TISAX Compliance and Readiness Services for Automotive OEMs & Suppliers

TISAX (Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange) has become the de-facto information security benchmark for the automotive industry. It provides a common understanding of “what good looks like” for protecting sensitive OEM and supplier information, and a formal mechanism to prove that this level is achieved and maintained.

Standardized VDA ISA assessment recognized across OEMs and suppliers

TISAX is based on the VDA Information Security Assessment (VDA ISA), a standardized catalog of controls tailored to automotive needs. This means:

• OEMs and suppliers work from the same set of information security requirements, rather than every customer inventing their own checklist.

• Assessments are performed against a harmonized framework that aligns with ISO 27001 but adds automotive-specific topics (e.g., prototype handling, shopfloor / plant environments, development data).

• Results are comparable: a TISAX label at a given assessment level (e.g., AL2 or AL3) means essentially the same thing for VW, BMW, Stellantis, or any other participating OEM.

This standardization reduces interpretation disputes (“what does ‘secure enough’ mean?”) and allows you to mature your controls once and leverage them across many customers.

Trusted exchange of results via the ENX portal to avoid redundant audits
TISAX is not just an assessment, it’s an exchange mechanism:

• Assessment results are uploaded by the accredited audit provider into the ENX portal.

• You decide which partners can see which scope and labels, instead of sending PDFs and reports by email.

• OEMs and major Tier-1s rely on the portal instead of ordering their own proprietary security audits.

For suppliers, this means one properly scoped assessment can satisfy multiple customers, significantly reducing audit fatigue, travel, and preparation overhead. For OEMs, it provides a reliable, centrally governed source of truth about supplier security posture.

OEM procurement often requires a valid TISAX label

For many OEMs and large Tier-1s, TISAX has moved from “nice to have” to a hard requirement in procurement:

• A valid TISAX label at the required assessment level is frequently a prerequisite to receive RFQs or to be onboarded as a supplier, especially where development data, connected vehicle services, or prototype work are involved.

• Expired labels or missing scopes can delay awards, trigger corrective action requests, or even block business.

• Having an appropriate TISAX label already in place positions your company as “low friction” to do business with and can provide a competitive advantage in tight supplier selections.

Stronger protection of prototypes and intellectual property (IP)

The automotive industry has a very high sensitivity to leaks involving:

• Prototypes and test vehicles

• New design concepts and CAD data

• Powertrain, software, and feature IP

• Launch-critical manufacturing and quality data

Moreover, TISAX explicitly includes assessment objectives and labels for prototype protection and, where applicable, data protection. These drive concrete controls such as secure areas, access control, handling rules for test vehicles and parts, restrictions on photography, protection of digital design data, and secure collaboration with external partners. Implementing these controls not only satisfies OEM expectations but materially reduces the risk of IP loss, brand damage, or regulatory issues arising from leaks or incidents.

Business impact of TISAX Compliance for our organization
For us, TISAX is not just a compliance badge—it is the framework we are using to structure our readiness and assessment program, define clear milestones (gap assessment, POA&M, technical controls, internal audit, mock audit), and demonstrate to OEMs and key customers that we manage information and prototypes to an industry-accepted standard.