Box UK was founded in 1998 by company
directors Benno Wasserstein, Dan Zambonini and myself, having met at Cardiff University.
by Sali Earls
Cardiff based internet development consultancy Box UK develop one of the leading Content Management Systems available today. The company is young and vibrant, and works with clients - including FTSE 100 companies, international brands, government and world class museums - leveraging the power of the internet to create high value low risk solutions to meet the needs of the customer.
With award winning products based on maximising the power of the internet, Box UK are a Welsh technology success story. Sali Earls found out more from co-founder and Operations Director, Judy Haynes.
What is the history of your company?
Box UK was founded in 1998 by company
directors Benno Wasserstein, Dan Zambonini and myself, having met at Cardiff University.
We initially specialised in the education sector, partnering with the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA). Notable early achievements included the production of the first XML government website, and the then Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Estelle Morris commending the Box UK-produced Teacher Resource Exchange as one of her top - three education websites.
The company saw further growth following a partnership with a major national museum and an expansion into the heritage sector.
It was during the development stage of this project that the framework for Amaxus, Box UK's content management system, was created. In 2001, Amaxus was officially launched and remains Box UK's flagship product.
What unique products/services does your company provide?
Box UK provides a comprehensive range of internet development and consultancy solutions to meet the needs of organisations operating on a national or global scale.
Our core product is the Amaxus content management system. This is currently driving the web presence of world-renowned institutions and organisations such as the Royal Navy and Imperial War Museum, amongst others, as well as a multitude of international sites for Wales Tourist Board. Crucially, the system is XML-based and modular, enabling us to provide customers with an entirely bespoke solution.
Last summer, we launched clickdensity, our usability and website visitor behaviour analysis tool. It goes beyond traditional web analytics and utilises virtual heatmaps to provide users with an immediate visual insight into the success of their web pages. It's proving to be a phenomenal success. Users across the globe have been able to immediately identify and correct problems with webpage design, navigation and information architecture clickdensity has also received prestigious industry recognition - including an AlwaysOn Media Award (presented in New York) and a British Computer Society Information Management Award for Business Intelligence.
Box UK's other products are:
What's been the key to your success?
Since inception, Box UK has thrived on the hard work, determination and talent of our
team. We've been extremely selective in our recruitment, enabling us to provide our clients with access to
industry-shaping people with a real passion for what they do. As the progression towards Web 2.0 continues to gather pace, it's vital to have the
talent on board to keep us at the forefront.
We've also endeavoured to maintain Amaxus's position as the most robust, cutting-edge solution available. Its modular nature means that we can work with clients to build a package that suits their requirements.
What one piece of outside technology has benefited your company most?
We were one of the earliest adopters of XML (extensible mark-up language). This provides us with great flexibility, enabling us to share and collate information from multiple sources, regardless of vendor
or language.
XML has enabled us to make Amaxus as flexible and easy-to-use as possible and we're also utilising the technology for Ajax and clickdensity.
What one piece of advice would you give to start-up companies in your field?
We truly believe that hard work and determination are crucial to any success. These qualities certainly kept us going in the beginning. Our passion for the internet permeates everything that we do and
we've found that clients really respond to our enthusiasm.
Where do you see your company going in the future?
Box UK is aiming to continue expansion on a global scale. Amaxus now boasts an international portfolio of clients, whilst clickdensity is also enjoying global success, with big name sign-ups that include
one of the world's largest retail brands and a major international bank.
Our team is constantly growing. With offices in both Cardiff and London, we're ideally situated to interact with all of our clients.
The outlook for the remainder of 2007 and beyond is extremely bright. We've recently secured a number of prestigious new projects, including an Amaxus implementation to drive the redeveloped website for a world leading gallery, as well Careers Wales, the newly created government department - Creative and Cultural Skills Council, and a large project with Ordnance Survey.
This year looks like it's going to be our best yet.
Find out more about Box UK at www.boxuk.com.
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