SharePoint Permissions Best Practices: 10 Actionable Insights

SharePoint is a powerful document management and collaboration platform that allows organizations to store, organize, and share information securely. However, it becomes crucial to understand SharePoint’s permission settings when transitioning from other cloud services like Box or Dropbox to SharePoint Online.

Managing permissions in SharePoint can be complex, as improper configurations may result in security breaches, data leaks, and user confusion. In this article, we will discuss ten best practices for managing SharePoint permissions after migrating from Box and Dropbox.

By implementing these best practices, businesses can effectively manage permissions, safeguard data, and optimize collaboration in their SharePoint environment.

1. Plan a Clear Permission Hierarchy

Having a clear hierarchy of permissions makes managing permissions much easier. This hierarchy should align with your organization’s structure and map user roles to corresponding permission levels. Establishing a logical structure simplifies permission management and ensures that users access resources appropriately.

2. Use SharePoint Groups

SharePoint groups provide a convenient way to manage permissions. Instead of assigning permissions to individual users, consider creating groups based on common roles or responsibilities.

This approach streamlines permission management by assigning permissions to groups rather than individual users. Additionally, when there are changes in the team members, you can add or remove users from the appropriate group, reducing administrative overhead.

3. Be Mindful of External Sharing

SharePoint facilitates external sharing, which enables organizations to collaborate with users outside their organization. However, it is crucial to approach external access with caution and establish necessary safeguards.

Implementing appropriate controls, such as setting expiration dates, enforcing guest user restrictions, and limiting sharing to specific domains or individuals, helps ensure that sensitive information remains protected and accessible only to authorized parties.

4. Use the Least Privilege Principle

According to the principle of least privilege, users should only be granted the minimum permissions necessary to perform their job effectively. Applying this principle in SharePoint ensures that users only have access to the information they need, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.

5. Limit the Use of Custom Permission Levels

Using the predefined permission levels in SharePoint is considered a best practice as it promotes consistency and simplifies permission management. While there may be specific scenarios where custom permission levels are necessary, it is generally recommended to leverage the built-in permission levels whenever possible.

Instead of customizing permissions for every user, assign appropriate permission levels to streamline the process. This approach ensures that permissions are uniform throughout the site, making it easier to understand and manage access rights effectively.

6. Manage Subsite Access with Site-level Permissions

In SharePoint, subsites are a common way to organize and segregate content within a site collection. It is best practice to use site-level permissions to manage subsite access efficiently.

By granting permissions at the site level, you can control access to the entire subsite, including all lists, libraries, and pages. This approach simplifies permission management by providing a centralized control point for access rights.

7. Use List and Library Permissions to Control Access to Specific Content

When you need to grant selective access to specific content within a site, it is advisable to utilize list and library permissions rather than providing access to the entire site. This best practice enables you to manage and control access to specific content while maintaining overall site control. By leveraging list and library permissions, you can precisely regulate user access to targeted content while ensuring the integrity and security of the site.

8. Regularly Review Permissions

Permissions in SharePoint should be reviewed periodically to ensure they align with your organization’s evolving requirements. Conduct regular audits to identify discrepancies, orphaned accounts, or unnecessary access rights. This practice helps maintain data integrity, reduce security risks, and comply with regulations.

9. Implement Role-Based Access Control

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a powerful approach to managing permissions in SharePoint. With RBAC, access is granted based on predefined roles, allowing users to perform specific functions within their assigned roles.

RBAC simplifies permission management and enhances security by ensuring users only have access to the resources necessary for their roles.

10. Regularly Backup and Restore SharePoint Permissions

Lastly, it is essential to back up SharePoint permissions regularly. Accidental changes or malicious activities can result in permissions being inadvertently modified or deleted. By periodically backing up and documenting permission settings, you can quickly restore permissions to their previous state, ensuring minimal disruption and maintaining data integrity.

SharePoint permissions are a crucial aspect of ensuring data security and collaboration within organizations. CloudFuze helps organizations migrate permissions from Dropbox and Box to SharePoint Online accurately. Contact us to learn more about how the permissions are mapped and migrated.