AGCG Genuine
Consulting Group

Cybersecurity • IT Governance

Building a Modern SecOps Capability in 100 Days: The Pragmatic Roadmap That Works

By Arnaud GODET, Managing Partner – AGCG Genuine Consulting Group

AGCG Genuine Consulting Group Insight – How to structure an efficient, business-aligned SecOps capability in under 100 days.

Articles & Insights

Topic : SecOps transformation, SOC maturity & operating models
Consulting Firm : AGCG Genuine Consulting Group

⏱ Reading time : ~7 minutes
Target audience : CIOs, CISOs, SOC Managers, Risk & Operations Leaders

Key Figures

100
days to establish
a fully operational
SecOps capability

Most organizations take 12 to 24 months to deploy a SOC, mature their detection pipeline or establish clear SecOps governance. Yet AGCG has demonstrated repeatedly that a robust, business-aligned SecOps capability can be built in 100 days — provided that the approach is focused, pragmatic and anchored in operational realities.

This 100-day model is not about rushing. It is about cutting through complexity, focusing on the 20% of elements that deliver 80% of the value, and structuring a foundation that can scale without friction as the organization grows.

Why 100 days? Because SecOps must deliver value fast

Traditional SOC programs often overinvest in tooling and underinvest in structure, processes and business alignment. After months — sometimes years — the organization still lacks:

  • clear alert ownership,
  • prioritization models,
  • incident governance,
  • consistent detection engineering,
  • cross-team collaboration,
  • executive-level reporting.

The 100-day SecOps model reverses this logic. It focuses first on operational value and organizational clarity. Tools matter — but structure, workflows and governance matter more.

1. The 100-day SecOps framework: what must be in place — no more, no less

1.1. A clear operating model anchored in business needs

Organizations often implement SOCs based on tools rather than needs. The 100-day model begins with a simple but strategic question:

“What must SecOps protect for the business to run without disruption?”

From there, we define:

  • the target operating model (roles & responsibilities),
  • the perimeters covered (Cloud, endpoints, network, OT),
  • the alert ownership structure,
  • the governance rhythm (daily, weekly, monthly),
  • the escalation path.

1.2. A minimum viable detection pipeline — focused and pragmatic

In 100 days, the objective is not to build a “perfect” detection ecosystem. It is to build a reliable, high-signal, low-noise pipeline that analysts can operate immediately.

This includes:

  • a baseline set of high-impact use cases (EDR + Cloud + IAM),
  • data sources with the highest risk-to-noise ratio,
  • a first structure of detection engineering,
  • dashboards aligned to the business.

AGCG rule of thumb: “If a use case doesn’t protect value, remove it.”

1.3. A unified alert management and triage model

Most SOCs lose time — and value — due to chaotic triage processes. The 100-day model installs a single triage workflow with:

  • standardized severity levels,
  • defined ownership (SecOps vs. IT vs. Cloud teams),
  • response playbooks,
  • tooling aligned to the workflow,
  • KPIs visible to management.

This structure alone typically improves SOC throughput by 20% to 40% in the first three months.

1.4. Clear governance and collaboration rhythm

The SecOps function must have:

  • weekly incident review ceremonies,
  • monthly steering with IT & Cloud teams,
  • a quarterly Executive Committee update,
  • a simple intake process for business feedback,
  • cross-functional playbooks (IT, Cloud, network, HR, legal, comms).

These rhythms transform SecOps from a “technical center” into a structuring governance function.

“In SecOps, speed is not chaos. Speed is clarity.”

— AGCG Genuine Consulting Group

2. The 100-day roadmap: concrete steps that guarantee impact

2.1. Days 1–30 — Understand, simplify and structure

The first 30 days set the foundation:

  • mapping business-critical assets,
  • identifying high-value detection gaps,
  • defining ownership models,
  • simplifying tooling and dashboards,
  • building the first incident playbooks.

2.2. Days 30–60 — Deploy, integrate and activate

The second phase creates operational momentum:

  • prioritized use case deployment,
  • integration with IT & Cloud teams,
  • incident governance rollout,
  • triage workflow activation,
  • start of KPIs & reporting.

2.3. Days 60–100 — Optimize, scale and secure executive visibility

The final phase locks in durability:

  • refinement of detection logic,
  • playbook improvements based on live incidents,
  • multi-team governance routines,
  • maturity scoring,
  • Executive Committee-ready reporting.

In 100 days, SecOps becomes not just a function — but a business-enabling operational capability.

Conclusion — SecOps is not a tool. It is an operating model.

Modern SecOps is not about having the latest SIEM, the most features or the largest dashboards. It is about operating with clarity, speed and alignment.

The 100-day model is pragmatic, realistic and field-tested. It creates the minimum viable SecOps capability — one that delivers value immediately and can grow sustainably.

SecOps becomes predictable. Governed. Aligned with the business. And finally capable of protecting the organization at the pace of its digital ambitions.