What is TISAX Compliance, and How Do You Get It?

What is TISAX, and what is it for?

The Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange (TISAX) serves as a framework for evaluating and exchanging information security standards within the automotive industry. The TISAX certification confirms that a company's information security management system meets specified security levels, facilitating the sharing of assessment results on a designated platform. All companies within the supply chain of the relevant car manufacturers are required to adhere to these guidelines globally. Both manufacturers and suppliers benefit from this standardized certification process by reducing the expenses and efforts associated with multiple information security assessments.

TISAX Jurisdiction: Who Must Comply?

One of the key principles of TISAX is its extensive jurisdiction, mandating compliance from any organization handling sensitive information within the automotive industry. This includes manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, and other third-party partners needing access to a company's sensitive proprietary information. Lack of TISAX compliance can severely affect an organization's business relationships within the automotive sector.

In summary, TISAX certification is essential for operating in the automotive industry. It demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of data security, builds trust, and strengthens secure business relationships. Therefore, achieving TISAX compliance is crucial for any organization aiming to establish and succeed in the automotive sector.

How to Attain Your TISAX Labels?

TISAX provides a standardized method for demonstrating compliance with the VDA’s (German Association of the Automotive Industry)  Information Security Assessment (ISA) catalog and sharing this information with other participants. Companies are typically required to confirm their TISAX compliance through an accredited partner or choose to participate proactively. A TISAX assessment generally involves the following steps:

• Understand TISAX Requirements
  • Familiarize yourself with the TISAX requirements, focusing on information security, prototype protection, and data protection.
• Preparation Phase
  • Conduct a self-assessment to identify gaps between current practices and TISAX requirements.
  • Establish an internal team responsible for overseeing the TISAX certification process.
• Implement Security Measures and Solutions
  • Implement necessary information security measures to comply with TISAX standards.
  • Update policies, procedures, and documentation to reflect these changes.
  • Conduct training sessions for employees to ensure compliance with new security practices.
• Select an Accredited Audit Provider
  • Choose an accredited audit provider from the list of approved TISAX auditors.
  • Register for TISAX on the ENX platform and select the desired assessment level (AL1, AL2, or AL3) based on the sensitivity of your data and requirements.
• Conduct the Audit
  • Schedule and conduct the audit with the chosen provider.
  • Prepare for on-site or remote evaluations where the auditor will review your implemented security measures and documentation.
• Receive TISAX Label
  • Once all requirements are met and non-conformities resolved, the audit provider will issue the TISAX label.
  • Display the TISAX label on your website and in communications to demonstrate compliance.
• Maintain Compliance
  • Regularly review and update security measures to ensure ongoing compliance.

Following these steps will help ensure a smooth process for obtaining TISAX labels and demonstrating your commitment to information security.

How does TransferChain help businesses comply with TISAX?

TISAX establishes stringent protocols for data transfer and communication within the automotive sector, mandating encryption for all transmitted data. For companies aiming to reach higher maturity levels and meet stringent protection requirements, the use of end-to-end encryption (E2EE), distributed cloud architecture and blockchain technology for both communications and data stored on external IT systems is essential. This requirement can pose challenges for data sharing between company hubs and external partners. Luckily, TransferChain offers a range of features designed to assist companies in attaining TISAX certification:

Sharing Attachments via Secure Links: Email attachments are insecure and not TISAX-compliant. To maintain compliance, replace attachments with secure links from TransferChain. Employees can maintain complete control over shared files by limiting download counts, setting expiration dates, and requiring passwords.

Secure Storage: Your files are end-to-end encrypted on the client-side, split and distributed to the worldʼs safest storage areas (Data residency can be chosen), with a decentralized structure.

Ensure secure partner collaboration: End-to-end encrypted (E2EE) file requests enable any team to securely collect documents from external suppliers and partners.

Easy Outlook integration: Seamlessly incorporate TransferChain into your current Office 365 workflows - TransferChain minimizes this disruption with its Outlook integration, enabling users to share files directly from their email client by automatically converting any attachments into secure TransferChain share links.

Role-Based Access Control: Ensures that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive information, aligning with TISAX's stringent security requirements.

Client-side End-to-End Encryption: Protects data during transfer and storage, maintaining confidentiality and integrity as required by TISAX.

Blockchain Technology: Provides a transparent and immutable record of all data transactions, supporting traceability and auditability, crucial for TISAX compliance.

Distributed Cloud Architecture: Enhances data security and availability by distributing data across multiple secure locations, minimizing the risk of breaches and data loss.

Zero-Knowledge Architecture: TransferChain's zero-knowledge architecture ensures data privacy and security through end-to-end encryption, decentralized storage, and zero-knowledge proofs, which verify data authenticity without revealing the data.

By leveraging these features, TransferChain ensures that your organization meets the rigorous requirements of TISAX’s IT security assessment criteria of the VDA ISA catalog (Version 5.0+) whether you're storing sensitive files, such as prototype and testing data, or transferring confidential files to external partners.

Discover more about TransferChain’s pricing plans by clicking here.