A usage report shows how people or groups interact with SharePoint over time. It typically captures login patterns, page or site activity, and how often content is viewed or used. Teams use these reports to understand adoption, identify underused areas, and plan content or site changes more effectively.
What a usage report is for
A usage report is a measurement and adoption view, not just a list of clicks. It helps explain how a SharePoint environment is actually being used so teams can see what content attracts attention, what gets ignored, and where behaviour is changing over time.
Because it focuses on real interaction patterns, a usage report can surface whether a site is becoming a hub, whether a page is serving its purpose, or whether a content area is sitting dormant. That makes it useful for site owners, content managers, and governance teams who need evidence before changing structure or retiring material.
What usage reports typically show
Most usage reports combine activity signals such as visits, views, unique users, and repeat engagement. Depending on the platform and configuration, they may also show trends by page, site, file, or audience segment, helping you understand whether usage is broad, concentrated, or declining.
The important point is that the report reflects observed behaviour over a period of time. That means it can highlight seasonal shifts, campaign-driven spikes, or slow erosion in interest, which is often more actionable than a one-time snapshot.
In practice, the value comes from comparing locations and time windows. A heavily visited site with shallow engagement may need different treatment from a smaller site that has fewer visits but strong repeat usage and clear audience fit.
How teams use usage reports
Usage reports support content governance and site management decisions. Teams use them to identify underused pages, confirm whether new content is being discovered, and decide whether a site should be reorganised, consolidated, or promoted more effectively.
They are also useful for operational planning. If a team can see which sections are rarely reached, it can improve navigation, adjust information architecture, or remove stale content instead of maintaining pages that no longer serve a purpose.
For adoption work, usage data helps distinguish perception from reality. A site may look complete, but the report can show low traffic or limited repeat use, indicating that users are not finding the content useful or easy to access.
Usage reports in governance and security context
Although a usage report is primarily an adoption and analytics tool, it can also inform governance decisions around information sprawl, dormant content, and unnecessary exposure. Content that is rarely used is not automatically risky, but it may deserve review if it is outdated, duplicated, or no longer owned.
Good usage analysis is strongest when paired with ownership, retention, and review processes. That way, low usage becomes a prompt for action rather than just an interesting metric, and high usage can be balanced against content quality and access expectations.
For organisations that rely on SharePoint as a knowledge or collaboration layer, usage reporting is often the simplest way to see whether the platform is delivering value or accumulating unused material that still requires governance.
Standards & Framework Alignment
This section maps relevant standards and security frameworks to the operational risks and controls described in this guidance.
CIS Controls v8 and NIST CSF 2.0 set the technical controls, while ISO/IEC 27001:2022 defines the regulatory obligations.
| Framework | Control / Reference | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| CIS Controls v8 | CIS-2 — Inventory and Control of Software Assets | Usage reports help identify active versus dormant content and access paths. |
| Recommendation — Use usage data to find inactive assets and retire or consolidate unnecessary content. | ||
| NIST CSF 2.0 | ID.AM-01 — Physical devices and systems within the organization are inventoried | Usage reporting supports visibility into what content and sites are actually in use. |
| Recommendation — Track usage trends to maintain accurate visibility over active information assets. | ||
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | A.5.9 — Inventory of information and other associated assets | Usage reports inform whether information assets remain active, owned, and worth retaining. |
| Recommendation — Use usage evidence to review asset relevance and update ownership or retention decisions. | ||
Related resources from NHI Mgmt Group
Deepen Your Knowledge
Reviewed and updated by the NHIMG editorial team on September 25, 2026.
NHI Mgmt Group — the #1 independent authority on Non-Human Identity, IAM, and Agentic AI security. nhimg.org
