FileMaker Inc., has positioned FileMaker as a Workplace Innovation Platform.
What is a Platform?
FileMaker has long been viewed by developers as a platform rather than a product. In terms of databases, it is a client-server platform that revolves around the FileMaker Server.
FileMaker Server provides fast, secure and reliable hosting for files, scheduled backups and processes, and web services. It is the host that can be accessed by various clients – FileMaker Pro on macOS and Windows, FileMaker Go on iOS devices, modern web browsers, and through an API interface.
As well as being a client for accessing hosted files, FileMaker Pro also provides a development interface. Development is full stack – consisting of data structure, business rules, and user interface. The database engine is proprietary rather than being any flavour of SQL.
Why the Workplace?
FileMaker started life with non-programmers developing solutions for personal use and in very small workgroups. Now FileMaker Inc., sees its main market in the workplace. It is still possible to buy single FileMaker Pro licenses for a premium price but most licensing sold is now annual subscriptions starting at five (5) users.
Specifically positioning FileMaker in the workplace is a strategic move. This is in contrast to most Apple products that are marketed at both individuals first and businesses second.
That said, FileMaker has a strong position in the workplace to be a very flexible and agile product used to solve all sorts of business problems.
What is Innovation?
This is probably the biggest part of the equation. There is a lot of hype about workplaces being more innovative. But what does that mean? Can you just be more innovative? What does an innovative person look like? What do they do differently? How does their innovation help in the workplace?
Innovation can be seen in designing new ways of doing things. In business, this can save time and money, and create an advantage over competitors. So innovation can be creating more effective processes, products and services.
Being innovative can mean adapting to changes in the work environment to do things better. It should be part of a business strategy, with a culture of innovation encouraging innovative thinking and problem solving.
Measure
To know if innovation is making a difference, something needs to be measured before, during and after. Time and money can easily be measured. You could measure the time to complete tasks or the number of tasks completed in a given time. You could measure the cost to provide services.
But some measures are more subjective. Satisfaction is one example. By innovating, you could increase the satisfaction of both employees and customers. This could lead to higher staff retention (reducing recruitment and training costs), or increased customer referrals (for more customers). So the subjective satisfaction can then be measured with objective numbers.
Can uLearnIT help you?
If you are looking to innovate and improve the effectiveness of your workplace, let’s have a discussion about where you are now and where you can improve your processes.
Any solution we develop needs to be able to be measured in its effectiveness and the ability to provide real value. Call now on +61 481 252 214 or email us at info@ulearnit.com.au. We look forward to helping you innovate.