Entertainment and Media

Technological advances in the last decade have provided the entertainment and electronic media industry with a wealth of new tools. On-line, on-time delivery of products and services has created the need for better, turnkey solutions. New, “one-stop shop” companies are providing a total package to the end user, including lighting, audio, staging, video and full support, even around the world. When huge projects call for a large amount of equipment in a short amount of time, quick access to multiple sources of information becomes critical.

“…the person who could integrate the technologies would have a significant advantage in how this industry is developed… my customers want somebody who could supply them with a turnkey product that would integrate all the products and services that… entertainment requires.” Jere Harris, President and CEO, Production Resource Group (Entertainment Design, Jan., 2000)

The changing face of the entertainment and electronic media industry requires powerful, behind-the-scenes database tools. FileMaker Pro delivers turnkey solutions for managing diverse equipment inventories, including forms management for easy check-out and leasing. Video duplication libraries are handled with efficiency. Customizable reports provide fast, accurate bids, project requirements, maintenance tracking and support for logistics. FileMaker Pro can help bring all the right pieces together.

Financial Services

The financial services industry is experiencing a time of great change where banking and other financial activities that were once separated have become allied. Sales teams are working from remote locations with constantly changing market data. Even in a market with heavy competition, the potential for profit is higher than ever when sales teams are properly armed.

Keeping strategic partners, business alliances and employees up to date with current information and tools to drive revenue is a huge challenge. “It is not unusual for a bank or insurance company to have anywhere from 50 to 200 forms which are regularly used to transact business. At the same time, day-to-day operations depend on the timely distribution of massive amounts of quickly changing information to a geographically dispersed sales force. Extranets can help meet these challenges.” Dennis Passovoy, Amicus Networks, Inc (Intranet Design Magazine).

Whether it’s a fully outfitted extranet site with large numbers of forms, or a few key sales tools and brochures for a small team, a database driven extranet keeps sales information handy and fresh. No product on the market today can match FileMaker’s ability to quickly create a secure extranet. Use it as a stand-alone application or deploy FileMaker Pro Unlimited as a middleware solution with your existing web server. Even CGI and Java applications are easily implemented within the FileMaker framework.

Forestry and Paper

Globalization is changing the forestry and paper industry. Dynamic improvements in technology, product development, distribution, and handling are driven by data. “The management of information technologies is now firmly and irrevocably an essential part of forest management. Forest managers must …  make fundamental changes in their organizations in order to take advantage of the potential that can be provided by timely, accurate information.” Dennis P. Dykstra, Director of Management and Conservation of Natural Forests at the Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia (Unasylva 189, Vol. 48, 1997)

There has also been great emphasis in the world marketplace on the recovery and recycling of paper products. Expansion and strategic alliances between former competitors has increased the need for effective tools for use in the field and at company headquarters.

FileMaker Pro’s easy-to-use, easy-to-customize environment allows a diverse workforce to take advantage of the power of up-to-the-minute information. Whether it’s used for keeping track of field surveys, GPS coordinates, pulp inventory or processing checklists, FileMaker Pro can serve field engineers and operations managers equally well. With the Web sharing feature, partners and allies can stay up-to-date from anywhere around the world.

Government

The Government Accounting Office in 1999 stated that: “American citizens are increasingly demanding improved government services and better stewardship of public resources. Responding to these demands will require government decision-makers to adopt new ways of achieving goals and use new types of information to guide decisions.” With the shifting of power and control to state and local governments, smaller institutions are taking on an increasing burden of responsibility for providing services to a more sophisticated and better-informed public.

In many situations, a local governing body that used to rely on federal agencies to collect data, provide analysis and generate reports, now has to create and manage its own infrastructure. As citizens are becoming more active customers the use of technology for planning, budgeting, purchasing and special projects is vital. The lessons learned by businesses of all sizes including ‘get the right tool for the job’ are being passed from companies to public policy makers.

FileMaker provides the same number crunching power and ease of use to run government programs and projects as it has in companies across America. It can be used to publish volunteer and job opportunities, keep citizens informed, track program results, and balance the budget. With the Instant Web Publishing feature, FileMaker Pro can help constituents be heard, wherever they live.

Healthcare

Today’s healthcare industry, while still most often managed by large organizations, is also greatly affected by individual consumers and the Internet. The preferences of individual consumers are driving research and innovations, and plans for product development and delivery.

