FileMaker is 40 years old. Here’s why that matters.

FileMaker is 40 years old this year, an impressive achievement for a piece of software. Our team have been using FileMaker since version 2.1, back in the 1990s, and today this esteemed platform is on version 22. We have been working with it for over half its history and the majority of its significant evolution.

To this day we regularly come across systems not upgraded since the 1990s and still working perfectly. They are typically employed by small businesses who see no reason to change, because their system works perfectly for what they need.

What has driven half a lifetime’s worth of product stability? How has FileMaker achieved almost unparalleled longevity – and indeed ROI?

Remarkable longevity – so what’s the secret?

First, FileMaker is a very good product that does an important job well. From the start, it has been a relatively simple way of writing applications that drive business processes. 

Second, from the first FileMaker launch in 1985, FileMaker has been under the umbrella of one of the great innovators of recent history, Apple. It was first designed for the Apple Mac and in 1988 was bought by Apple and brought in-house via its subsidiary Claris. For most of the last 40 years, FileMaker has benefited from Apple’s ethos of making high-quality products that are simpler, more polished and easier to use than the competition.

Third, FileMaker has received consistent support from Claris and Apple, enabling it to evolve steadily and gradually become more sophisticated, flexible and powerful.

Fourth, FileMaker has avoided the trap that so many digital tools fall into, of getting worse over time, forgetting its core mission, and succumbing to over-complication and excessive monetisation (think Facebook and Google). FileMaker has always stayed true to its purpose.

All this is why we see systems built 30 or more years ago still functioning happily today.

Two game-changing characteristics

Over FileMaker’s 40-year history, two key characteristics stand out. First, it is networked. As some of us fondly recall, in the 1980s and 90s people would share files by passing floppy disks across a room or sending them in the post. FileMaker, however, made sharing information simple and secure. This platform was all about connecting users – a networked product that allowed people to interact with each other via a central source of truth. It was a game-changer.

Then, much later, FileMaker took another leap forward. In 2017 FileMaker 16 made it possible to connect the platform with other software applications via APIs. This allowed us to create super-powerful business systems that seamlessly integrate FileMaker, accounting software, email systems, CRM systems – you name it.

A journey we’ve shared

Decent Group has been with FileMaker for more than half its journey. We are here for the long haul and so are Claris; in fact, we wouldn’t work with FileMaker if they weren’t. The product has come a long way in the time we’ve been using it, from web browser access to server-based authentication to sophisticated interface designs. And in recent years Decent Group has played a part in that evolution.

As one of the leading FileMaker consultancies in the UK, our opinion has value. Claris recognises our usefulness not only to their sales but also to their product development. We frequently talk directly to Claris’s senior management, giving our views on new features and ideas. Today we have a voice that shapes the direction FileMaker goes in.

The next 40 years of FileMaker?

And what about the future – how will FileMaker continue to evolve? Its networking capabilities are still evolving and so is its ability to integrate systems, but the next big thing is AI. FileMaker already incorporates some AI tools and more are coming. These will play their part in the growing sophistication of the platform, supporting features like natural language searches and AI assistants. One use of AI we’ve developed is helping a client to predict their fluctuating stock levels through the year, so they are able to order more efficiently and generate less food waste. Read more about how we used AI.

In the years to come, we can confidently predict that FileMaker will continue to receive consistent support from Apple and continue to deliver transformational business solutions. We’re proud to have played our modest role in the story so far. Here’s to the next 40 years.