Keepit's TISAX Win: Redefining Data Trust in Europe's Toughest Markets

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – November 26, 2025 – In the world of enterprise technology, compliance certifications are often announced with a familiar, procedural fanfare. But the recent news that SaaS data protection leader Keepit has successfully completed its Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange (TISAX) audit with no major findings is more than just another badge. It’s a strategic move that signals a deeper shift in how trust is established and verified in Europe’s most demanding industries, setting a new bar for vendors in the cloud ecosystem.

For companies operating within intricate global supply chains, particularly in sectors like automotive and manufacturing, the question of a partner’s data security is paramount. Keepit’s achievement is a case study in how a niche, industry-specific standard is becoming a powerful, cross-sector benchmark for vendor accountability, with significant implications for cyber resilience and market access.

The TISAX Gauntlet: More Than Just Another Certification

To understand the impact of Keepit’s announcement, one must first appreciate what TISAX represents. Developed by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), TISAX is not a simple checklist. It’s a rigorous, comprehensive security framework built on the well-known ISO/IEC 27001 standard but extended with specific, demanding controls tailored for the high-stakes automotive world.

While ISO 27001 allows an organization to define the scope of its own Information Security Management System (ISMS), TISAX enforces a predefined scope, often covering every part of a company that handles a partner's sensitive information. The audit perspective is also fundamentally different. An ISO audit typically evaluates risk from the company's own viewpoint, whereas TISAX auditors assess security from the perspective of the end customer—the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)—whose intellectual property, prototype data, and customer information are on the line.

This framework goes deeper, with specific modules for prototype protection and stringent data privacy controls that are far more detailed than those in the broader ISO standard. Assessments are conducted on a tiered maturity model, with Level 3—required for handling highly sensitive data—involving intensive on-site audits. Successfully navigating this gauntlet, as Keepit has, provides a level of assurance that resonates far beyond a standard compliance certificate. It’s a validation of a security posture tested against the exacting demands of an industry where industrial espionage is a constant threat.

From Autobahn to Data Highway: TISAX's Expanding Influence

What began as a mechanism to secure the German automotive supply chain is rapidly evolving into a de facto standard for information security across Europe. The rigorous, trust-based model pioneered by the VDA and managed by the ENX Association is proving to be the answer for other complex industries grappling with similar supply chain risks. Companies in manufacturing, defense, mobility, and other regulated services are increasingly looking to TISAX as a benchmark for vetting their technology partners.

This trend is creating a new set of expectations for vendors. The logic is simple: if a security framework is robust enough to protect the crown jewels of a major car manufacturer, it’s a reliable indicator of a vendor’s commitment to security for any enterprise. This is why major cloud infrastructure providers like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Amazon Web Services have already secured TISAX labels for their data centers, recognizing it as a critical requirement for serving their European enterprise clients.

For a SaaS provider like Keepit, which operates on top of this infrastructure, achieving its own TISAX label is the next logical and critical step. It demonstrates that security isn't just a feature of the underlying cloud but is woven into the fabric of the application layer where customer data is directly managed. As more industries adopt this high standard, TISAX is transitioning from a niche requirement to a mainstream 'ticket-to-trade' for any software vendor serious about operating in security-conscious European markets.

A Strategic Play for Europe's Core Markets

Keepit's successful audit is clearly not a reactive compliance exercise but a deliberate strategic accelerator. The company's leadership has noted the rising demand from customers, particularly in Europe, for this specific certification. In the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), home to the automotive industry's powerhouse brands, a TISAX label is fast becoming a non-negotiable prerequisite for procurement and partnership.

“Our successful TISAX audit is another strong validation of our commitment to maintaining world-class information security,” said Kim Larsen, Chief Information Security Officer at Keepit, in the company's official announcement. “This certification gives them the confidence that Keepit is not only compliant but forward-thinking in our approach to data protection and governance.”

This achievement fits seamlessly into Keepit's broader, multi-layered trust strategy. The company already holds key international attestations like ISO 27001 and is pursuing SOC 2, which are foundational to its security program. Adding TISAX provides an industry-specific and geographically-critical layer of validation that directly addresses the concerns of its target market. It allows Keepit to move beyond simply claiming to be secure and instead offer verifiable proof recognized by some of the world's most risk-averse organizations. This move strengthens its position not just as a technology provider, but as a trusted guardian of digital assets in a high-threat landscape.

Redefining Vendor Accountability in the Cloud Era

The broader impact of moves like Keepit’s is the ongoing elevation of vendor security standards across the board. We are past the era where a vendor’s security was taken at face value. Today, enterprises are demanding quantifiable, independently verified proof of a partner’s security and resilience. The responsibility for data protection is shared, and customers expect their SaaS providers to meet and exceed the same rigorous standards they themselves must adhere to.

By proactively achieving TISAX certification with excellent results, Keepit is not only opening doors for itself within the automotive sector and beyond but is also raising the bar for its competitors in the SaaS data protection market. This creates a positive feedback loop: as more customers demand such rigorous certifications, more vendors will be compelled to pursue them, ultimately strengthening the security of the entire digital supply chain.

In a world where business continuity depends on the integrity of cloud-based data, this level of validated trust is no longer a luxury—it is the very foundation of modern cyber resilience. For organizations navigating the complexities of digital transformation, choosing partners who can demonstrate this commitment is becoming the most critical decision of all.