How SharePoint Audit Optimizes Your Platform’s Performance, Security, and Stability

Table of Contents:

Understanding SharePoint Audits: Definition, Purpose, and Components

What is the Purpose of SharePoint Audit?

Key Components of a SharePoint Health Check

When to Schedule a SharePoint Audit?

Roadmap to a Smooth SharePoint Audit

Essential Tools and Resources for Robust SharePoint Audits

How a SharePoint Service Partner Helps Here?

Imagine a central hub for all your company’s information – documents, files, websites, and more. This hub is not just a storage locker; it’s a collaborative workspace that keeps everyone on the same page and streamlines business processes. That’s the power of SharePoint!

Globally, 200,000+ organizations and 200 million users rely on SharePoint to automate their workflows, manage content, and communicate seamlessly^[i].

SharePoint is a web-based platform developed by Microsoft that acts as a centralized Document Management System (DMS) and collaboration tool. It enables businesses of all sizes to store, organize, share, and collaborate on critical information. Think of it as a secure online filing cabinet combined with a virtual team meeting room, seamlessly integrated into one powerful platform.

However, while SharePoint provides robust collaboration and document management capabilities, its complexity and dynamic nature necessitate regular audits. Custom solutions, extensive integrations, and intricate permission structures can introduce performance issues and security risks.

Regular SharePoint audits can ensure compliance, optimize the platform’s performance, and maintain effective governance.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the intricacies of a SharePoint audit, covering everything from its benefits and the complexities it addresses to the steps involved in conducting a successful audit, and more.

Understanding SharePoint Audits: Definition, Purpose, and Components

A SharePoint audit is an essential evaluation process designed to ensure the optimal performance, security, and stability of your SharePoint environment. Conducted by experts, this comprehensive assessment identifies and addresses potential issues, enhancing the overall efficiency and user experience of the platform. It is particularly crucial when facing performance issues, security concerns, or system disruptions.

It is worth noting that SharePoint provides built-in audit capabilities to help users maintain control over their environment. These audits enable the user to track and analyze the use of files, lists, and folders within the SharePoint ecosystem.

SharePoint audit provides visibility into the user’s environment by analyzing audit logs of files, lists, and folders. It helps identify responsible users, ensure consistency in document handling, and quickly address errors, thereby enhancing security & operational efficiency.

What is the Purpose of SharePoint Audit?

The primary purpose of a SharePoint audit is to ensure that the SharePoint environment operates efficiently and securely. This involves:

• Identifying Performance Bottlenecks: Detecting areas where the system may be lagging and optimizing them for better performance.

• Enhancing Security: Assessing security configurations and identifying vulnerabilities to protect sensitive data.

• Ensuring Stability: Checking the health of SharePoint deployment to prevent system disruptions and downtime.

• Improving User Experience: Evaluating the usability and interface to enhance user satisfaction and productivity.

• Compliance and Governance: Ensuring that the SharePoint environment meets organizational compliance and governance policies.

Key Components of a SharePoint Health Check

• SharePoint Farm Assessment: Conducts a comprehensive review of the entire SharePoint farm, including servers, databases, and services, to ensure optimal health, performance, and reliability.

• Custom Applications Assessment and Code Review: Analyzes custom applications within the SharePoint farm, assessing code efficiency, security, and compatibility.

• Load-Time Analysis: Evaluates the loading times of SharePoint pages and components, ensuring they deliver optimal speed and responsiveness for users.

• SharePoint Security Audit: Reviews security configurations, permissions, and access controls to identify vulnerabilities and enhance data protection.

• Content Analysis and Assessment: Reviews content quality, organization, and relevance, optimizing the user experience and ensuring effective dissemination of information.

• User Experience Assessment: Assesses the SharePoint interface, navigation, and usability to enhance user satisfaction and productivity of the platform.

• Workflow and Automation Assessment: Analyzes the efficiency and effectiveness of automated workflows within SharePoint, ensuring they are streamlined.

• Site Collection and Permissions Review: Assesses the organization and structure of SharePoint site collections, along with a review of permissions at the site collection and individual item level.

• Backup and Disaster Recovery Review: Ensures proper backups are in place and the organization has a documented disaster recovery plan for SharePoint data.

• Search Functionality Assessment: Evaluates the effectiveness of SharePoint’s search capabilities, ensuring users can easily find the information they need.

• Mobile Access and Device Management: This could determine how users access SharePoint on mobile devices and if there are any appropriate mobile device management policies in place.

When to Schedule a SharePoint Audit?

Businesses should consider implementing a SharePoint audit for several reasons, which can be categorized into proactive and reactive triggers.

Proactive Triggers:

– Regular Maintenance: Just like a website needs regular check-ups, a SharePoint environment thrives with routine audits. With a SharePoint audit, businesses can identify potential issues before they snowball into bigger problems, ensuring optimal performance and security.

– New Initiatives: Are you planning to roll out new features, migrate to a new version of SharePoint, or integrate it with other systems? A pre and post-audit helps assess the impact and identify any unexpected changes in activity, permissions, or performance.

