Conducting an Annual Audit of Your SharePoint Intranet: Key Areas to Review

Organizations rely heavily on their intranet systems for managing projects, storing critical data, and communicating in today’s fast-paced corporate environment. An ideal platform to facilitate these activities is a SharePoint intranet, provided it is well-maintained. It is necessary to verify that your SharePoint intranet aligns with the company’s goals and objectives; nevertheless, as business requirements evolve.

Conducting an annual audit, will allow a company to assess compliance, performance, and usability. The areas that need to be carefully examined during the SharePoint intranet audit are listed below.

1. Usability and User Experience

Why Usability Matters

An intranet that is difficult for employees to navigate or that is not user-friendly will draw fewer visitors and produce less.

Making your SharePoint intranet as user-friendly as feasible is crucial for ensuring employee satisfaction and the smooth operation of your company, among other problems.

Key Areas to Review

• Navigation Structure: Are menus and links intuitive? Conduct usability testing with employees to identify pain points.
• Search Functionality: Evaluate whether the search engine retrieves relevant results quickly. Adjust metadata and keywords if needed.
• Mobile Accessibility: Verify that your intranet performs seamlessly on mobile devices.
• Page Load Times: Slow-loading pages can frustrate users. Use performance monitoring tools to identify bottlenecks.
• Personalization Options: Check if users can customize dashboards or receive personalized notifications.

Action Steps

• Gather user feedback through surveys or focus groups.
• Analyze usage metrics to identify underused or problematic features.
• Implement iterative improvements based on findings.

2. Content Relevance and Accuracy

The Problem of Outdated Content

Having outdated content, junk data, and outdated information will only make it more difficult to reap the benefits of an intranet.

Key Areas to Review

• Content Inventory: Perform a content audit to identify outdated, duplicate, or irrelevant files and pages.
• Compliance and Standards: Verify that content adheres to legal and organizational guidelines.
• Content Ownership: Ensure every page or document has a designated owner responsible for updates.
• Retention Policies: Evaluate if older files are archived or deleted as per company policies.

Action Steps

• Use tools like SharePoint’s content audit features to analyze usage patterns.
• Schedule periodic content reviews with stakeholders.
• Develop a content management framework to maintain consistency.

3. Permissions and Security

Protecting Sensitive Information

Protecting your intranet data should be your top responsibility in the modern world when cyber risks are increasing.

While there are many security opportunities when utilizing SharePoint, they also need ongoing maintenance and monitoring.

Key Areas to Review

• Access Controls: Review user permissions to ensure that sensitive data is accessible only to authorized personnel.
• External Sharing: Evaluate and limit the use of external sharing options where unnecessary.
• Audit Logs: Examine SharePoint’s audit logs for unusual activity or security breaches.
• Compliance Requirements: Ensure the SharePoint intranet meets industry-specific legal standards, such as GDPR or HIPAA.

Action Steps

• Conduct a permissions review using SharePoint’s admin tools.
• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for added security.
• Train employees on best practices for data security.

4. Integration with Other Tools

Ensuring Seamless Workflows

It’s possible that your SharePoint intranet interfaces with other programs and technologies, such as Power BI, Microsoft Teams, and others.

The seamless operation of these integrations should be confirmed by an audit.

Key Areas to Review

• Integration Stability: Are APIs and connectors working without errors?
• Workflow Automation: Assess whether automated workflows meet current business needs.
• Data Synchronization: Verify that data flows correctly between integrated tools.
• New Integration Opportunities: Identify additional tools that could enhance intranet functionality.

Action Steps

• Update connectors and APIs to their latest versions.
• Test critical workflows to identify failures or delays.
• Consult with IT and business units to explore integration enhancements.

5. Performance and Scalability

Meeting Growing Demands

The demand for your SharePoint intranet increases as your company grows. In most cases, this results in decreased productivity and irate system users.

Key Areas to Review

• Server Health: Monitor server performance metrics, such as CPU usage and memory.
• Storage Usage: Check whether your storage capacity aligns with organizational growth.
• Performance Benchmarks: Test page load times, file upload/download speeds, and query performance.
• Scalability: Assess whether your current infrastructure can handle anticipated growth.

Action Steps

• Use tools like SharePoint Admin Centre and third-party monitoring software for performance insights.
• Archive unused data to free up storage space.
• Plan infrastructure upgrades if performance metrics fall short.

6. Adoption and Engagement Metrics

Are Employees Using the Intranet?

