Office 365 SharePoint on line allows the owners to collaborate with outside users while limiting their access to just the right resources.

Unlike internal users for whom you have to purchase licenses, external users are free. You only pay for the extra storage generated by your expanded activity and even then only when you have crossed your allotted space

Microsoft is not exactly renowned for its intuitive navigation, and this subject does not break the mold - is not well explained by Microsoft so in the next 3 posts (including this one), I will guide you through the process and explore the option.

The process is done in 4 steps:

• ~Create a sub-site (or sub-sub-site) dedicated to a client, or project – the place where the collaboration will take place – NEVER invite External user to your main page

• Set the permission levels for different user groups within the site. The Members permissions are a bit too permissive for my taste

• Invite the external users to the sub site

• Do the work – I will not expound on this part of the process

Step 1: Create a sub-site

Creating a sub-site is as easy as 1-2-3 (or shall I say excel?) but one must pay attention to one important point – Breaking Security Inheritance. You must use unique permissions or else you become vulnerable.

Out of the box, a new sub-site comes with a set of permissions that are a bit too lax for my taste. In my next post, I will show you how to overcome these issues.