When I accepted the position as FileMaker CEO, I knew we had a massive opportunity in front of us - not just as a company, but as a community. Digital transformation, which we define as automating workflows and processes, is changing the nature of work. I knew we could make a tremendous impact on enabling problem solvers in this new era of technology.

I joined FileMaker in 2013 as Vice President of America’s Sales. At that time, FileMaker was transitioning from a single-user box product to a subscription model. There was a huge investment in mobile and we were trying to figure out how to scale for the Cloud.

Our goal was to make technology easier to use and more accessible without limiting the imaginations of our talented developers or the sophistication of their applications.

Since that time, the world has caught up with our vision. The ability to develop powerful software that solves clear problems within a business or industry has only become more valuable. The economy is going to be defined by the companies that harness technologies to transform the way they work. 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.

We also find ourselves at a point in software development where an entire universe of cloud services can deliver even more sophisticated solutions to these problem solvers, so long as they can easily connect them with their own apps.

Against this backdrop, I could not be more enthusiastic to be at the helm of the company that not only created the Workplace Innovation Platform category, but also will define its future as Claris.

Let me tell you about that future.

FileMaker reborn as Claris

The Claris rebrand is not only a homage to our roots, but Claris - a name meaning clarity, illumination - best represents our technology today and in the future. Instead of a single offering, we are building a suite of services geared toward empowering everyday problem solvers. This multi-service platform is very much in line with the Claris vision prior to FileMaker and, as we expand and diversify our platform, Claris feels right.

FileMaker will live on as one of our service offerings.

Claris Connect

The name change to Claris also comes with a great technology boost thanks to the acquisition of Stamplay, an amazing company that created an incredibly sophisticated enterprise platform that provides connectors for 150 cloud services. With our acquisition of Stamplay, which we are renaming as Claris Connect, customers can easily build workflows that connect the cloud services that they use every day, including Dropbox, Slack, Salesforce and more. It is these connections that will unlock new capabilities and expand the imaginations of our problem solvers while requiring far less time and fewer resources.

Our goal

We want the Claris community to grow from 50,000 to 150,000 developers in the coming years.

Tying in with that goal is our desire to promote and support our professional developer community. We’re building a world for a different type of developer - the creative problem solvers that live across every industry: healthcare, construction, municipal government, K-12 education, you name it.

These creatives look at problems, apply their unique eye to them, and then use technology to find a solution. They add a real vibrancy to the community of more advanced developers and partners.

To honor the inclusive community we’ve enjoyed for decades, we have to deliver on everything we say we’re going to do, which includes expanding educational opportunities and making our technology accessible to the people who want it and protecting their ability to be innovative.

Our team

The first priority will always be to our Claris team. We believe strongly in Stanford University Professor Jennifer Aaker’s concept that "employees want to be valued members of a winning team on an inspired mission" and I feel privileged to be a part of such a team.

We’re hiring smart people and they need to have their voice and tell us what we need to do. We’ll also be transforming our internal communications and decision making so that they’re much more collaborative and decentralized.

This work will require investing in Claris’ employees with providing technical and managerial training, allowing our engineers more opportunity to prototype.

Looking forward

The FileMaker brand was good to us and we enjoyed 20 successful years under its banner. The FileMaker service remains great. We are proud of our legacy, and that legacy includes who we’ve always been - a visionary company closely tied to the needs and wants of our developers and how they can best serve their businesses. Claris will continue to be the power to the problem solvers, but this time, with even more technologies available to anyone who wants to create.

Many of you took the journey with us years ago when most of the world wasn’t ready for workplace innovation. Today, I hope that you continue to help us lead this growing industry with your creativity and passion for problem solving.

Thank you.

Twitter: @bradfreitag