MS SharePoint facilitates real-time collaboration and document sharing in organizations. When a large number of users are working on the same set of documents, special attention should be given to the security of data contained in them. Chances for misuse and manipulation of data should be eliminated completely. Professional SharePoint auditing solutions are the best bet for administrators owing to their simplicity and comprehensiveness. However, administrators can rely on the auditing features of SharePoint too.
Here is how changes can be audited in MS SharePoint 2013:
• Enable Audit logging (from Central Administration)
• Configure Site collection audit settings (from Site settings)
• View audit log reports (from Site settings)
Step 1: Go to Central Administration
Go to Central Administration>Application Management, and click Manage service applications (under Service Applications).
Step 2: Select the Secure Store Server Application
Select the Secure Store Server Application; click Properties (in the tool bar).
Step 3: Choose Audit log enabled
Choose Audit log enabled; click OK.
Step 4: Click OK on confirmation message
When the confirmation message appears, click OK
Step 5: Click on Site Settings
Click the Gear icon; click Site Settings.
Step 6: Click on site collection audit settings
Click Site collection audit settings (under Site Collection Administration).
Step 7: Specify events which need to audit
Specify the events that you want to audit :
Note: Auditing ‘Opening or downloading documents, viewing items in lists, or viewing item properties’ is recommended only when it is extremely essential, as it may create an enormous number of events.
Step 8: Click on link Audit log reports
Now, under Site Collection Administration, click the link Audit log reports (in the Gear icon> Site settings)
Step 9: View Auditing Reports
In the View Auditing Reports page, you have the following reports :
1.Content Activity Reports
• Content viewing
• Content Modifications
• Deletion
• Content type and list modifications
2.Information Management Policy Reports
• Policy modifications
• Expiration and Disposition
3.Security And Site Settings Reports
• Audit Settings
• Security Settings
4.Custom Reports
• Run a custom report
Step 10: Browse location to save excel spreadsheet
Browse the location to save the excel spreadsheet; click OK.
Step 11: Click on link “Click here” to view report
Click the link Click here to view the report to view the Excel sheets with the details of the auditing.
Auditing is essential in SharePoint because it is a platform where many users work on the same set of documents. For auditing, one has to enable audit logging, configure Site collection auditing setting, and then view audit log reports. Many administrators use professional SharePoint auditing solutions as they are more convenient and user-friendly.