SharePoint Hub Sites serve as a pivotal structure within the SharePoint ecosystem, designed to streamline and enhance the organisation of content across various sites. They act as the central connecting point for teams, departments, or projects, allowing for a cohesive and integrated experience.
The core benefits of Hub Sites include unified navigation, consistent branding, and the aggregation of content and search. This means that related sites are connected in a way that allows users to discover content, news, and site activities easily. It simplifies the user experience by providing common navigation and branding across associated sites, and by enabling a comprehensive search that spans all connected sites.
To create a Hub Site, you need to be a SharePoint admin. The process involves converting an existing SharePoint site into a Hub Site, which then allows for the association of other related sites. This association does not inherit permissions by default, ensuring flexibility and security in access control.
A successful Hub Site requires careful planning and consideration of the organisation’s structure and needs. It’s recommended to:
- Identify the main purpose of the Hub Site and the outcomes it aims to support
- Determine the most logical groupings of sites based on department, project, or region
- Customise the navigation to reflect the structure and priorities of the organisation
- Regularly review and adjust the Hub Site as the organisation evolves
In essence, SharePoint Hub Sites are about creating a more connected, accessible, and manageable digital workplace. They provide the framework for a modern intranet that adapts to the dynamic nature of business, supporting communication and collaboration.
