This episode teaches how to identify system functions and build a security concept of operations, because ISSEP expects you to connect what the system does to how it will be operated securely day after day, not just how it looks in a design document. We define functions as the capabilities the system must deliver, and we define a security CONOPS as the operational story of how people, processes, and technology work together to protect those functions under normal conditions and during stress. You’ll learn how to describe operational roles, workflows, and decision points for access management, monitoring, incident handling, change control, and exception management, and how to align those workflows with security requirements and assurance evidence. Practical examples include onboarding and offboarding, privileged access requests, emergency changes, and responding to alerts with limited staffing, with attention to how real operations create shortcuts if the design is unrealistic. We also cover troubleshooting patterns like CONOPS that ignore third-party services, assume monitoring that does not exist, or fail to define who can approve risk decisions. By the end, you should be able to create an operational security story that is believable, testable, and defensible. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.