Agile Development
Custom FileMaker software delivered in working, bite-sized pieces, measured in weeks, not months. You see progress early and steer as you go.
How we buildSydney, Australia · Established 1995
Simply powerful FileMaker solutions
Custom Claris FileMaker databases that take the tiresome, repetitive admin off your plate - helping you scale faster.
- Claris Partners
- 30+ years of experience
- 100% Australian-owned
- Certified Claris developers
- FileMaker License Suppliers
Thirty-plus years supporting Australian business
years turning laborious admin into reliable business systems.
What began as a small Sydney studio now builds for government, healthcare, higher education and businesses of every size across Australia. Same hands-on team. Same craft.
What we do
Three ways we keep your business running on solid ground.
Dependable Support
Your systems are core to your business. Tailored plans, from ad hoc to monthly, keep them maintained, current and quietly reliable.
See support plansCloud Hosting
Managed FileMaker hosting on AWS data centres in Sydney - encrypted, monitored and backed up. Set and forget.
Explore hostingSee it in action
A FileMaker solution, built around how you actually work.
A working preview of the kind of custom database we build - your whole operation on one screen. Click around: switch layouts, filter the jobs, open a record.
Integrations
We're all for integration.
Your database shouldn't work in isolation. We connect FileMaker to the apps your business already runs on - payments, accounting, email, e-commerce and more - so your data lives in one place and flows where it's needed.
Agile development
Working software in weeks, not months.
Utilising an agile approach to development instead of waterfall, we build in close collaboration and ship working software from the first few weeks, not a black box delivered months later.
You see progress early, steer as priorities shift, and reach deployment for less. The result stays useful, never shelved.
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Speed
Functional, bite-sized components measured in weeks, not months.
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Lower cost
Greatly reduces development cost and time to deployment.
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Flexibility
Adapt to change and steer the system in a new direction when needed.
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Relevance
Preserves the value of the work - it stays useful, not shelved.
One solution, everywhere your team works
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01
Document your needs
We start by understanding your business, listening to and interpreting what you actually need, or we can work closely with your Business Analyst.
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02
Discuss & scope
We talk through requirements and timeline, and agree what the first useful piece looks like.
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03
Propose a solution
You get a clear proposal, then we start building, in increments you can see and shape.
Desktop
FileMaker Pro Advanced
Mobile
FileMaker Go
Web
WebDirect
FileMaker licensing
The licences? Handled too.
Licensing is easy to get wrong - too many seats, the wrong tier, or a renewal that lapses at the worst possible moment. As Claris Partners we sell, renew and manage FileMaker licences alongside your development, support and hosting - so it's one less thing on your plate.
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New licences
Right-sized Claris FileMaker licences for your team - we recommend the tier and seat count that actually fits, then set everything up.
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Renewals
We track renewal dates and take care of them before anything lapses, no surprise expiries, no interrupted systems.
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Ongoing management
As your team changes we adjust seats, handle version upgrades and keep your licensing lean and compliant.
Support & maintenance
Cover that fits how you actually work.
From occasional ad-hoc help to a monthly plan, support is tailored to your business. With an agreement in place, you can rest assured your core systems stay maintained - and unused monthly hours can be brought forward and used in advance.
Ad Hoc
A$285/hr
No commitment
Support from time to time, when you need us. Pay only for the time you use.
Bronze
A$255/hr
Save 11%
8 hours minimum each month, over a 12-month period.
Unused hours carry forward, and can be used in advance.
Silver
A$225/hr
Save 22%
16 hours minimum each month, over a 12-month period.
Unused hours carry forward, and can be used in advance.
Gold
A$195/hr
Save 35%
32 hours minimum each month, over a 12-month period.
Unused hours carry forward, and can be used in advance.
Not sure which fits? Let's talk it through.
Call usRates in AUD, excluding GST.
Cloud services
World-class FileMaker hosting.
We run on world-class Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centres in Sydney, and can deploy globally wherever AWS has availability zones. Set and forget: monitoring, updates and backup verification are handled for you - so you concentrate on the business, not the infrastructure.
Specification
Entry Level
BusinessRecommended
Enterprise
Premium
Virtual CPU
Dual core
Dual core
Quad core
8 core
Memory
4 GB
8 GB
8 GB
16 GB
Storage · EBS + S3 backup
1 GB
10 GB
20 GB
40 GB+
Price
From $150
From $350
From $750
Price on Application
Every plan includes
- No setup fee
- Dedicated SSL certificate (256-bit)
- Auto-backups, hourly → daily to S3
- FileMaker Server console
- Fully managed & monitored
- 100 Mbps bandwidth
- Up to 256 files (FMP v26)
- Secure
- Reliable
- Resilient
- Flexible
- Scalable
- Cost-effective
In their words
Clients who've stayed for the long run.
