In today’s world, if you ignore advances in technology there is a good chance that your business could get left in the dust. NASA may still use old computing technology, but the day to day stuff (GPS tracking, swiping your credit card, daily planning apps) usually relies on new or perfected technology. The day to day for businesses is no different, and if you aren’t making use of the best data organization technologies, you could be losing potential savings. Here at Alchemy Consulting Group, we create software for business using FileMaker, which we believe to be one of the most effective data organization tools available. If you are unfamiliar with this platform, we go over what FileMaker is, and its history, here.
History
Originally developed for Macintosh systems as a personal database application, FileMaker was created by Apple’s Claris Corporation. Since its inception, it has moved to also incorporate the Windows market as well, now being a cross platform tool. Before FileMaker 7, there was a brief attempt to run on Linux, but that was abandoned.
When it began, FileMaker was an MS-DOS program called Nutshell. It was made by Nashoba Systems in Concord, Massachusetts, and marketed by a company called Leading Edge. It made use of the new advances Macintosh offered, along with a then new graphical user interface (or GUI). At first, this new version wasn’t accepted by industry leaders, that is until Nashoba partnered with Forethought Inc., when the program was reintroduced as the FileMaker that we all can identify today.
Eventually Forethought was purchased and owned by Microsoft when they were introducing PowerPoint. While Microsoft had their own database application, it failed to perform as well as FileMaker so they stopped pushing it. They tried to get the rights to publish FileMaker, but Nashoba retained them and created the next version of the program.
Eventually, Apple formed a subsidiary called Claris, which purchased Nashoba. FileMaker was continuing to succeed at this point where other database applications failed, and has kept up that success to this very day. FileMaker is still Claris’ most successful product, and Apple shifted focus to it, renaming the company FileMaker, Inc. to focus more exclusively on the product. There have been many FileMaker updates over the years, with it currently on version 16. Some notable new features include mobile compatibility with FileMaker Go, PDF creation, modern OS compatibility, integrated themes, faster WAN, free universal client for bar code scanning, FileMaker Cloud, state-of-the-art Web integration, and much more.
FileMaker is used world wide, with many languages available, including Chinese, English, Dutch, French Italian, Japanese, German, and more.
Here at Alchemy Consulting Group, we help create software for businesses using FileMaker 13 through FileMaker 16. With years of experience in the field, we can create a database tailored to your business’ specific needs. Most of the time, these apps pay for themselves in a matter of months. When it comes to being successful in business, efficiency is key, and FileMaker database solutions are a great way to maximize efficiency. If you have any questions about our service, please don’t hesitate to give one of our friendly representatives a call today.
