Embracing Flat Architecture in Modern SharePoint: A Better Way to Build

In the evolution of SharePoint, information architecture has always played a key role in how organizations structure their intranet. With the rise of modern SharePoint, there has been a significant shift in how these structures are designed. The traditional nested, hierarchical model has given way to a more flexible and scalable flat architecture, which brings significant benefits in terms of site management, permission handling, and adaptability.

Traditional vs. Modern SharePoint: The Hierarchical Legacy

In traditional SharePoint setups, organizations often employed a nested site hierarchy, where a primary site collection contained several subsites. While this method worked for a time, it came with significant limitations. Subsites inherited permissions from the parent site, and managing unique permissions or shifting site locations often proved challenging. If an organization needed to move a subsite to a different collection or change its structure, it required extensive planning, migration of content, and reconfiguration of permissions.

For instance, if Subsite A3 needed to be moved from one site collection to another, the process was not as simple as dragging and dropping the subsite. Instead, content and permissions had to be painstakingly migrated to a new collection, which often introduced risks and delays

The Rise of Flat Architecture in Modern SharePoint

With the introduction of modern SharePoint, Microsoft encourages a flat site hierarchy—a model where each site is a separate site collection, not tied to a parent-child relationship. This flat structure is not only simpler to manage but also more adaptable to an organization’s changing needs. Instead of dealing with complex permission inheritance, every site collection can have its own unique permissions and management, making the setup much easier to handle.

In a flat architecture, organizations can build a scalable and flexible intranet. Sites can be associated or disassociated from Hub Sites, which provide a way to logically group related site collections together, ensuring consistent navigation and branding. This is particularly beneficial when business needs change or when reorganizing departments and teams, as it eliminates the need for complex migrations and restructuring

Benefits of Flat Architecture

1. Ease of Management: Since each site is a standalone collection, there’s no need to worry about subsite permissions or nested configurations. Security is easier to maintain, as permissions are handled at the site collection level, eliminating the need for intricate permission inheritance.
2. Flexibility and Scalability: Flat architecture allows for greater adaptability. For example, moving a site from one hub to another is as simple as disassociating it from one hub and linking it to another. There’s no need for content migration or permission reconfiguration, which greatly simplifies the process.
3. Simplified External Sharing: In the old nested system, external sharing had to be managed at the site collection level, impacting all subsites. With a flat architecture, each collection can manage its own external sharing settings without affecting the broader organization
4. Adaptability to Organizational Change: As organizations grow and change, the ability to easily modify the site structure is key. Flat architecture makes it easy to reorganize, delete, or move sites without the complex migration processes that were needed in the past

The Role of Hub Sites in Flat Architecture

To maintain some of the benefits of a hierarchical structure, Microsoft introduced Hub Sites in modern SharePoint. A Hub Site connects related site collections by offering:

• Consistent Navigation: All sites connected to a hub share the same navigation and branding.
• Content Aggregation: Hub sites aggregate content from associated sites, providing a unified view of related information.
• Search Integration: Users can search across all sites connected to a hub, making it easier to find relevant content quickly.

This structure enables organizations to have the best of both worlds—a flat architecture that’s easy to manage, with the ability to connect related sites through hubs for logical organization.

Building a Future-Proof SharePoint Environment

As organizations continue to adopt the modern SharePoint experience, embracing a flat architecture is essential for creating a long-term, scalable environment. Flat site structures reduce complexity, simplify permissions and security, and ensure flexibility as organizational needs evolve. This modern approach to information architecture not only enhances efficiency but also aligns with SharePoint’s cloud-first, mobile-first vision.

For more detailed guidance on planning your SharePoint architecture, refer to Microsoft’s documentation on SharePoint Information Architecture and Hub Sites to explore best practices for implementing a flat hierarchy and leveraging Hub Sites for connected experiences.

Conclusion

In conclusion, adopting a flat site hierarchy in modern SharePoint empowers organizations to build more adaptable, scalable, and easy-to-manage intranets. By leveraging Hub Sites, businesses can still maintain logical structures without the complexity of nested hierarchies. For organizations looking to future-proof their SharePoint environment, flat architecture is the way forward.

References:

• Planning Your Information Architecture
• Understanding SharePoint Hub Sites