Built for the Cloud
Since 2011 we have operated our own cloud infrastructure, originally designed to overcome the limitations of ADSL-era internet connections. The design has proved remarkably durable. Not because the internet hasn’t improved, but because the benefits it delivers go well beyond raw speed.
How it works
Our servers stream FileMaker Pro to users connected to FileMaker Servers on the same internet subnet. This means that only keyboard, mouse and video interaction travels over the company or home connection, while the client-to-server communication runs at full server speed. The result is performance that can match, and sometimes exceed, a local area network, regardless of the user’s own connection speed.
Platform flexibility
A significant side benefit of this architecture is that FileMaker Pro becomes available on platforms where it would not otherwise run. Our clients have used it on Linux, Android and Chromebook devices, as well as the full range of Mac, Windows, iOS and iPadOS machines. Since 2011 we have supported users across the UK, Europe, USA, India and further afield.
Predictable costs, no surprises
This is where our infrastructure earns its keep. Running FileMaker via a traditional cloud server with a local client is, on a day-to-day basis, less expensive than our model. We make no secret of that. What our model offers instead is certainty.
Within one monthly fee, everything is included: setup, support, maintenance, backups, server replacements and software upgrades. When a server reaches end of life there are no additional charges. The swap is entirely our responsibility, as is all support from the server to each user’s computer. The predictability of a single fixed monthly cost, with no hidden charges whatever happens, has proved consistently attractive to businesses that need to keep a firm grip on their running costs.
Our own systems, built for the cloud
Our manufacturing system Erpyrean and our CRM SaleFaith are both optimised for cloud usage rather than simply adapted for it. Practical examples include the automatic naming and routing of exported files such as PDFs, spreadsheets and CSVs to predefined locations on each user’s computer, and built-in email with mail merge using FileMaker data. This means that correspondence linked to any contact or company is visible to all authorised users, rather than being buried in a single person’s sent items folder.
Flexible involvement
Some clients run their own FileMaker solutions on our infrastructure and manage their systems entirely independently; we simply ensure everything keeps running. Others ask us to be more involved, and we assist with FileMaker development and support as and when needed. The level of involvement is entirely up to them.
Why it still matters
Back in 2011 we half-expected that faster broadband would eventually make our infrastructure redundant. It hasn’t. The combination of fixed costs, zero hidden running costs, central management and single-point support continues to be attractive, particularly to organisations that want a capable, reliable system without the overhead of managing it themselves.