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Multisite Governance

Learn more about governance with WordPress Multisites.


This section provides information on Multisite governance on Pantheon.

Multisite on Pantheon

There are two primary layers involved in the governance system when you own a multisite on Pantheon.

Pantheon

  • Workspace admin (full portfolio)

    • Site owner (specific WP site)

WordPress

  • Network site admin (all sites)

    • Site admin (individual site)

This means that both Pantheon and your team manage different aspects of your multisite.

Pantheon's responsibilities include:

  • Managing themes
  • Administration
  • Other technical aspects

Your team's responsibilities include:

  • Content creation and editing
  • Content accessibility
  • Creating pages (site administrator)
  • Managing site settings (site administrator)
  • Managing pages and posts
  • Uploading media
  • Editing menus

Multiple, Single Site Governance

Each WordPress site is owned or maintained by a different group at the Pantheon level. There is a management difference between who owns the Pantheon account and can update code versus who manages the application with content and site-specific configuration. For example:

  • Site Owner US owns the US Pantheon site

    • Manager X manages WordPress
  • Site Owner UK owns UK the Pantheon site

    • Manger Y manages WordPress

Site Governance

Multisite Governance

A multisite setup can be more efficient for teams as long as roles and responsibilities are defined.

Pantheon Owner

  • 1 person in this role
  • Pays for account
  • Manages users who manage the platform, such as adding plugins, running backups, etc.

WordPress Network Administrator

  • 2 people in this role
  • Manages the core WP site
  • Assigns users to country-specific subsites

Individual Network Site Owners

  • 3 - 5 people in this role
  • Manages content and plugin settings for an individual multisite

Multisite Governance Example

More Resources