FileMaker (or Claris) will be FREE for Life!

Wait, what?? Free? It’s free for a single user, which enables the developer to incorporate all aspects of the platform without the worry about an expiring trial. Not only that, the free account extends to the ENTIRE platform so that you can really “create something awesome” and ensure that it works before committing to the deployment.

Once it’s time to go live with a customer and start adding additional users, you’ll need to sign up for a paid subscription, and pricing will be based on the number of users accessing the system. This is not unlike the standard model you see today with countless other online offerings and platforms. I’m particularly excited about this new model as this is something I have personally requested over and over again to anyone who would be willing to listen. This is going to be the single biggest boost to the long-term adoption of the Claris Platform and I couldn’t be more excited!

Putting Developers First

I’ve seen a shift in thinking over the last few years where Claris has a renewed sense of who their customers are and where they should be focusing their attention. Sure, technically speaking, the customers are the ones buying the licenses - I get that. But really, the customer or the focus should ideally be on the partner doing the consultation, architecting, development, deployment, implementation, migration, and training required for all those Claris solutions. I applaud this fundamental shift, and I believe we’re already seeing the fruits of this mind shift making huge results.

Investing in the Future / Staying Relevant

I wouldn’t be writing this article now if I wasn’t excited about the future product direction Claris appears to be heading in. I believe Claris is on the right track by investing in the platform in ways that keep it relevant in today’s growing competition of online platform offerings.

Here’s a list of the main things that have me really excited about the future:

• “Cloud First” Yes! Just about everything today has a cloud component/requirement in its offering. Without this, you don’t even have a seat at the table - this is the bare minimum to be relevant today.
• “Free for developers to get started” Yes! AWS did this too and blasted off at light speed as a result. This is how you grow your developer base which will ultimately grow the customer base and build new enthusiasm for a product that has a rich history but that has also reinvented itself.