What is CONOPS?

It provides context and answers the “why are we doing this?” question to tie cybersecurity operations together. A CONOPS outlines how a system (or systems) will be used to meet mission objectives, from the user perspective. A CONOPS typically includes:

• Goals and objectives of the system.
• User classes, roles and responsibilities.
• Operational processes, workflows and interactions.
• Context, constraints, assumptions and stakeholder expectations.

In cybersecurity terms, a Security CONOPS describes how security features support mission operations. It serves as a foundation for developing system requirements, controls and procedures.