Avineon to Do IT Work for U.S. Mint

Avineon of Alexandria has won a five-year, $10.9 million contract from the U.S. Mint to provide security services and risk analysis for the agency's computer systems.

The Mint relies on a number of information technology networks as it protects the nation's gold and silver assets. Those systems require regular security checks and upgrades.

Under the contract, Avineon will handle security for all of the Mint's information technology systems, applications, databases, servers and network components. The company will also provide certification and accreditation services and offer technical analyses of the agency's security initiatives.

"We are their sole security provider," said Hee Sun Choung, vice president of information technology services at Avineon. "We formulate security policies and oversight framework so that the Mint is compliant with federal regulations and guidelines."

The contract also includes protecting the Mint's hardware, software and overall network against various internal and external threats, Choung said. "Essentially it's contingency planning, disaster recovery and continuity of operations," she said.

Most of the work will be done in Washington, with Avineon technicians visiting Mint locations in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco and other sites.

Founded in 1992, Avineon specializes in IT and program management. The company has provided IT security services to the Mint for more than five years. The company also has contracts with the Navy, Internal Revenue Service, Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, and Treasury departments.

Avineon, which is privately held, had $25 million in revenue last year and has grown at a rate of more than 30 percent the past five years. The company has more than 700 employees at offices in several U.S. cities and overseas.

David Hubler is an associate editor with Washington Technology magazine. For news on this and other contracts, go tohttp://www.washingtontechnology.com.