Apple-owned FileMaker has a new name and focus

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FileMaker
FileMaker isn’t going away, but the company that makes it is expanding what it does.
Photo: Claris

FileMaker changed its name to Claris. That might sound familiar as it’s the name the company had when Apple founded it way back in 1986.

The move is part of expanding what it does, beyond making a relational database application.

Claris to FileMaker to Claris

FileMaker has 50,000 customers and more than a million end-users, many of whom probably don’t realize this company is owned by Apple. It was created decades ago as Claris to develop and sell the applications Apple wrote to run in early Macs. Over the years the focus moved to FileMaker and eventually the company changed its name to reflect that.

But now the name is being switched back as this business expands its focus. “FileMaker, with its component names of ‘File’ and ‘Maker,’ was simply too specific to span the customer experiences that we want to create in our next 20 years,” said Ann Monroe, VP of Worldwide Marketing.

FileMaker not going away

The name change doesn’t mean the company’s signature product is being dropped. “FileMaker you know and love is only getting better. Every feature you use, every app you’ve built, every part of our platform will remain and improve,” promised Srini Gurrapu, VP of Product Management.

FileMaker/Claris has purchased Stamplay and renamed it Claris Connect. This software offers 150 connectors into popular third-party cloud offerings. And moving forward, Claris says it’s building a Workplace Innovation Platform, not just a database.

“The economy is going to be defined by the companies that harness technologies to transform the way they work,” said Brad Freitag, Claris’ CEO. “At the same time, the supply of web, mobile and app developers have not kept up with the demand. This means many companies will struggle to keep up unless we can bridge the gap between their skilled workforce and their technology needs. The idea of a Workplace Innovation Platform was created to address this exact problem by empowering everyday problem solvers.”

Claris will apparently remain an Apple subsidiary.

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