“…We’ll see the emergence of a new form of health management that is individualized, informed, interactive, immediate and integrated.  …with electronic medical records, customized treatment protocols, and personalized medicines, a patient will be able to get the healthcare that is best for him or her.” Peter Solano and Pat Pesanello (Pharma 2005: Marketing to the Individual, published by PricewaterhouseCoopers, 1999).

FileMaker Pro can help healthcare industry workers create the tools to manage on-line relationships and deliver tailored products to multiple “markets of one.”  The ability to maintain query data within FileMaker and other cross-linked applications can help to ensure customers of the confidential treatment of records and boost revenues.

High Tech

The high-technology industry, encompassing computer equipment, software, networking, and microelectronics continues to be one of the most dynamic sectors of the global economy. With advances in technology happening so quickly, there is intense pressure to be first to market with leading-edge products. This allows companies to establish leadership roles and gain the profit margins necessary to develop next generation products and maintain a competitive advantage.

“The most fundamental and dramatic change is in what today’s high-tech companies do. Five years ago, the 50 fastest-growing high-tech companies were involved primarily in the manufacture and design of products. Today, they are focused on design, development, integration and installation of technology. Services and applications have taken over…” By Walter Gruenes, Dallas Business Journal, 05/21/99, Vol. 22 Issue 39

Having reference data, project status, contact information and design details handy eliminates wasted time. FileMaker Pros’ ability to accept imported data, create summary reports, store images and share it all on a local or wide area network keeps product teams organized. As a result, high tech teams have more time to focus on making things happen. With FileMaker Pro Developer it isn’t necessary to bring in a database guru to create run-time data collection tools and demos. Get the data into FileMaker and get back to work.

Insurance

The insurance industry is on the brink of an exciting new way of doing business. Internet on-line quoting allows customers to make instant comparisons of services and rates while keeping sales and administrative costs down. The industry is also facing increasing competition from banks and other financial institutions for their traditional customers. Making the switch to electronic marketing is critical.

According to A.M. Best Company Inc., “ Many banks have developed strategic plans for the on-line delivery of their products and services, but the insurance industry has lagged. Offering Internet services can help retain customers who wish to shop for insurance at their convenience.” Best’s Viewpoint, January 24, 2000.

FileMaker’s flexible solutions for information management and Internet integration provide low-cost and easy-to-implement tools for developing new and progressive product options through tracking of customer preferences.  Plus, they allow insurance providers to quickly build effective Web offerings without the expense and hassle of HTML programming.

Manufacturing

“One of the future’s great manufacturing challenges will be creating highly customized, one-of-a-kind products. To rapidly and cost-effectively convert custom orders into products, the agile manufacturer must understand both the product and the process so well that the results are known before production begins.” – Richard Neal – TEAM Project  (Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing September 1999)

In the age of “MY Products”; customers go beyond the choice of quantity and color to truly personalized items. Savvy manufacturers are organizing around product lifecycles that are short and difficult to predict. This emphasis on boutique style outputs forces companies to know a great deal more about their customers. Production data and relationship data are rapidly becoming intertwined.

FileMaker Pro has the power and flexibility to stand-alone or mesh with existing information systems to deliver highly detailed customer purchase reporting. Getting data into FileMaker with the drag and drop spreadsheet conversion offers quick access to data manipulation for workers with varying levels of software skills. No need to build the database before putting the information in. FileMaker Server or Server Unlimited can even be used to host a custom order site to take orders online.

Pharmaceuticals

Despite the strict governmental regulations and consumer pressure in response to increasing healthcare costs, the pharmaceutical industry is on a path of growth and profit.  Downsizing in the mid-1990s helped boost the industry’s earnings growth. Another factor is high demand for new and improved medical and cosmetic remedies. A third reason: direct to consumer personalized products.

“One of the biggest changes in the industry during the past decade, and one that is likely to become even more important in the future, is its new ability to sell directly to consumers. Once pharmaceuticals advertised mainly to doctors through medical journals. The FDA in 1997 loosened restrictions on advertising, and drug firms …are now spending millions on speaking directly to patients… drug companies will continue to reach out and establish personal contacts with the people that ultimately take their medications.” Dan Goldblatt, Business News New Jersey, 03/30/98, Vol. 11 Issue 13

With the need for pharmaceutical companies to employ relationship marketing, gathering, storing and analyzing target market preferences will be key. Though it’s new to pharma, FileMaker Pro has been keeping up with clients for years. Contact databases, survey websites, on-demand customized publications, lead generation results reports can all be based upon FileMaker Pro. Use it to connect decision-makers with what’s on the minds of early adopters, as easily as a few mouse clicks.

