In 2020, Thales officially launched its Open Source Program Office (OSPO) to build on the success of its Inner Source practices, initiated few years earlier. Five years later, the OSPO stands as a central pillar of transformation, fostering a strong culture of contribution, collaboration, and strategic Open Source engagement.
A PRAGMATIC AND INCLUSIVE APPROACH
Driven by a passionate community and backed by strong executive support, the Thales OSPO has built a robust ecosystem:
• Secure and standardized contribution and publication process,
• A centralized GitHub organization for Open Source assets,
• A dedicated Software Compliance Team handling licensing, cybersecurity and compliance issues
• Regular awareness and training campaigns across Thales' global business units
VISIBILITY AND ENGAGEMENT
Thales is now:
• A Silver Member of the CNCF and Linux Foundation,
• Active within the Eclipse Foundation, RISC-V International and OSPO Alliance
• A founding member of the Open Hardware Group,
Thales engineers actively contribute to key Open Source projects such as GitLab (notably an impactful UX improvement), Kubernetes, and the Linux kernel. The annual Thales I/O Days event brings together both Inner and Open Source communities in a collaborative and creative format.
BUILDING A CULTURE OF RECOGNITION
Open Source contributions are now recognized in expertise career path at Thales. An annual internal awards ceremony also celebrates the most impactful contributors, influencers, and promoters.
A TALENT MAGNET
Open Source is also a powerful recruitment and retention lever. Young professionals trained in Open Collaboration find a familiar, welcoming environment at Thales. This is helping attract, engage, and keep top tech talents.
In just five years, Thales has evolved from consumer to contributor. The next goal is clear: to become a major global player in Open Source.
Contact us at oss@thalesgroup.com for further information.