Having a SharePoint site entails a level of responsibility due to the open structure of SharePoint and the ability to share documents with numerous users. This implies a certain security risk for School data and therefore we require that people wishing to request a SharePoint site have to first undergo Site Owner Training. While it is not difficult to get to grips with the program, completion of the training will equip you with all the knowledge you need to manage and safely make use of your site.
Site Owner Training is hosted on Moodle| and should take about one and a half hours to complete. You can begin the course and return to it at a later point to suit you. Along with the training is a Site Owner's manual that you can download and refer to at any stage and an end user's manual is also available in Training Guides|.
Once the training is completed on Moodle, you will then be directed to complete a SharePoint primary site request form. Before you fill in the form, it is important to consider the following:
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Site name
The name you choose will be used in the URL created for your site, so it's important to make it relevant to you and easily recognisable. Consider using your department or division name and/or your immediate team. Or, you might want to describe the purpose of the site, e.g. departmental minutes or name it after a particular project.
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Site description
The site can be found if searched for using the search function in SharePoint. You can provide an optional description (100 characters or less including spaces) that briefly outlines the content or subject matter of your site
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Make your site viewable
You also have the option to make your site viewable to others by providing a link on the LSE landing page. This allows others to become aware of your site and you may want to do this if you think it's relevant across the School or to people outside of your immediate domain.
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Use of your site
Consider in advance what use you have for the site as this will help establish which teamsite type you need. Site Owner Training will further guide you through planning your site and how best to structure it
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Nominated Site Owners
Remember that only the nominated site owner requesting the primary site can fill in the online form. Do not ask others to do this on your behalf. By filling in the form, you are confirming that you will take responsibility for the contents of your primary site and also for any subsites below your primary site.
Guidance on using SharePoint and how it fits with LSE policy
Potential users should be aware that anyone who requests a SharePoint site will have to undergo site owner training before it is allocated to them. This applies to people who are not only requesting a primary site, but also to people who have been provided subsites.
By agreeing to be a nominated site owner, you are also agreeing to be responsible for the content on the site and who is given permission to access it. If you have created another subsite, you are also responsible for that site’s contents and permissions. This means that all subsites are the responsibility jointly of the person who created the subsite and added the owner, and the person who has become the nominated site owner for that site.
View the full policy here| (pdf). Points to note include:
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Primary sites are the top level site of a department or team. These can only be requested from IMT once site owner training is completed and using the relevant online request form.
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Subsites can be generated at the discretion of the primary site owner. However, each and every subsite will still require a nominated site owner who has completed site owner training (if this is still the primary site owner, then training only needs to be completed once).
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SharePoint sites and subsites that do not have nominated site owners can be suspended by IMT until a legitimate nominated site owner is in place.
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Nominated site owners must be a permanent or one or more year’s fixed term contract member of staff with an LSE Active Directory account and email address.
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Requests for sites must be made by an individual member of staff and not a generic email address or shared mailbox.
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Nominated site owners must ensure the site is compliant with the LSE’s Conditions of use of IT Facilities at LSE and the Information Security Policy (pdf). Any suspected security breaches should be reported to the IT Service Desk.