Printing and Publishing

The printing and publishing industry is helping to drive the digital information revolution. Producers and consumers alike are demanding internet connected service, delivery, and specialized formats. The ability to leverage truly global data, is remaking the industry into a digital linchpin.

“With computerization now commonplace and digital printing making a strong entrance into many print operations, the range of services spans widely and continues to grow. Not only does the reduction in turnaround times, human error and wasted materials lower costs and increase customer satisfaction, but new technologies afford customers more specialized service like greater customization, more variable printing and work on-demand.” Jenny Thomas, Enterprise/Salt Lake City, 07/12/99, Vol. 29 Issue 03

FileMaker Pro offers easy-to-use solutions for storing photographs, copy, graphics, and layouts on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. Shorter production timelines, accelerated approval cycles, and better relationships with customers are all possible with FileMaker Pro. Because service providers can easily offer 24-hour availability of job status on password-protected sites, physical distances no longer matter. Publishers, agencies, and service bureaus can all get more done in less time with FileMaker Pro.

Processed Food and Beverages

As brands put their products online, the nature of competition is changing both locally and globally. Smaller, innovative product companies can easily and cost effectively reach markets and customers. Larger companies can successfully test and launch new products in less time, at a lower cost. These discoveries are energizing the food and beverage industry with new possibilities.

Though cost reduction served as the best method for enhancing margins throughout the 1990s, future profits will rely more on unit volume growth, which means increased emphasis on new products. “Basically, consumer packaged goods companies do a lousy job of new product development. Performance can be improved. The question is, does your vision define the future, or just describe the past?” Rick Searer, President of Oscar Mayer Foods Division, Kraft Foods (1998 Prepared Foods New Products Conference)

The power of FileMaker Pro 5 can help the processed food and beverage industry to promote and launch new products using Web-based applications. Strong analysis tools help track consumer purchasing, establish pricing and check inventory levels. FileMaker Pro’s Developer version can also help create custom kiosks and high-tech, on-line delivery of traditionally “low-tech” coupons and other consumer incentives.

Retail

The retail industry is one of the most competitive businesses in each and every worldwide market. The industry represents approximately one-third of the Gross Domestic Product in the U.S. alone. The biggest problem facing the traditional retailers today is holding on to their customers with the advent of Internet shopping.

According to The Economist (August 21, 1999): “Shopping will never be the same again. Traditional companies will need to learn how to use their brick and mortar differently, mainly to keep their current customers happy and to attract them to their Web sites.”

FileMaker Pro 5 provides all the necessary tools to enable retailers to do real e-commerce. With native support for images, FileMaker Pro 5 is an ideal database for visually rich commerce sites. Built-in reporting features help retailers focus on customer loyalty by tracking purchase patterns and providing customer insights. Robust and easy to implement, it is a cost effective way to launch a new sales channel.

Telecommunications

In today’s wired society, telecommunications industry systems are moving steadily to the forefront, offering customers direct access to information, account status and service scheduling over the Internet.

“Successful (telecommunications) service providers will have carefully thought through and reprioritized their systems support capability, attaching new emphasis to what have traditionally been considered the back-office systems that drive billing, service initiation and a host of other applications.” Joseph Bonocore (Tele.com , 12/13/99)

FileMaker’s ODBC capability and easy-to-use development environment help telecom provisioning and customer service groups roll out powerful customer care tools.  FileMaker makes it convenient to combine legacy telco databases with account status information on a single screen.  In the hands of the universal customer service agent, a higher level of service is possible. Answers to account inquiries are delivered quickly, and with FileMaker’s Web sharing features, customers can help themselves. The results: a loyal customer base and reduced turnover of personnel.

Utilities

Deregulation and privatization of utilities is creating new forms of competition across the globe. Energy brokers are providing the same services that large, state-owned or heavily regulated companies have formerly controlled.

