Important changes to SharePoint public website capability
Way back in March 2015 we wrote to customers to let them know about important changes to Office 365, in particular, the SharePoint public website feature. Microsoft made changes to the SharePoint Online Public Websites feature by removing the ability to create a new public website beyond the changeover date of March 9th, 2015. As of 1st May 2017, anonymous access for existing sites is no longer available.
From 1st September 2017, Microsoft will delete the public site collection in SharePoint Online. Customers will no longer have access to the content, images, pages or any other files that reside on their public website. Customers are advised to make back up copies before this date.
Between March 2015 and May 2017, customers had the opportunity to request postponing the deletion of their site. This postponement comes to an end on 31st March 2018.
Once the site has been deleted, customers will no longer have access to content, images, pages or any other files that reside on their public website. Customers can, however, recover their content through the Recycle Bin.
Microsoft are making this change as they have evaluated their portfolio and believe Microsoft customers will be better served by third party suppliers who specialise in public websites. This will enable Microsoft to put more focus on other Office 365 enhancements.
If you are using Office 365 Admin Office or 365 Small Business Admin, it is possible to migrate your SharePoint public website to a third party supplier. Official Microsoft third party suppliers include Wix.com and GoDaddy. In order to do this you must follow the steps outlined by Microsoft, if you go to the third party suppliers directly, you will not be entitled to any discount.
To read the full announcement from Microsoft, please click here
If you have any questions or want further advice on what to do, please do not hesitate to contact us by completing a submission form or calling us on 01296 328 689.
