SharePoint 2019: Best Practices for Managing an Enterprise Site

Are you using SharePoint 2019 in your company and wondering how to optimize its day-to-day management? Whether you’re a newly appointed site owner, IT manager, or simply looking to improve your collaborative platform’s organization, you’re in the right place. Between managing permissions, organizing content, and securing sensitive data, SharePoint can seem complex at first. However, with the right practices in place, managing an enterprise site becomes not only simple but also rewarding. In this article, we’ll explore concrete, proven strategies to transform your SharePoint site into a truly efficient and secure collaboration tool. Whether your company has 20 or 2,000 employees, these practical tips will help you get the most out of your SharePoint 2019 investment.

Table of Contents:

1. Understanding your SharePoint 2019 site owner role
2. Establishing solid governance from the start
3. Mastering permissions management
4. Intelligently managing access requests
5. Organizing content with metadata
6. Versioning: your safety net
7. Securing sensitive data
8. Maintaining a clean and performant site
9. Training and supporting your users
10. Collaborating with your SharePoint administrator

Understanding your SharePoint 2019 site owner role

Before diving into the technical aspects, let’s clarify something essential: what exactly is a site owner? Unlike the SharePoint administrator who manages the overall infrastructure, you’re responsible for your specific area. Think of yourself as a department director rather than the CEO of the entire company.

Your primary responsibility is to maintain an environment where your colleagues can collaborate effectively while preserving information security. According to Microsoft’s official documentation, in modern SharePoint, site governance is more important than in previous versions because there’s more control and options for site creation.

Specifically, you manage three main areas: permissions and security, content organization, and regular site maintenance. Each of these pillars requires particular attention and specific best practices that we’ll detail.

Establishing solid governance from the start

Governance isn’t just a buzzword to impress people during board meetings. It’s literally the difference between a high-performing SharePoint site and complete digital chaos.

Start by clearly defining the rules of the game. Who can create content? Who can modify or delete it? What are the naming conventions for documents? These questions seem basic, but their lack of answers quickly generates problems. A study mentioned in Microsoft’s governance resources explains that a tailored governance plan can simplify product deployment and ensure the best return on technology investment.

For Swiss companies, governance must also account for local compliance requirements, particularly regarding data protection. The governance plan doesn’t need to be a 100-page document that nobody will read. Aim for a few concise pages that address the essentials: roles and responsibilities, security policies, content creation rules, and maintenance processes.

Think of your governance plan like a recipe: too complicated and nobody will follow it, too vague and everyone will improvise their own way. The perfect balance lies in clear but pragmatic guidelines, adapted to your organization’s culture.

Mastering permissions management

Ah, SharePoint permissions! This is probably the aspect that generates the most questions and… headaches. But rest assured, once you understand the basic principles, everything becomes much smoother.

SharePoint 2019 works with a permissions inheritance system. Imagine a waterfall: permissions set at the site level naturally flow down to libraries, then to folders, and finally to individual documents. This inheritance principle is your best friend because it significantly simplifies management.

The three default groups are your main tools: site owners (full control), members (can add and modify content), and visitors (read-only access). According to Microsoft’s recommendations, it’s strongly advised to use built-in SharePoint groups for communication sites and manage permissions through the associated Microsoft 365 group.

A common mistake we see in companies? The temptation to break inheritance at every turn. Every time you break inheritance to create unique permissions, you add complexity. And this complexity comes at a cost: not only in terms of maintenance, but also in performance. There’s a technical limit of 50,000 unique permissions for on-premises SharePoint 2019, and as this number increases, performance degrades.

Our recommendation? If you need to protect certain documents with specific permissions, create a separate library with its own permissions instead. It’s cleaner, more performant, and much easier to maintain in the long run.

Intelligently managing access requests

Let’s now talk about an often overlooked aspect: access requests. By default, when a user doesn’t have access to content, they can send an authorization request. But here’s the problem: if this request is sent to multiple site owners simultaneously, everyone thinks someone else will handle it. Result? Nobody responds.

The solution? Configure a specific support email address to handle these requests. Some companies create addresses like support-sharepoint@company.com, managed by a dedicated team. This approach ensures that each request receives a response within a reasonable timeframe.

Organizing content with metadata

Let’s move on to a topic that can truly transform your site’s efficiency: using metadata. Too many companies continue to use SharePoint as a simple file server with endless folders and subfolders. That’s unfortunate because they’re missing out on one of SharePoint’s most powerful features.

Metadata is that additional information you attach to your documents: document type, department, project, status, etc. Think of them as labels you stick on your files to find them easily. Instead of navigating through 15 levels of folders to find the right contract, you simply create a filtered view that displays all contracts from the legal department with “approved” status.

To maximize metadata efficiency, create standardized content types. For example, a “Contract” content type could automatically include columns for: Client, Signature Date, Duration, Owner. Each time a new contract is added, this information is automatically requested. SharePoint best practices experts recommend using metadata to facilitate document search and classification rather than relying solely on a folder structure.

Versioning: your safety net

Imagine this situation: a colleague accidentally modifies an important document and overwrites crucial information. Without versioning, you’re stuck. With versioning enabled, you can simply restore the previous version with a few clicks.

