SAS moves in on the intelligence market with the acquisition of VSTI

Analytics experts from VSTI enhance SAS’ delivery capability

CARY, NC - SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services, has acquired Vision Systems & Technology Inc. (VSTI). Headquartered in Ellicott City, MD, VSTI is a professional services company that has been delivering advanced analytic solutions to the US intelligence community (IC) for over a decade.

There is an explosion of data in the IC, and threats to national security are rapidly evolving. The time it takes to deploy analytics needs to be reduced to help the IC manage that data and stay a step ahead. According to Vision 2015 , a report created by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, “Information overload already presents a profound challenge to our business model. Given these challenges, the analytic community has no choice but to pursue major breakthroughs in capability.”

“The IC is challenged with rapidly evolving security threats that urgently demand the application of advanced analytics,” said Karen Knowles, General Manager of SAS Federal LLC. “VSTI’s deep domain knowledge and analytics expertise in the IC, combined with SAS’ industry-leading advanced analytics, will help lead to quicker deployment of solutions – solutions that can weed through massive amounts of data quickly to identify the most relevant information. This will help speed predictive analysis and decision making that can ultimately defeat and deter threats and save lives.”

Founded in 1997, VSTI is an industry-leading provider of advanced software systems that assist with high-volume contextual data reduction, analytic discovery, information dissemination, and alerting of the intelligence analysis within the US federal government IC. In addition to the IC, customers include the US Department of Defense, Navy, Air Force and the state of Maryland Consulting and Technical Services.

VSTI CEO Dwayne Robinson, who will report to Knowles, will continue to lead a team of over 60 experienced technologists. “By joining the SAS family, VSTI reinforces the value it places on its workforce and technology excellence. It’s an opportunity for VSTI’s highly regarded personnel to become part of a leading-edge analytics software company that values people as its most important asset.”

The VSTI acquisition strengthens SAS’ ability to deliver solutions to the public security market and closely follows last month’s acquisition of Memex, a Glasgow, Scotland-based firm specializing in solutions that enhance public safety and prevent and deter crime.

About SAS
SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions delivered within an integrated framework, SAS helps customers at more than 45,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world The Power to Know® .