SharePoint Online is a cloud-based storage and collaboration service provided by Microsoft as part of the Office 365 suite.

SharePoint Online allows you to create websites you can use to store files, collaborate with your colleagues, create tasks, manage schedules, build workflows, or start a blog. Features include easy-to-use tools such as drag and drop and the ability to edit, share and follow documents with a single click.

A single SharePoint site can store up to 100GB of data.

At Imperial, SharePoint is most commonly used as either a file repository or an intranet site for a team or department.

Features and benefits

SharePoint offers best-in-class security - a scalable solution that meets security and compliance requirements while ensuring unified policies are applied across every workload and device.

Features include:

• Access from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection
• Simple sharing and collaboration of documents both internally and externally using the Microsoft Office tools in a shared file repository
• Deleted files and folders can be restored up to 90 days after deletion
• Storage space for SharePoint is covered by Imperial's Office 365 subscription so there is no charge to departments

Training and support

Staff can access SharePoint training via LinkedIn Learning for free. We recommend you watch the SharePoint essential training and SharePoint new features videos. Further training may also be provided by your faculty. 

For more information, visit the Microsoft SharePoint support pages.

Contact the ICT Service Desk if you require further support.

Sensitive data

You should review data to assess if it is sensitive or not; data deemed not to be sensitive can be stored on SharePoint.

If you believe your data is sensitive, or are unclear if it is, then contact the ICT Service Desk to discuss your needs.

For more information on what is expected of all staff, please visit our Data Protection webpages. 

Access and permissions

SharePoint sites are authenticated and accessed using you Imperial username and password.

When a user visits a site/library/list or another type of resource that they do not have permission to access, they will be prompted to complete a web form to request access. This request will then be sent to the site owner.

If external access is granted, it is the responsibility of the Site Owner to ensure the external user is aware of the responsibility for complying with the university's Information Security Policy.