Viisage reels in new Real ID work

The Pennsylvania Transportation Department, seeking to bolster its IT security for state driver's license processes, has awarded Viisage Technology Inc. a series of contracts worth $45.5 million.

The work calls for Viisage of Billerica, Mass., to augment and strengthen the department's technology for better security around its various drivers' license processes.

Viisage also won contracts in Arkansas, Maryland and Wisconsin worth a total of $2.8 million, the company said in a statement.

The Arkansas Finance and Administration Department awarded Viisage a $2 million contract extension to continue its secure driver's licensing program. The Wisconsin Transportation Department awarded the company a $500,000 contract to implement automated document authentication to verify identities before issuing a driver's license. And the Maryland Motor Vehicles Department awarded the company a $300,000 contract extension to continue its secure driver's license solution.

The Real ID Act of 2005 calls for states to increase security measures around select identity documents, both for verification and storage, as well as providing a means for interstate verification of an applicant's identity. The National Conference of State Legislatures has estimated the cost to implement Real ID nationally in the billions of dollars. States must comply with Real ID by May 2008.

Viisage, which offers identity and security solutions to government and commercial clients, has about 220 employees and had annual revenue of $66.2 million in fiscal 2005, according to Hoover's Online, Austin, Texas.