Meeting Topic
FileMaker’s rapid prototyping and development strengths are well known. It is these characteristics that make it possible for even small organizations to be able to afford custom database applications. And when a typical FileMaker solution is deployed in-house – with the database hosted on the same local area network (LAN) to which the client computers are connected – run-time performance is seldom an issue. But what happens when a user needs to connect to the database from a location outside of the LAN? Whether a user is accessing the database from home over a high-speed cable modem or sitting in a coffee shop connecting to the Internet via a much slower wireless signal, FileMaker performance can take a real hit. Operations that were almost instantaneous inside the LAN can take 10, 20 or 30 seconds (or more) to complete when connecting remotely. Careful analysis and reworking of some parts of a FileMaker solution can help, but even with a thoroughly tuned system, performance from outside the office will never be as fast as you would like... Unless, that is, you choose to enhance FileMaker with some kind of virtualization or remote desktop technology. With a number of differing philosophies being described in the media – and an ever-widening array of competing products on the market – it can be confusing to choose the right approach … or even to decide if virtualization makes sense in your environment. In this presentation, Morgan Jones of One Part Harmony in Austin, Texas, will demonstrate the use of virtual desktop software to provide remote FileMaker clients with almost the same performance as users connecting via the LAN. After just half a day ‘s effort to install and configure VERDE, from Virtual Bridges, Inc., the clients for whom Morgan develops FileMaker solutions see dramatically improved response times for remote users, while spending far less than the cost for a Microsoft Terminal Services deployment or a Citrix XenApp installation.