WITH 56 employees all located in York eCommerce specialist PureNet is a significant employer in the city's technology community.

Based in York Business Park, the business, which is vying for the Technology Business of the Year title in the Press Business Awards, specialises in complex, business critical websites which integrate into back-office systems.

PureNet has delivered solutions for clients such as Pets at Home, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, The Royal British Legion, One Store, Dennis Publishing, DC Thomson, BBC Magazines, Visit Scotland and West Ham, West Brom and Norwich City Football Clubs.

Paul Doherty, sales and marketing director at PureNet said: "PureNet’s approach to technology is first and foremost based on real-world business need.

"It is about looking for opportunities our clients can exploit now, or arms them with the tools needed for future ambitions. Put simply, Return on Investment is everything."

Mr Doherty said one of the key drivers to the business is its product set. PureNet delivers the majority of its solutions using a technology framework called WebPOS, which is a suite of components, written in the widely recognised Microsoft .NET environment that can be used to deliver eCommerce systems, brochure websites, integration with back office functions such as stock management and accountancy systems.

It also has tools for managing the website look and feel, and marketing tools such as promotions and digital marketing applications.

Mr Doherty said: "PureNet has invested considerably into WebPOS and it has won multiple awards for its ease of use, rich feature-set and robust architecture.

"Furthermore, this is not a static platform. It is constantly evolving. This is all centred on PureNet’s passion for innovation."

PureNet innovates in two separate ways. It dedicates a significant budget to its Innovation Team, headed up by the firm's chief technology officer and consisting of PureNet’s most senior developers and technicians.

The team assesses new technology and pushes existing systems further. Research and development is central to this approach as PureNet evaluates third party products and develop new tools to help clients become more successful online.

The second approach to innovation is project led. To realise a client’s business need the PureNet team often delivers a solution that not only meets this objective but can be deployed to help other clients. By ‘productising’ innovative elements of the solution where applicable, PureNet says it is able to augment its ongoing, proactive innovation.

Mr Doherty said: "We believe PureNet is a leading York-based technology business. We have delivered fantastic results and are growing rapidly as a business, creating jobs and pushing York’s name forward as a digital hub.

"We have a commitment and flair for innovation with the end results of our investment delivering return on investment for our clients and a York technology success story in PureNet."