Viisage Technology

About Viisage Technology

Viisage Technology, Inc. was a key player in the biometric identity verification market, with its core technology for facial recognition having roots in developments from MIT. The company operated as a publicly traded entity on NASDAQ under the ticker VISG.

The firm's business was centered on providing identity verification solutions to a diverse client base that included law enforcement, state and federal government agencies, and commercial businesses. Its primary revenue streams were derived from the sale of systems and software designed to enhance security, mitigate fraud, and protect personal privacy. Viisage's offerings were particularly noted for their application in managing large-scale databases, such as those used for producing state-issued driver's licenses and U.S. passports. For example, its systems were responsible for delivering over 28 million digital-identification documents annually across nearly 1,500 locations in 19 states.

The company's product suite included a range of facial recognition tools. FaceEXPLORER was a solution for large database investigations, capable of managing and searching millions of images to uncover duplicates and assist in fraud prevention. Other products included FaceFINDER for real-time video surveillance, FacePASS for one-to-one identity authentication, and a Software Developer's Kit (SDK) for third-party application development. Viisage pursued an aggressive growth strategy through acquisitions, integrating companies like ZN Vision Technologies to merge U.S. and European market leadership in facial recognition, and the Miros division of eTrue.com to expand its customer base.

A significant strategic shift occurred under the direction of chairman Robert V. LaPenta, who aimed to build a comprehensive biometrics platform. This vision led to the acquisition of companies with different biometric specialties. Viisage acquired SecuriMetrics for its handheld iris recognition technology and Integrated Biometric Technology (IBT) for its fingerprinting solutions used in criminal background checks by government and financial institutions. This created a multi-modal biometric solution provider offering face, finger, and iris recognition technologies. This series of strategic moves culminated on August 29, 2006, when Viisage Technology merged with Identix Inc. in a $770 million deal to form a new entity, L-1 Identity Solutions. The combined company, led by LaPenta, became a dominant force in the U.S. biometrics industry. L-1 Identity Solutions was subsequently acquired by the French aerospace company Safran in 2011 for $1.09 billion and was later integrated into the rebranded identity technology company, Idemia.