JIRA Software is a project management tool that allows users to track their project work using scrum or kanban boards. Tasks, stories, bugs, features, etc. are tied to an epic (the overall project) and then assigned out to the appropriate agents usually by a PM. JIRA Software is only accessible to internal employees and various contractors, not customers.

JIRA Service Desk (JSD) is a helpdesk tool that allows support teams to receive tickets as a dedicated request type from customers (affiliates in our case). Customers do not have full access and can only view request types via the portal and the tickets they have submitted or are a request participant on. Agents can then communicate with customers with public comments on their tickets. Work in JSD is often tracked through queues that are typically separated by teams. Service Desk should not be used to track projects as it is not suited for this type of work.