SourceCode: Filemaker 12 in Focus

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Filemaker is a database suite that is wholly owned by Apple and has evolved with the needs of businesses since it was a Mac-only solution. Filemaker currently offers appications running on Mac, Windows and iOS. 

I  recently spoke to Ryan Rosenberg, VP of sales and marketing for Filemaker regarding their new versions for desktop as well as Bento line and to discuss how the company has evolved in the so called "Post PC" era.

According to Rosenberg, 70 of the Fortune 100 use the application and aside from large enterprise adoption, Filemaker has been a consumer friendly option.

"We're being used by 40-45 per cent of small businesses," he explains. Noting that half of the company's revenue comes from sales outside the US.

Rosenberg also explains that while Filemaker has historically been associated with Macintosh, it is actually quite popular for Windows users.

"We're the number two best selling Windows database suite," he explains.

Filemaker's VP of Marketing and Sales Ryan Rosenberg: "70 of the Fortune 100 use Filemaker solutions."

During our phone interview, Rosenberg explained how Filemaker is evolving with the times and diversifying its product offerings.

The Bento app, which is a desktop and iPad application that can organize contacts, track projects, plan events and generate reports has been quite popular.

Bento demystifies how traditional database programs operate and focuses on functionality while featuring premium designs and styles.

"Bento is the top selling productivity application in the business section of the Apple App store," Rosenberg explains.

"One of the big trends is how people are using it to create custom apps for the  iPhone," he adds.

According to Rosenberg, clients like Orca Books and Lee Medical have used Filemaker as a starting point for creating very specific solutions for their businesses.

Lee Medical has medical staff access Filemaker remotely from their iPads to get updated patient information.

"The solution is 100 per cent up to date and completely secure. If they lose the iPad, they don't lose the data which resides on the server," Rosenberg notess 

This sort of real time updating and access to information is extremely helpful in a time critical environment. "Track an infection, update the database and everyone in the field gets an update," Rosenberg illustrates. "Filemaker is able to provide these solutions because it features web publishing technology and a web server

The web server is a powerful tool.  I allows for remote updates over the air and it is secure. "You can place a server in a secure location," says Rosenberg,"communication with the server is encrypted."

Filemaker has focused on how to make databases easier and more exciting to use and figured out ways to make using the application more exciting and rewarding.

Another key feature of Filemaker's products is their focus on attractively designed templates."People want their desktop solutions to look beautiful," Rosenberg explains. "We offer themes that offer good design instantly and which can be changed on the fly."

Charting is also one of the areas where Filemaker excels. "People love to chart," Rosenberg says. "We added new features that allow on-the-fly charting and ad-hoc charting with lots of styles."

So, Filemaker's database solution does seem quite comprehensive and ideal for businesses that deploy iPads and iPhones in the field. But what about for those that use other types of devices.

"For non iOS devices, they can always use a web version to interface with the data," Rosenberg says.