Project Overview

Optimizing SharePoint for a Scottish Local Authority A comprehensive SharePoint 2010 health check and managed support program improved system performance, security, and scalability while planning for a seamless migration to modern platforms like Office 365.

Future-Proofing SharePoint for Public Services Addressed critical performance issues, enhanced security, and implemented a migration roadmap to ensure long-term sustainability and efficient interdepartmental collaboration for a Scottish local authority.

SharePoint Health Check and Managed Support Delivered a tailored solution for resolving SharePoint 2010 bottlenecks, optimizing configurations, and creating a migration strategy, ensuring continuous service delivery and scalability.

Empowering Collaboration with SharePoint Optimization Enhanced internal collaboration and public service delivery through 24/7 managed support, security enhancements, and a roadmap for transitioning to Office 365.

Scalable and Secure SharePoint for Local Governance Identified and resolved SharePoint farm issues, optimized performance, and established a phased migration plan to meet the evolving needs of a Scottish local authority.

The Problem

During development, the five principal issues with eSparkBiz include;

Performance-related Problems as well as Slow Response Rates

There was severe degradation in the performance of the SharePoint farm, which led to slow page load times and reduced system responsiveness. Users encountered delayed access to key resources that negatively affected the authority's capability to timely serve the public.

Storage and Database Health

The MS SQL databases where the SharePoint farm was hosted were not optimized, and hence the query execution was inefficient, and the data retrieval was slow. Storage capacity was also almost reaching its saturation point and could lead to service disruption and loss of data.

Security Flaws

The SharePoint environment had inappropriate access controls, unpatched patches, and unsecured service accounts that made the sensitive government data vulnerable to possible threats.

Poor Configuration and Customization

This means that the configuration of the farm was not totally optimized, and hence it resulted in inefficient workflows with un-needed customization. It resulted in poor experience for the user and in system instability, particularly related to accessing integrated services.

Lack of a Future Scalability and Migration Plan

The SharePoint farm was not created with scalability in mind and did not have a clear migration path. In the case above, well-structured migration planning proved to be the biggest risk because the authority was transferring to SharePoint, then later into Office 365.

The Solution

For the above problems, eSparkBiz came up with a multi-faceted solution, which was customized to the client's specific needs of their SharePoint farm.

Performance Optimization

eSparkBiz went for a detailed review of the farm architecture and implemented various performance-enhancing strategies. The server resources were reallocated, and load balancing was optimized along with the performance tuning of databases. The unnecessary customizations were removed in order to streamline the system.

Database and Storage Optimization

MS SQL databases were optimized by query indexing, fragmentation reduction, and data archiving for the release of storage. The backup strategy was implemented, coupled with increased storage capacity to make sure the farm would never again suffer from problems regarding storage.

Security Improvements

A complete security audit was performed, and vulnerabilities were identified against the configuration of HTTPS encryption, as well as the service accounts that were secured with strict policies for access control.Scheduled security patches and updates for the managed support in the ongoing plan were regularly maintained.

Workflow Optimization

The SharePoint farm was reconfigured for maximizing the workflows and increasing better user access to critical resources. Those redundant workflows have been removed, and a few features added for enhancing inter-departmental collaboration.

Scalability and Migration Plan

eSparkBiz designed an appropriate plan for the migration of SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013 and then 2016 and, eventually, to Office 365. This way, the staged migration was accomplished without causing any operational disruption.

The Result

eSparkBiz has successfully mitigated the critical problems that were affecting the performance, security, and scalability of the client’s SharePoint farm. Performance optimizations, improvement in security, and enabling future scalability have made it possible for the authority to continue delivering public services effectively.

The managed support provided on a perpetual basis ensures that the SharePoint environment remains secure, efficient, and scalable, thus serving the authority to effectively deliver its services to the community. The migration strategy has given the client an excellent footing for continued success as they transition toward newer versions of SharePoint and eventually Office 365.

This involved some very challenging database optimizations and how to handle large-scale migrations without disrupting the continuity of business operations.

Enhancing Collaboration, Security, and Performance for a Local Government Authority

Empowering Government Services with a Robust SharePoint Solution

About The Project