The Synergy of Cybersecurity, Functional Safety and Automotive SPICE: Lessons Learned from Process Transformation Project

Intellias, as a global technology partner, has been providing software development services to numerous automotive customers for over 20 years.
For a long time, Intellias primarily operated as an engineering services company, where it was traditionally expected that suppliers would use the customers’ tools and processes.
The strategic shift toward OEM companies—who demand not only proof of expertise but also the ability to take responsibility for end-to-end delivery—introduced new challenges for the company.

To demonstrate technical expertise, Intellias launched the development of an internal acceleration platform: a head unit ECU and zone controller that provides car infotainment functionality and enables the simulation of vehicle signals. One of the strategic quality goals was to ensure compliance with A-SPICE CL2, ISO 26262 ASIL B, and ISO 21434 requirements, as well as to develop a corporate process library for software development.
Initially, the goal was to achieve these compliance targets within 18 months.

In this presentation, we would like to share our journey—from tool selection to A-SPICE, ISO 26262, and ISO 21434 assessments and audits—the challenges we faced, the gains and failures we experienced, and the lessons learned along the way.

About the speakers:

Kateryna Makarenko

Kateryna Makarenko is the Head of Quality Management at Intellias, a global technology partner serving automotive customers for over two decades. With 18 years of technical leadership experience, including roles as Product and Delivery Manager, she has specialized since 2019 in building mature software development processes and ensuring compliance with industry standards. In her current role, Kateryna leads initiatives in quality assurance, functional safety, and cybersecurity, focusing on rigorous implementation and assessment of A-SPICE, ISO 26262 Functional Safety, and ISO 21434 Automotive Cybersecurity.

Alexander de Jong

Alexander de Jong is Principal Consultant and STAR Safety Lead at Intellias, a global technology partner serving automotive customers for over two decades. With deep expertise in functional safety and process compliance, Alexander drives initiatives that ensure adherence to key automotive standards, including A-SPICE, ISO 26262 Functional Safety, and ISO 21434 Automotive Cybersecurity. His role focuses on guiding organizations through safety-critical development, assessments, and audits, while enabling robust engineering practices across complex automotive programs.