife for migrations. It's a tool that can use multiple migration methods and adds extra features to make migrations smoother.

Key benefits:

  • Works with multiple migration methods (File-based, Direct Transfer, GitHub importers, etc.)
  • Compensates for limitations in the individual methods
  • Provides additional features beyond standard importers
  • Offers a consistent interface regardless of source system

Best for: Complex migrations, especially those involving multiple source systems or requiring features not available in standard importers.

GEO

What it is: A GitLab feature that continuously replicates data between GitLab instances, primarily designed for disaster recovery and distributed teams.

In simple terms: Rather than a one-time migration, GEO creates an ongoing mirror of your GitLab data. It's like having a backup server that's always kept in sync with your main server.

Key benefits:

  • Continuous replication rather than one-time migration
  • Can migrate data while users continue working
  • Provides a disaster recovery solution after migration
  • Useful for distributed teams after migration

Key limitations:

  • Only works for GitLab-to-GitLab under specific conditions
  • Not available for GitLab.com (as source or destination)
  • Can be complex to set up

Best for: Self-managed GitLab instances that need both migration and ongoing replication, especially for disaster recovery purposes.

Omnibus Backup/Restore

What it is: A complete backup and restore of an entire GitLab instance, including all data, configurations, and settings.

In simple terms: This is like taking a complete snapshot of your entire GitLab system—not just projects and data, but all settings and configurations too. Then restoring that complete snapshot to a new system.

Key benefits:

  • Most comprehensive migration method
  • Includes all instance configurations
  • Preserves all relationships between data
  • Maintains system settings and customizations

Key limitations:

  • Not available for GitLab.com
  • Requires compatible GitLab versions
  • Currently won't backup remote object storage data

Best for: Complete system migrations between self-managed instances where you want to preserve all aspects of the original system.

Chart Backup/Restore (K8s/Cloud-native Hybrid)

What it is: A backup and restore method specifically designed for GitLab installations running on Kubernetes.

In simple terms: Similar to Omnibus Backup/Restore, but specifically designed for modern cloud environments. It's like taking a snapshot of a cloud-based system that can be restored to another cloud environment.

Key benefits:

  • Designed for modern cloud-native architectures
  • Works with Kubernetes environments
  • Provides complete system migration
  • Suitable for containerized GitLab deployments

Key limitations:

  • Not for GitLab.com (either side)
  • Can have constraints based on Kubernetes limitations
  • Requires Kubernetes expertise to implement

Best for: Organizations running GitLab on Kubernetes or cloud-native infrastructure who need to migrate their entire instance to a new environment.

3. Consulting Services

What it is: Strategic advice and guidance to help you optimize your DevOps practices using GitLab.

Examples:

  • DevOps Assessment: Evaluate current practices and recommend improvements
  • CI/CD Optimization: Design efficient pipelines for faster, more reliable builds and deployments
  • Security Integration: Implement DevSecOps practices with GitLab's security features

Real-world scenario: An e-commerce company was experiencing slow release cycles. GitLab consultants analyzed their development workflow, identified bottlenecks, and helped them implement automated testing and deployment pipelines that reduced release time from weeks to days.

4. Education Services

What it is: Training programs to help your team master GitLab capabilities.

Examples:

  • GitLab Fundamentals: Basic training on repositories, merge requests, and issues
  • CI/CD Mastery: Advanced pipeline configuration, testing, and deployment strategies
  • Administrator Training: System maintenance, security, and performance optimization

Real-world scenario: A software development company transitioning from multiple tools to GitLab needed to quickly upskill 200 developers. GitLab provided customized training sessions covering basic Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and security scanning, resulting in rapid adoption and productivity gains.

5. Managed Services

What it is: Ongoing operational support and maintenance of your GitLab environment.

Examples:

  • Standard Support: Day-to-day management and routine maintenance
  • Premium Support: 24/7 monitoring, incident response, and optimization
  • Full Managed Service: Complete GitLab infrastructure management in the cloud

Real-world scenario: A manufacturing company with limited DevOps expertise needed to focus on application development rather than platform maintenance. GitLab partners provided fully managed GitLab services, handling upgrades, security patches, backup verification, and performance tuning.