SharePoint Optimization and Governance Assessment

Our client is a prominent organization in the construction and development sector, managing large-scale infrastructure and commercial projects. With hundreds of employees and multiple business units, the client relies heavily on Microsoft 365 for collaboration, document management, and project coordination.

Problem

The client faced serious scalability and performance issues with their Microsoft 365 environment. Several problems were impacting operational efficiency:

Document Library Overload: Libraries containing over 500,000 files triggered OneDrive sync failures, slowing down user access and collaboration.
Deep Folder Hierarchies: Excessively nested folders resulted in long URL paths, causing errors and making it difficult for staff to locate content efficiently.
High Storage Costs: With over 7TB of data and numerous unused or redundant sites, the client was incurring over $3,000/month in Microsoft 365 storage expenses.
Inconsistent Permissions & Sharing: External sharing was broadly enabled across most sites, with little governance around guest access or link expiry.
Disparate Tool Usage: Staff used a mix of Slack, Zoom, Monday.com, and other third-party tools, leading to fragmented workflows and underutilization of Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.
Limited Training & Awareness: Employees were primarily using OneDrive sync and File Explorer to interact with content, unaware of SharePoint’s full capabilities for collaboration and document management.

Solution

To address these challenges, West X Business Solutions delivered a comprehensive SharePoint Diagnostic and Optimization Assessment:

Conducted a site-wide inventory and data analysis of over 290 SharePoint and Teams sites, identifying inactive content, deep folder structures, and sharing risks.
Interviewed stakeholders from departments including IT, Finance, Project Management, and Quality Assurance to gather insight on workflows, pain points, and change readiness.
Assessed Microsoft 365 tenant configuration, including SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, Entra ID, and Microsoft Purview settings.
Developed a phased roadmap focused on five key areas:
1. Site Restructure
2. Architecture Flattening
3. Content Consolidation
4. Governance Policy Implementation
5. End-User Enablement & Training
Proposed a hub-and-spoke site architecture aligned with Microsoft best practices to replace nested subsites.
Recommended implementation of sensitivity labels, DLP policies, guest expiration, and structured ownership across all sites and Teams.

Technology Used:

SharePoint Online

Microsoft Teams

OneDrive for Business

Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD)

The Results

The SharePoint assessment provided the client with a strategic roadmap to streamline their Microsoft 365 environment and significantly reduce risk and operational costs. Key outcomes included:

Identification of over $3,000/month in potential storage cost reductions through site and content optimization.
Clear plan to eliminate content sprawl, reduce permission complexity, and enforce governance policies.
Increased awareness across departments about SharePoint’s capabilities, helping the client move away from fragmented collaboration tools and toward a centralized, secure digital workspace.
A strong foundation was established for future adoption of automation, records management, and improved compliance using Microsoft’s ecosystem.

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