FileMaker – the problem solver’s problem solver

At the FileMaker Developer Conference earlier this year there was a special session on the morning of day two that was live streamed via the Internet – the first time this has happened in DevCon history. The session featured speakers from the FileMaker Product Management and Product Development teams who introduced us to their new strategy around defining a new category for the FileMaker Platform as the world’s leading Workplace Innovation Platform.

Defining where FileMaker fits in the marketplace and how to position the FileMaker Platform has always been somewhat of a challenge given the unique position of the FileMaker Platform (custom business application vs appliance applications, low code vs no code etc) and that it is used in small businesses, government, and enterprise teams as well as having deployment options that cover Mac, Windows, iOS and the Web. The Workplace Innovation Platform is about solving business challenges (for example streamlining workflows and automating manual processes), whether that is for a small business or a team within a larger business.

FileMaker have a short Workplace Innovation Platform Overview animated video which you can view here:

https://www.filemaker.com/workplace-innovation

Richard Cox Braden, a lecturer at Stanford University also spoke about the Invention Cycle and the roles that Imagination, Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship play in this process. The full session video can be found here:

https://www.filemaker.com/workplace-innovation/#fm-video-visionary-keynote

After the special session DevCon attendees could collect their conference shirt which had this on the front:

I like the concept of “the problem solver’s problem solver”, and FileMaker have recently followed up the launch of the Workplace Innovation Platform with a new film series “Innovation Without the Hype” focusing on helping everyday problem solvers escape the work rut. The first four films in the series have been released and the remaining two will be released over the coming weeks – we encourage you to check them out here (each film is only around 40 seconds):

https://www.filemaker.com/workplace-innovation/films/