Sharing your FileMaker files via our servers is really easy and cost effective. For businesses, organisations and individuals who care about their data integrity, an internet-based shared server can give the benefits of using FileMaker server without the capital costs, hardware, backup and person-hours having your own server would entail.
In addition, if you or your staff are in different locations it can solve the problems of setting up remote access. Not only can this be complex but even high specification ADSL connections have a very limited upload speed. This can limit the speed of your connection considerably, and gets worse the more people who connect.
Our existing customers use www.filemaker-hosting.co.uk with their copies of FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Go (iPhone/iPad) to run a variety of systems, including:
- Telephone sales & CRM
- Magazine publishing
- Media sales
- Contacts
- Debt recovery
- Sailing club organisation
- Publication subscriptions
- Antique book sales
- Business data
- Community information
- Courses listing and organisation
- Graphic design job organisation
- Conference planning.
As well as the UK some of these customers make regular connections from the USA, Spain, France, Germany and Italy.
One thing that surprises many new to FileMaker Server it makes so little difference that the database is no longer on their hard disk. They can still change the design (often while others are still using the database). The only big difference is that the file is opened using FileMaker‘s open remote sub menu rather than the open file menu. But if you wish we can send you a file for your computer that when double clicked automatically calls up the login for the served file.
Who will benefit from connecting to their database files on our FileMaker servers?
- One or two person businesses where users want to protect themselves from data loss
- Clubs, Churches etc (FileMaker offer a special discount for education and non profit making organisations-details here).
- Small & medium sized businesses who don‘t want the costs of running their own server
- Businesses where staff are in various locations
- Programming and viewing a database otherwise accessed with WebDirect or CWP
- Developers wanting to experience using FileMaker server
When our hosting your file might not be right for you.
- Where large files are stored in container fields (the files will have to travel from the server each time the file is displayed. This is unlikely to be as
- fast as a local disk or network server)
- Large un-indexed tables where the primary function is data crunching and analysis.
- Where internet connectivity is poor
- Where internet connectivity is subject to breaks (such as from a train or with a poor ADSL connection)
- Where so many need to connect that the costs of buying everybody their own copy of FileMaker Pro are prohibitive
- WebDirect (Instant web publishing) or CWP (Custom web publishing) can often be the answer where FMP direct connections are not practical. These are explained in the next two pages.
Things you should know about working with our FileMaker servers
- You can run FileMaker scripts on our server at a specific time each day. This is great for compiling reports from the previous day and other data intensive tasks. We are happy to set up one of these per file for you at no charge. Please specify when you want it to run (anytime between 9pm and 8 am). Your scripts should take no longer than 5 minutes to execute
- FileMaker server will disconnect users who are no longer in communication (perhaps their processor has gone to sleep because of inactivity). Screen savers are fine - it is just the processor and network that need to continue to work.
- Global fields work a little differently. When users close a file the current value of a global is lost. When the solution is re-opened the global will contain the information that was in it the last time the file was closed working directly to disk (ie before it was on server). This can be an issue with files based on demos as the database design is more simple if you just store settings in globals. When this shortcut in design is used once on server the settings return to their previous value every time the file is opened.
If you think an internet based FileMaker server may be right for you then please contact Paul Jansen on 02070992879 and discuss your requirements. We offer a 1-month free trial so testing out our service is won‘t cost anything.