An intranet that is regularly used by staff members is considered effective. High non-adoption rates suggest low awareness, irrelevant material, or usability issues.

Key Areas to Review

• Usage Analytics: Track metrics like active users, most accessed pages, and session durations.
• Engagement Features: Evaluate the use of social features, such as commenting, liking, and sharing.
• Training and Support: Determine if employees are adequately trained to use the intranet.

Action Steps

• Conduct training sessions to familiarize employees with new features.
• Promote underused features through internal campaigns.
• Regularly review usage reports to track improvements.

7. Customization and Branding

Reflecting Your Organization’s Identity

Employee connections can be built, and complex branding and personalization can make it more interesting to find what one wants on an intranet.

Key Areas to Review

• Branding Elements: Check for outdated logos, colors, or themes.
• Custom Features: Ensure customizations still align with business needs and technical standards.
• User Feedback: Gather input on the aesthetic appeal and functionality of the intranet.

Action Steps

• Update branding elements to match current corporate guidelines.
• Retire or revise outdated customizations.
• Seek design input from users and stakeholders.

8. Training and Documentation

Empowering Your Workforce

Through training and documentation, staff members can effectively use the SharePoint intranet without formally requesting IT support.

Key Areas to Review

• Training Materials: Evaluate whether existing resources cover all major features and workflows.
• FAQs and Guides: Update documentation to address common user queries.
• Onboarding Processes: Ensure new hires receive adequate intranet training.

Action Steps

• Regularly update training materials to include new features.
• Conduct periodic refresher sessions for existing employees.
• Solicit user input on gaps in current documentation.

9. Future-Proofing Your Intranet

Preparing for Tomorrow’s Needs

Technology evolves rapidly, and your SharePoint intranet must keep pace to remain relevant.

Key Areas to Review

• Feature Updates: Evaluate new features introduced by SharePoint and Microsoft 365.
• Emerging Technologies: Explore opportunities to integrate AI, machine learning, or advanced analytics.
• Scalability Planning: Align intranet capabilities with long-term organizational goals.

Action Steps

• Stay informed about SharePoint’s product roadmap.
• Experiment with test features to assess their potential value.
• Partner with IT and leadership to plan for future upgrades.

10. Compliance and Legal Requirements

Staying on the Right Side of Regulations

An intranet audit still includes compliance because every organization operates in a unique legal and operational environment.

Hence, noncompliance would result in penalties, harm to one’s reputation, or possibly an end to business operations.

Key Areas to Review

• Data Privacy Standards: Confirm adherence to data privacy laws like GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA.
• Document saving Policies: Ensure old documents are archived or disposed of as per regulatory requirements.
• Audit Trails: Check that SharePoint’s logging and tracking capabilities are capturing all necessary actions for compliance purposes.

Action Steps

• Consult legal and compliance teams to verify standards.
• Conduct mock compliance audits to identify gaps.
• Leverage SharePoint’s compliance tools to streamline adherence.

11. Accessibility Standards

Creating an Inclusive Intranet

All employees in your office should have fair access to your SharePoint intranet, including those with disabilities.

Key Areas to Review

• WCAG Compliance: Ensure your intranet meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for visual, auditory, and motor accessibility.
• Assistive Technology Support: Verify compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technologies.
• Color Contrast and Font Size: Check visual elements for readability.

Action Steps

• Use accessibility testing tools to identify and fix issues.
• Provide alternative formats for essential content.
• Train content creators on accessibility best practices.

12. Cost Effectiveness and ROI

Maximizing Value for Investment

At least once a year, the value proposition argument should be examined to determine whether the SharePoint intranet offers sufficient value for the expenses.

This includes several costs that must be computed, including direct costs as well as their effects, such as general productivity.

Key Areas to Review

• Licensing Costs: Review your Microsoft 365 subscription and associated costs.
• Employee Productivity: Measure how the intranet contributes to streamlined processes and reduced inefficiencies.
• Underutilized Features: Identify and phase out unused or redundant tools to cut costs.

Action Steps

• Compare costs with usage metrics to calculate ROI.
• Explore cost-effective upgrades or feature add-ons.
• Align budget planning with the intranet’s strategic goals.

Conclusion

An effective way to maintain the value of your SharePoint intranet for your company is to audit it once a year. By examining usability, content relevance, security, integrations, performance, and engagement, you may quickly identify the intranet’s shortcomings and how to repurpose it to achieve the overarching corporate objectives.