“Consumers, government, power brokers, utilities – all must have access to up-to-date market information in order to take advantage of, manage the consequences of, or seek profit and gain from, competition.” Kevin M. Moonan (A New Vision for the Utility and Energy Services Industry IBM Corporation White Paper)

From running a small energy brokerage firm, to managing a large on-line capacity marketplace, FileMaker Pro can help new and established energy companies compete. FileMaker Pro’s integration with Microsoft Office, plus the ability to query ODBC compliant databases allows data from many sources to be combined. Built-in analysis tools and applications that are database ‘naturals’ such as asset tracking help utilities of all sizes can save time getting the info they need. With more opportunity to focus on operational and customer insights, FileMaker Pro 5 will help utilities stay competitive.

Wholesaling and Distribution

“Business-to-business e-commerce transactions are projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2003, up from $43 billion in 1998”- Forrester Research

Direct to customer sales channels, alternative distribution schemes and customized products have all placed great challenges at the doorstep of today’s wholesaler. In many ways wholesalers need to act like manufacturers and retailers—offering special shipping, packaging, customization and keeping track of customer preferences.

FileMaker Pro offers the right-sized solution for managing customer orders and even taking them over the Web. Customer preferences and contact info are at the fingertips of the sales team when they place or receive a call. With FileMaker’s ability to work with email, responding to requests and recording the results are seamless. Up-to-the-minute inventory levels will help save on carrying charges and win deals. Customers will beginto see their wholesaler as a valuable resource that helps them buy exactly what they want in short order.

Automotive

Car companies are turning their focus towards what consumers can do inside of a vehicle while they are driving. New product and revenue models will drive the creation and management of new systems and information. To be competitive, automakers and their vendor partners will need to be on the same page quickly.

“…automakers have a new goal. They want to sell the customer a customized car that comes with a host of services. They want to sell Internet access…satellite radio… and information services. “ John McElroy (Ward’s Auto World, Dec99, Vol. 35 Issue 12)

As the automotive industry gears up to sell more than cars, their information workers will need to have the right tools to manage the products and services that won’t easily fit into an existing online parts inventory database or CAD drawing library. FileMaker Pro 5 can provide the quick setup and flexibility required to launch new services.  It is an ideal tool for use by large work groups scattered around different locations that all need access to new product specifications, service descriptions and coverage areas.

Biotechnology

The biotechnology industry manages a huge volume of research data under the scrutiny of investors and the world’s scientific community. Secure communication between workgroups and across platforms is key to continued success within the sector.

“…the similarities between the Technology and Biotechnology Revolutions are numerous… just as computers and operating systems standardized the analysis and flow of information, biochips and enterprise solutions in the biotechnology industry promise to make data and information available via common interfaces.” Michael Becker (Beck on Biotech, Vol. 2, No. 12, 12/1/99)

FileMaker Pro products deliver a strong, common data management and exchange interface for the biotechnology industry. FileMaker Server 5 allows for the hosting of databases across large workgroups. Shared databases are maintained remotely and without the need for a dedicated administrator. Built-in record locking and automatic database back-ups ensure data integrity, security and stability.

Education and Training

The education and training services industry is being challenged to present information from the classroom to the world. Advances in technology and delivery via the Internet are changing the way that educators and trainers do business. Enrollment at all levels of traditional educational institutions is on the rise and an explosion of technology in the classroom is creating challenges for budgets and staff alike.

“The top issues you face are budget constraints, technology-delivered training, and staffing. Reality is finally catching up with speculation. For the past two years, training professionals have been talking about one thing: shifting from traditional classroom training to new methods of delivery. Well, here it comes.” David S. Bernstein and Sarah Auerbach State of the Industry Report 1999 ITT, June 1999)

FileMaker Pro products are easy to administer. Advanced capabilities in the Developer version can deliver training kiosks and web-driven distance learning systems. Royalty-free runtime learning tools and reference materials integrate quickly, and without development time. Prepare curriculum for authorized users or groups with secure login access. FileMaker Pro makes delivering education as easy as ABC.

Aerospace and Defense

“Three primary trends drive change in today’s commercial and military aero-space industry: 1) global competition for fewer, but larger contracts for new
products; 2) government acquisition re-form; and, 3) increasing upgrade/refit programs for products already in service.” Terry Stiles, Director of Supply Chain Program, Western Data Systems.

With former aerospace and defense competitors now forming partnerships to manage global contracts, information and technology security and integration are key.

FileMaker products allow for the easy tracking and retrieval of RFPs, specifications, engineering changes and procedures. It even connects to legacy systems to allow views of data and queries from multiple sources. Cross platform functionality and secure data management make the FileMaker solution a perfect defense against the competition.