Why FileMaker?

FileMaker Pro (by FileMaker Inc.) is not just a database – it's an application development environment. What does this mean to you? Just about any workflow system you can imagine – contact management, event registration, account management, document management, statistical summaries – you name it, you can probably implement it in FileMaker, and far less expensively than with Oracle or other alternative technologies. It's not just the lower licensing and labor costs: the FileMaker program actually provides extensive interface controls right in the product, so your developer doesn't have to reinvent the wheel (e.g., create pop-up windows, data checking routines, navigation elements, etc.) on every project: with FileMaker, these controls are available and operational in the product from the start.

FileMaker versions before version 7 were problematic for workgroups looking for security and stability. The interface was there, but FileMaker was not really a good IT citizen – it sent passwords and data over the network in the clear, its web server was poorly featured and unreliable, its account model was unwieldy, etc. That's all changed since FileMaker version 7. That version was deliberately designed to address the concerns of IT system managers who only want stable, standards-based software running in house. FileMaker now fits the bill, and is a contender against any vendor of mid-size applications.

FileMaker now also includes more and more features that allow seamless interoperability with other systems. FileMaker talks XML, ODBC, and JDBC natively, and various low-cost third-party plug-ins allow for other connections (QuickBooks, Outlook, serial ports, fax machines, email, etc.), so if you need to interact with other existing systems, it isn't hard with FileMaker.

All told, FileMaker allows for the most rapid prototyping, implementation, and revision of business solutions that we know of, now seated on a technological foundation that is robust, reliable, and secure enough even for IT professionals.

That's why we use FileMaker.