SharePoint Migration - Shared Folder Structure

[CHiLL]

We are looking at the possibility of migrated our staff shared area to SharePoint but want to evaluate a sort of best practice. We already utilise CloudDesignBox to manage our SharePoint sites and want to avoid just copying and pasting the shared area as is into SharePoint and but look at more department/site based. Since every department already has their own site (even if they aren't using it, though some already are) thanks to CloudDesignBox. My colleague has read previously that people have posted online that just dumping the existing structure into SharePoint isn't best practise and can slow it down (not sure how). We'd rather do it right first time than manage a mess in the future if possible.

 

Examples of folders in the main structure includes:

 

• Department Folders (sub-folders for each department with ACLs)
  
• Cover work
  
• Catholic Life
  
• CPD
  
• Exams
  
• Pastoral
  
• Learning Support
  
• School Information
  
• Teaching and Learning
  

 

Department Folders can just be moved into the staff only section within each department's SharePoint, which is already managed with ACLs

Cover work, Catholic Life, CPD, Learning Support, School Information and Teaching and Learning can go into a new site, such as admin/office.

Pastoral can have a site to themselves due to the nature of it's contents

Exams can have a site to themselves, also do to the nature of it's contents

 

 

1. One thing we are unsure of is what would be the best way to manage multiple subjects/areas for SLT for example, who may need to access resources from multiple departments? The request we've had is that it wouldn't be ideal if SLT had to jump though multiple sites to access things they need and they'd prefer it to be like it is now, one folder structure that contains multiple departments - but we'd like to avoid this and utilise what we already have. Is there some form of compromise?
   
2. What would be the best way to manage new academic years with rollover/archive/revisions of data without removing or duplicating required files?
   

[mavhc]

Every file that's updated on a site has to notify every onedrive client with access to that file that's it's been created/updated/renamed/move, so having a user be able to access 10000 files is going to slow down the client sync. In onedrive client/explorer the sites will just show as folders, in web version a Main Site with links to the other sites would be easiest.

 

Sell them with GDPR/data security/minimising access in case of ransomware

[JDawgg]

I uploaded a staff shared area, just under 1TB. Big mistake.

Every file change, the local OneDrive client had to scan the entire site for changes, making sync operations obsolete.

I would create a site per department which sounds like you already have this?

Keep the school information, things that are likely to be shared across departments in a shared area, the rest doesn't need to be there.

[jmak]

For SLT, you could either train them on how to organise access to data they need in a way that suits them (I'm on holiday - I'm trying to be optimistic!)

 

A compromise could be an SLT site with direct links to the folders they need access to. It should be one of the strengths of using SharePoint - it gives plenty of options for organising data for different purposes without the need to store it in multiple places.

[mavhc]

Only problem is you need shortcut.lnk's for explorer, and html links for online

[rheibel]

Split up and limit acess. idealy just use the onedrive website and stay online all department folders teams sites etc.. a user has acess to are auto shown below there personal onedrive. As everyone is pointing out the way sync works is via behind the scenes notifications not to bad if you have a decent internet conection/ fast firewall and decent laptops but honestly a busy masive singular shared document library will case trafic when staff first log in.

 

also recomend the traditional start menu shortcuts pointing to webpages keeps the older staff happy even if everyone else uses the school homepage.