Trusted across Australia
Relied on by businesses in logistics, healthcare, legal, government and beyond.
A selection of organisations we've built for includes ACS Print Group, ACT Justice & Community Safety Directorate, ARYZTA Australia, Adnet Technology Australia, Aldus Engineering, Blackframe Software, Blue Gum Joinery, CCL Label, CSR, Camps Australia Wide, the Crawford Fund, Customer Engagement Australia, DATS, DPL Developments, Farm Owners Academy, Foodservice Equipment International, Fork Force Australia, Forte School of Music, Healthe Care, IRD Group, Interplast Australia & New Zealand, Intertek Group, Lynch Group, Macquarie University, Medius Dei | Gift of Bread, Nash Timbers, Nokia, ODMA | EyeTalk, Quality Air Conditioning & Heating, Gold Coast University & Robina Hospital, Rock Art Australia, Rodder's Journal, SBS, the Sisters of the Good Samaritans, Stacks Finance, Step One Clothing, the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter, the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association, Systems Pest Management, Techmark, The Corporate Window Film Company, The Gardening Clubs of Australia, The Tailor, the University of Sydney, Westmead Fertility Centre, Worldwide Migration Partners, the Wortley Group, Zeppelin Travel, Optus, CSIRO, NSW Government, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, the Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, the Biostatistics Collaboration of Australia, Thinkbox and UtilityCap.
A selection of organisations we've built for since 1995, across logistics, healthcare, legal, government, education and beyond.
About the studio
Supporting Australian business for 30+ years.
The FM Studio solves problems with simply powerful solutions built on the Claris FileMaker platform. We start by understanding our clients and their businesses, listening to and interpreting their needs, then delivering rapidly deployed solutions backed by ongoing support, maintenance and cloud services.
What we do and how we do it are equally important. Our team blends business people with a passion for helping others and technical people passionate about their craft, the same hands-on people you'll deal with from the first call.
"Our goal is to add value to your business, through the power of FileMaker."
Ian Pirrie
Company Director
Common questions
Good questions, straight answers.
What is Claris FileMaker?
Claris FileMaker is a rapid application development platform from Claris International, an Apple company. It's used to build custom business apps - databases, workflows and reporting - that run on Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and in the browser. We've been building on it since 1995. See Features & benefits of FileMaker for a closer look.
What is cloud hosting, and why use it?
Cloud hosting runs your FileMaker system on managed servers in a professional data centre - for us, AWS in Sydney - rather than a computer in your office. You get anywhere access, automatic encrypted backups and around-the-clock monitoring, with no server hardware to buy, patch or replace. See Cloud Hosting for what's included.
Can FileMaker integrate with the software we already use?
Yes. We routinely connect FileMaker with accounting, payment, email and e-commerce platforms - Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, Gmail and Outlook among them - as well as AI services like OpenAI and Anthropic. If a system has an API, FileMaker can usually talk to it.
Can you take over an existing FileMaker system?
Absolutely. Much of our work is supporting and extending FileMaker systems originally built in-house or by other developers. We start with a review of what you have, stabilise anything fragile, then improve the system in prioritised, bite-sized pieces - without disrupting daily use. See why clients use FileMaker support for the kinds of work involved.
Can you help recover lost or inaccessible files?
Often, yes. If a FileMaker file is corrupted, won't open, or you've been locked out, we can usually recover the data or repair the file, and we've rescued plenty of systems others had written off. Send us the details of what happened and we'll tell you honestly what's recoverable. See Backup & restore procedures for how our backups work.
Do you work with clients outside Sydney?
Yes. We're Sydney-based but work with clients right across Australia. Most development, support and consultation happens remotely, through screen-sharing, video calls and secure access to your hosted system, so your location rarely matters. Our managed cloud hosting runs in Sydney and is reachable from anywhere.
Where is our data hosted, and is it secure?
Our managed hosting runs on AWS data centres in Sydney, so your data stays in Australia. Systems are encrypted in transit and at rest, monitored around the clock and backed up daily. See Cloud Services Security for the full picture.
How long does a project take, and what does it cost?
Weeks, not months. We ship the first working piece early, typically within the first few weeks, then build out in prioritised increments, so you're using the software long before it's finished. Cost depends on what you need, so we start with a no-obligation chat and give you a clear proposal before any work begins.
Get in touch
Let's have a no fuss, down-to-earth chat about your project.
Have a FileMaker question? As a Claris 'Ask An Expert' partner, your first hour of consultancy and advice is on us. Send a message below or just pick up the phone - either way you'll talk to someone who builds this for a living.
- Call 0412 056 449
- Email info@filemakerstudio.com.au
- Studio Sydney, Australia