Texas Awards $170M Contract to Virginia Cybersecurity Company

At the end of a year when Texas employees were among those targeted by hackers, the state has awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to a company that works with entities to increase technological efficiency and offer cybersecurity protection. Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) announced Dec. 18 that it was awarded a $170.9 million contract from the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) to provide cybersecurity services in protection of state networks.

SAIC, which is headquartered in Reston, Va., and has been providing security services to California, Colorado and Virginia for years, also has worked with the Air Force in deploying “a cloud-based command and control capability” to air defense sectors with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), according to StateScoop. It employs about 24,000 people.

Per the contract, SAIC will assist DIR with management of state agency networks. SAIC said it will monitor and manage overall security environments; plus assess, manage and mitigate risks and meet compliance requirements with state, federal and industry regulations.

“We are excited to support our clients’ cybersecurity services by applying cutting-edge technologies to enhance the speed of delivery and stay ahead of emerging threats,” said SAIC Civilian Business Group Executive Vice President Srini Attili, in the announcement. “This award expands our cybersecurity work in Texas, and is a result of our employees’ expertise, investment in innovation and commitment to integrating solutions that will deliver superior service for the Texas government and its citizens.”

Several notable data breaches took place in Texas in 2024. Most notably, Microsoft revealed that in January, a likely Russian hacker attacked systems that included emails from addresses with multiple state agencies, including the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Texas General Land Office (GLO), the Texas State Securities Board (SSB) and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

In June, when the report was released, DIR Deputy Executive Director Steve Pier said that the agencies themselves weren’t compromised by the attack.

“To be clear, the state of Texas was not breached,” Pier said in June. “Microsoft was breached, which has involved some state of Texas emails.”

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