Thales: Managing 11,893 repositories across global teams

Thales needed a modern source code management platform that could support different product lines and globally distributed engineering teams.

The previous SCM environment relied on a proprietary repository format and required a permanent connection to the server. For teams operating across multiple regions, this created heavy network dependency and increased bandwidth usage.

Thales also needed stronger security and audit capabilities, simpler branch management, and support for different version control systems used across the organization.

Key reason Thales selected RhodeCode was its ability to manage Git, Mercurial, and Subversion within one platform.

Mercurial was initially the primary repository type, Git was introduced later as development practices evolved, and SVN remained in use for selected archival projects.

RhodeCode Enterprise also provided fine-grained user and group permissions down to repository and branch level, together with pull requests, code review, audit capabilities, API access, and IP whitelisting.

Thales deployed RhodeCode Enterprise on-premises as part of a distributed architecture supporting engineering teams around the world.

RhodeCode was deployed across multiple regions, including Austin and Singapore, helping provide availability and reliability while reducing dependence on permanent network connectivity.

The platform was integrated with Active Directory and the wider engineering toolchain, including Jenkins, TeamCity, Jira, and Redmine. RhodeCode's API was also used to support access monitoring and internal automation.

At peak usage, the largest RhodeCode environment supported approximately 1,600 users across 11,893 repositories, 3,395 repository groups, and 6,813 user groups.

RhodeCode made source code management more intuitive and simplified branch creation, closing, and merging. Pull requests provided a more standardized code review workflow and improved collaboration between developers.

For globally distributed teams, RhodeCode reduced network dependency and bandwidth usage, particularly for Mercurial workflows.

Fine-grained permissions simplified access management, while audit capabilities, IP restrictions, and Active Directory integration supported Thales' security requirements.

RhodeCode also required less support than the previous solution and was approximately seven times cheaper than competing solutions.

"It greatly enhances collaboration with its fine-grained permission controls, making it an ideal solution for managing complex projects across distributed teams."