Manage Security Better In SharePoint For Construction Project Information Team Members Can Trust
Effective collaboration and seamless project information management are paramount for project success. This is especially true for those working on complex construction and civil engineering projects. Collaboration is most effective when all team members can be confident that the information on which they’re working is accurate, timely, and secure. And for those organizations that depend on SharePoint for construction project information management, emphasis is on security and governance. This article outlines critical aspects of managing security challenges in SharePoint while drawing insight from industry experts and best practices.
If you are interested in learning more on this topic, check out this episode of the ProjectReady Podcast or click the player below.
Security Challenges For Construction Teams
The complexity of construction and civil engineering projects poses specific security and governance challenges. In addition to employee turnover, project managers and IT teams must balance the accessibility needs of external team members, partners, vendors, and stakeholders. Consequently, a nuanced approach to permissions management is essential.
Adopting structured taxonomy and governance helps companies streamline content organization and enhance security. Rather than relying solely on traditional folder structures, which lack granularity and scalability, leveraging library-level permissions allows more precise control over access rights. This approach ensures sensitive project data and information remains secure while facilitating seamless authorized access while safeguarding against breaches and data loss.
Get Ready For AI
Workflow automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in construction companies present incredible opportunities, especially when improving how the organization manages SharePoint. With the introduction of AI tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, for construction organizations will be poised to leverage machine learning algorithms and automate routine security tasks. Additionally, the architecture, engineering, construction, and project owner space will be more likely to proactively identify potential vulnerabilities. To prepare for the opportunities AI provides, companies must work toward structured taxonomy.
Be Practical When Establishing A SharePoint Security Strategy
Practical strategies for implementing a robust security framework in SharePoint includes collaboration with subject matter experts to tailor security measures to your project-specific needs. By engaging stakeholders from various disciplines within the organization, such as IT, legal, and project management, you’ll gain the knowledge and know-how to develop comprehensive security policies and procedures that align with industry standards and regulatory requirements. Furthermore, ongoing training and awareness programs are essential for educating employees about the importance of data and information security.
Don’t Default To Default Security Settings
The proliferation of collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint has revolutionized the way construction management and civil engineering teams work together. Team members, internal and external, now have the means to enable real-time communication and collaboration. On the other hand, because of their widespread usage, it can become difficult to manage permissions at scale. Unfortunately, this often results in companies taking the “easy approach” and simply deploying the default security settings. Don’t be that person.
Default security settings are woefully inadequate for nearly all businesses and organizations. And construction companies that must manage hundreds of unique projects across phases and team members are at an even greater disadvantage.
Define Your Clear Path Forward
With so many security and governance options to choose from across the M365 portfolio, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. However, adopting and implementing a permissions management strategy that leverages structured taxonomy that categorizes and organizes your organization’s project data and information can make security and governance management easy.
For example, simply defining and applying clear roles on a project as well as the access levels needed for each role can ensure that your company’s sensitive information is safeguarded while promoting efficient collaboration across teams. ProjectReady, for example, can streamline SharePoint and Teams across projects and portfolios by deploying roles-based permissioning.
By harnessing existing Azure Active Directory resources, ProjectReady can enforce security and governance protocols based on user roles. This dynamic integration enables real-time management of permissions and ensures precise access levels for project-related content.
At the enterprise level, ProjectReady is effective at empowering users to adjust security and reassign tasks. While your up-to-date Azure SQL database provides enduring audit trails for all project activities. This simplified way to update and manage security represents a huge ROI for AEC customers (check out the ROI calculators).
How To Get Started
It truly is important for organizations that use SharePoint for construction project information management, in whole or in part, to deploy tools that allow you to optimize collaboration and content management practices. By prioritizing structured taxonomy and governance, leveraging automation and AI-driven solutions, and collaborating with subject matter experts, organizations can effectively address security challenges while promoting seamless collaboration and innovation throughout the AEC industry.
If you would like to learn more about how ProjectReady helps construction companies and civil engineering firms implement best practices and strategies designed to enhance security while mitigating the risk of unauthorized access, contact us today for a free demonstration. Or, check out some of our additional resources below to learn more.