Version control in SharePoint 2019 maintains a complete history of document modifications. You can configure the number of versions to keep (for example, the last 50 major versions) and even require document checkout before modification to avoid conflicts when multiple people work simultaneously.

For Swiss companies subject to strict compliance requirements, versioning becomes even more critical. It allows you to demonstrate who modified what and when, which can be essential during audits.

Securing sensitive data

Data security is non-negotiable, especially in Switzerland where data protection requirements are high. Your SharePoint site likely contains sensitive information: HR data, financial information, strategic documents.

First, clearly identify which information is sensitive in your context. A good practice is to create separate libraries for content requiring enhanced protection rather than mixing public and confidential documents in the same library.

Second, master external sharing. SharePoint allows you to share documents with people outside your organization, which is convenient for collaborating with partners or clients. But this functionality must be strictly controlled. According to SharePoint security recommendations, it’s preferable that only site owners can share folders and files to avoid accidental sharing of sensitive content.

Third, conduct regular security audits. Check quarterly who has access to what, remove permissions from former employees, and eliminate unique permissions that have become unnecessary. This constant vigilance is your best protection against data leaks.

Maintaining a clean and performant site

A SharePoint site is like your desk: if you never tidy up, it quickly becomes a mess. Regular maintenance isn’t glamorous, but it’s essential.

Establish a content audit schedule. Every six months, review your main libraries and delete obsolete documents. You’d be surprised how quickly sites become cluttered with project presentations from three years ago or outdated contract versions.

Also monitor your storage space usage. SharePoint 2019 allows you to check Storage Metrics to identify which libraries consume the most space. Often, a few large video files or multiple duplicates are the culprits. By identifying and cleaning them up, you free up space and improve performance.

Your site’s navigation also deserves regular attention. Verify that all links work, that quick links on your homepage still point to relevant resources, and that the menu structure remains intuitive even after adding new content.

Training and supporting your users

You can have configured the most technically perfect SharePoint site, but if your users don’t know how to use it properly, your efforts will be in vain. User adoption is a critical success factor.

Start by identifying the training needs of different groups. Basic users need to understand navigation and document search. Contributors must master adding content and using metadata. And if you have other site owners in your organization, share management best practices with them.

Create a resources page directly on your SharePoint site. Include step-by-step guides with screenshots, an FAQ that answers common questions, and your support team’s contact information. This centralization facilitates user autonomy.

Also designate a “site expert” who will serve as the first level of support. This person, familiar with SharePoint, can resolve common issues and liaise with the SharePoint administrator for more complex cases.

Collaborating with your SharePoint administrator

You’re not alone in this adventure. Your SharePoint administrator is your ally for certain tasks that exceed your site owner permissions.

Understand the division of responsibilities clearly. The administrator manages the overall infrastructure, web application-level settings, and server aspects. You manage your specific site. But there are gray areas where collaboration is necessary: creating Hub Sites to link multiple related sites, adjusting storage quotas, or modifying external sharing settings at the organizational level.

Communicate effectively with your IT team. Document issues precisely with screenshots, explain the business impact (not just technical), and respect established processes. A good relationship with your SharePoint administrator will greatly facilitate your daily work.

Conclusion

Managing a SharePoint 2019 site as a site owner means juggling multiple responsibilities: governance, permissions, content organization, security, and user training. But with the best practices we’ve explored, this role becomes not only manageable but also rewarding. Remember that the key to success lies in balance: enough control to maintain security and consistency, but not so much rigidity that it hinders collaboration. Start by establishing clear governance, prioritize permission inheritance, leverage the power of metadata, and never forget that your site exists to serve your users. With these solid foundations, your SharePoint site will become a true productivity engine for your company.

FAQ

How many site owners should I designate for my SharePoint 2019 site?

Microsoft recommends having at least two site owners, ideally full-time employees from your organization. This redundancy ensures there’s always someone available to handle access requests and maintain continuity. However, avoid having too many (more than 5), as this dilutes responsibilities.

What’s the difference between breaking inheritance and creating unique permissions?

These two terms refer to the same thing. When you break inheritance, you create specific permissions that no longer follow the parent’s permissions. This is useful for protecting sensitive content, but should be used sparingly as it complicates management and impacts performance.

How can I identify who has access to a specific document in SharePoint 2019?

Select the document, click the information icon (i) in the top right, then choose “Manage access”. You’ll see all users and groups with access along with their permission level. For an overview of all unique permissions, go to Site Settings > Site Permissions.

How often should I conduct a content audit on my SharePoint site?

A good practice is to perform a light monthly audit (access requests, new users, storage) and a thorough semi-annual audit (permission review, deletion of obsolete content). For highly active sites or those with sensitive data, a quarterly comprehensive audit is recommended.

Can I restore a deleted document in SharePoint 2019?

Yes! SharePoint 2019 keeps deleted items in the Recycle Bin for 93 days. Access the site’s Recycle Bin, select the item, and click “Restore”. If the item was deleted from the first-level Recycle Bin, contact your SharePoint administrator to access the second-level Recycle Bin.