– Compliance Requirements: Many industries have specific data security regulations. Audits provide a documented record of their security posture, demonstrating compliance and reducing the risk of penalties.

– User Onboarding and Offboarding: As employees join or leave the organization, SharePoint permissions need to be adjusted. Audits ensure these changes are reflected accurately and minimize unauthorized access risks.

Reactive Triggers:

– Security Incidents: If a data breach or security concern arises, an audit helps pinpoint the source of the issue and identify any weaknesses in permissions or access controls.

– Performance Issues: If the users experience slow loading times or encounter glitches, SharePoint audits can identify bottlenecks and areas for performance optimization.

– Content Management Concerns: If your users are struggling to find specific information or are overwhelmed by outdated content, Sharepoint audits can highlight areas for improved content organization and identify files for archiving or deletion.

– User Activity Anomalies: If unusual access patterns or suspicious activity are detected, SharePoint audits provide a historical record for investigation and potential disciplinary action.

Related Read: Master Your SharePoint Online Migration

Roadmap to a Smooth SharePoint Audit

1. Planning and Preparation: Define the objectives and scope of the audit, including specific areas such as security, performance, compliance, and user activity. Identify stakeholders and establish audit timelines and methodologies.

2. Data Collection: Gather comprehensive data from SharePoint logs, configuration settings, user permissions, content repositories, and other relevant sources. This includes accessing audit logs that track user activities, content changes, and system events.

3. Analysis and Evaluation: Analyze the collected data to identify trends, anomalies, security gaps, and performance bottlenecks. Evaluate compliance with organizational policies, industry standards, and regulatory requirements.

4. Identifying Risks and Issues: Ensure potential SharePoint risk assessment such as unauthorized access, outdated content, compliance violations, or system vulnerabilities. Prioritize these risks based on their severity and potential impact on business operations.

5. Recommendations and Action Plan: Develop recommendations and an action plan based on audit findings. Propose remedial actions to address identified risks and issues, improve security controls, optimize performance, and enhance compliance.

6. Implementation of Remediation: Implement the recommended actions and changes identified in the action plan. This may involve adjusting user permissions, updating security configurations, optimizing content management practices, or deploying patches & updates.

7. Monitoring and Review: Continuously monitor SharePoint environments post-audit to ensure that implemented changes are effective and sustainable. Review audit outcomes periodically to identify new risks or areas for improvement.

8. Documentation and Reporting: Document audit findings, recommendations, actions taken, and outcomes in a comprehensive audit report. Share the report with relevant stakeholders to communicate the state of SharePoint health, compliance status, and improvements made.

Essential Tools and Resources for Robust SharePoint Audits

1. Built-in SharePoint Auditing Tools

• SharePoint Audit Logs: SharePoint provides built-in audit logging capabilities. These logs track user activity, including document creation/modification, deletion, and sharing. You can access and analyze these logs directly within SharePoint to gain insights into user activity and identify potential security concerns.

• SharePoint Search Center: The search center can be used to locate specific user activities or changes within SharePoint. This can help investigate security incidents or identify specific content modifications.

2. Third-Party SharePoint Audit Tools

• Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Center: This cloud-based service provides advanced security and compliance features, including auditing capabilities for SharePoint Online. It provides comprehensive reporting and analytics on user activity, permissions, and data access.

• Third-Party Audit Tools: Several third-party vendors provide dedicated SharePoint auditing tools. These tools often include additional features beyond native SharePoint functionality, such as automated reporting, data visualization, and integration with other security platforms.

3. Additional Resources

• Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft provides comprehensive documentation on SharePoint auditing, including best practices, configuration guides, and troubleshooting tips. You can find this information on the official Microsoft Docs website.

• Online Communities: There are many online communities dedicated to SharePoint administration and security. These communities can be a valuable resource for learning about best practices for SharePoint audits and finding solutions to common challenges.

How to Choose the Right Tool for Implementing a Successful SharePoint Audit?

The best tools for your SharePoint audit will depend on your specific needs and resources. Consider factors like the size and complexity of your SharePoint environment, your budget, and the level of technical expertise within your team.

By leveraging a combination of built-in tools, third-party solutions, and available resources, you can effectively implement SharePoint audits and maintain a secure and efficient collaboration platform for your organization.

How a SharePoint Service Partner Helps Here?

Partnering with a SharePoint service provider like Grazitti Interactive for your audit ensures a thorough and effective evaluation. Their in-depth knowledge of the platform, expertise, and streamlined processes will help you identify potential issues efficiently. Their objectivity will provide fresh perspectives and strategic recommendations. This collaboration will optimize your business resources, save costs, and enhance security & compliance.

Here’s what Grazitti Interactive’s SharePoint audit covers:

– Complete SharePoint Environment Assessment
– Evaluation of Custom Applications and Code Review
– Measuring Load-Times of SharePoint Pages
– Examination of Security Configurations, Permissions, and Access Control
– Content Analysis and Assessment
– Checking of SharePoint Navigation, Usability, and Interface, and more

Ensure Optimal Performance, Security, and Scalability of Your SharePoint Environment With a Complimentary Audit. Book Now!

References:

^[i] Microsoft