How to configure SharePoint permissions on Involv intranet sites
Learn how SharePoint permissions are structured and how they apply to Involv sites.
1. Overview
In SharePoint Online, every site is backed by either a Microsoft 365 Group (for modern team sites) or has its own SharePoint groups (for classic or communication sites). Involv sites are built on top of this structure, meaning each site inherits standard SharePoint permission levels that define who can view, edit or manage content.
2. Standard site permissions in SharePoint Online
Each SharePoint site is organized around three main roles:
Owners – Have Full Control to manage everything on the site, including permissions, site settings, structure and features. Typically assigned to intranet administrators or site owners.
Members – Have Edit permissions to add, edit and delete content such as news, pages, lists or documents. Best suited for content creators and contributors.
Visitors – Have Read access, allowing them to view content without making changes. Ideal for regular intranet users who only need to consume content.
3. Default permission levels in SharePoint
| Permission Level | Description | Common Use |
|---|---|---|
| Full Control | Manage all site settings, content, and permissions | Used by Owners |
| Edit | Add, edit, delete content and lists/libraries | Used by Members |
| Contribute | Add and edit content but cannot delete lists/libraries | Less common, used in older sites |
| Read | View-only access | Used by Visitors |
| View Only | Restricted viewing (e.g., PDFs) | Special cases |
4. Permission groups in a typical Involv setup
When Involv is installed, six main communication sites are created. Each has its own SharePoint permission groups (Owners, Members, Visitors):
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Intranet Site – Intranet Owners, Intranet Members, Intranet Visitors
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News Site – News Owners, News Members, News Visitors
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Events Site – Events Owners, Events Members, Events Visitors
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FAQ Site – FAQ Owners, FAQ Members, FAQ Visitors
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Jobs Site – Jobs Owners, Jobs Members, Jobs Visitors
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Department Site (e.g., HR) – HR Owners, HR Members, HR Visitors
Each Involv site therefore uses three SharePoint groups to manage access and permissions.
- Intranet owners
- Intranet members
- Intranet visitors
5. Best practices for managing permissions
Although you can manually add individual users to each SharePoint group, the recommended approach is to populate these groups with Active Directory (AD) Security Groups. This ensures consistent access management across your organization and simplifies user administration when roles or departments change.
6. Watch interactive tutorial
Watch the interactive demo below to follow each step by step.
Involv version 5.2