Get to know SharePoint Advanced Management

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In this episode of Ask Sympraxis, the team explores SharePoint Advanced Management (SAM)—a governance capability designed to help organizations control content sprawl, reduce risk, and prepare their Microsoft 365 environments for AI-driven experiences like Copilot.

SAM provides administrators with improved visibility into content, permissions, and usage patterns, enabling more informed governance decisions. It is particularly valuable for organizations looking to modernize their information architecture and ensure their environments are “Copilot-ready.”

What is SharePoint Advanced Management?

SharePoint Advanced Management (SAM) is a set of administrative controls available in the SharePoint Admin Center that supports governance across SharePoint and OneDrive. It focuses on improving content readiness by helping organizations:

  • Manage content lifecycle and sprawl
  • Reduce oversharing and permission risks
  • Monitor content activity and access patterns
  • Prepare data environments for AI and Copilot

SAM aligns with Microsoft’s broader governance model built on three pillars: Relevance, Readiness, and Resilience, with SAM primarily supporting readiness by giving organizations the tools needed to understand and manage their current state.

Core Admin Capabilities

Change History

SAM provides reporting on administrative changes across the tenant and at the site level.

  • Tracks changes made by administrators
  • Maintains visibility into configuration updates over time
  • Helps troubleshoot unexpected behavior changes
  • Supports compliance and audit reporting

This is especially useful in multi-admin environments where understanding who changed what—and when—is critical.

Data Access Governance Reports

Data Access Governance (DAG) reports provide insight into how content is shared and accessed across your environment. These discovery tools help identify governance risks and support planning for compliance initiatives.

Common scenarios include:

  • Identifying sites shared broadly (e.g., “everyone except external users”)
  • Reviewing sharing link usage patterns
  • Understanding user access across sites
  • Locating where sensitivity labels are applied

These reports are particularly useful when preparing for Copilot rollout or configuring Microsoft Purview, as they highlight where data exposure risks may exist.

Site Lifecycle Management

SAM introduces structured lifecycle management capabilities to help organizations scale SharePoint effectively.

Key policies include:

  • Inactive Sites – Identify sites no longer in active use
  • Site Ownership – Ensure proper ownership coverage
  • Site Attestation – Require periodic confirmation that sites are still needed

Admins can configure:

  • Scope (which sites are included or excluded)
  • Notification policies for site owners
  • Enforcement actions such as:
    • No action
    • Read-only access
    • Automatic archiving

A best practice is to use simulation mode first to understand the potential impact before enabling enforcement.

These controls help improve:

  • Search and Copilot relevance
  • Governance consistency
  • Storage and cost management

SharePoint Admin Agent

The SharePoint admin agent introduces an AI-powered way to interact with SAM data.

Admins can:

  • Ask governance questions using natural language
  • Use prebuilt prompts to explore common scenarios
  • Access insights directly within Copilot, Teams, or admin tools

Key considerations:

  • The agent is powered by SAM reports, so data freshness depends on report execution
  • Proper role assignment (SAM admin role in Entra ID) is required
  • Features may take time to fully populate after setup

This capability represents a shift from script-based administration to AI-assisted governance workflows.

How You Get SAM

Access to SAM depends on licensing and configuration. At a high level, organizations need:

  • A base Microsoft 365 license (e.g., E1 or E3)
  • Either SharePoint Advanced Management licensing or Copilot-enabled capabilities
  • At least one user with a Copilot license (for certain features)
  • Assignment of the SharePoint Advanced Management role

Feature availability varies based on licensing and tenant configuration.

Where SAM Fits in Your Governance Strategy

SAM is best viewed as a foundational governance capability:

  • Provides immediate value through built-in reporting and visibility
  • Helps organizations understand their current state before taking action
  • Serves as a starting point in a broader governance maturity model

Organizations can begin with SAM and expand into more advanced tooling or automation as their governance needs evolve.

All Resources

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