Viisage buys iris scan company

Viisage Technology Inc. has acquired SecuriMetrics Inc., a maker of handheld iris recognition and biometric devices, software applications and services, for $28 million cash.

The cash portion of the purchase price for the Martinez, Calif., company is being funded from the initial $100 million investment that L-1 Investment Partners made in Viisage in 2005. The transaction is scheduled to close by the end of the month.

The acquisition brings Viisage new capabilities in iris recognition and additional customers at the federal, state and local and international levels, said Robert LaPenta, Viisage's chairman of the board.

SecuriMetrics offers a suite of hardware, software and services required to capture, encode, transmit and establish identity based on iris patterns. SecuriMetrics identity products are suited for harsh physical environments, offering a portable solution that is for identifying individuals in military applications and field deployments.

SecuriMetrics offers a device that stores up to 200,000 individual iris images and can perform searches and return results to an operator. Nearly 2,000 devices are deployed today throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Cuba, Bosnia and other areas of conflict.

Viisage of Billerica, Mass., which provides identity solutions for governments, law enforcement agencies and businesses, has more than 200 employees and had annual sales of $67.5 million in fiscal 2004.