Claris Connect emerges into the light

Claris Connect is now generally available. The Apple subsidiary, Claris, which has its origins in the relational database Filemaker has now released Claris Connect. Together with Claris Filemaker they provide a connectable low-code platform for SMBs. Claris Connect aims to provide businesses with the capability of connecting applications together using seamless low code connectors at a cost and complexity that small businesses can cope with.

The platform is a combination of an IPaaS and low code solution. Claris Connect is the IPaaS element and Claris Filemaker provides the low code solution. This enables companies to create applications and workflows filling the manual gaps between software. Claris Connect enables organisations to streamline the processes between applications such as Box, Survey Monkey, QuickBooks, RingCentral, DocuSign, PipeDrive, Slack and many more.

Brad Freitag, CEO of Claris International, Inc commented: “There have never been any limits on what our developers can create with Claris FileMaker, which is why we are widely deployed by everyone from SMBs to Fortune 100 companies. That said, the speed of digital transformation happening in every industry demands hyper-agility and the ability to go from idea to workflow in minutes. Claris Connect drives this forward.”

Claris Connect

The new solution, Claris Connect is built on Claris Core. It therefore includes end to end encryption with support for HSM key management, OAuth and MFA. It also has AI-based threat protection built-in to further protect organisations. The solution supports drag and drop connectors for business users. Organisations with developers will find the platform supports far more complex integrations. Developers can take advantage of web hooks for custom API integration and the platform has  built-in logging, flow control with conditional logic, loops, error handling, and versioning. It also supports server side Node.js code.

For business users it enables them to connect together applications no matter where they are located. The solution supports integrations to on-premise, cloud, mobile and hybrid environments. Usefully for those without developer skills, but in need of them, Claris already has a developer user community with more than 1 million active users and a developer community of 50,000.

Those developers have already created apps in some instances that companies can take advantage of. The majority of these are built on the Filemaker platform and use APIs. Some are fully fledged applications such as Nutshell, a CRM and ERP solution that integrates with Xero. Others, such as LedgerLink provide a connector between Filemaker and QuickBooks. Pricing for Claris Connect starts at $99/month. LedgerLink which provides a focused solution starts at $500 per year. In some ways the Claris Connect pricing seems dear. Companies will need to consider carefully the costs benefits they can obtain from the solution and the costs required to implement it. It may be better to see what solutions emerge in the Marketplace

Fast start

For those organisations looking to use Claris Connect the company has tried to ensure a rapid return on investment. Users are able to leverage no-code, low code or the full developer stack. Applications can be connected simply using the pre-built templates. Existing templates include the ability to manage marketing leads, route prospects to sales, track IT ticket escalations, facilitate order processing. One example given is a four step process through four applications:

• DocuSign: When you receive a signed contract through DocuSign
• Pipedrive: Automatically update to a win in Pipedrive
• Box: Instantly upload the contract to Box
• Slack: Let your team know through Slack that you closed the deal!

Enterprise Times: What does this mean

Claris has definitely launched an interesting product. Bringing together IPaaS and low code development is interesting. While Claris is seemingly reliant on the developer community that already exists, it makes no mention of professional services to help companies deploy and take advantage of the solution.

Clarifications

Claris have explained the purpose of their developer community further. They commented:

“The developer community is a network of certified developers who offer professional services to help companies deploy and take advantage of the solution.”

There are definitely opportunities within the marketplace for some of those developers. Why build a low code solution if someone has already built it for you. There are a number of combinations of applications that are widely used. Delivering a trusted solution that connects them will save valuable time for many small businesses. The idea of developing a low code or no code solution will appeal to some. However for many it is not their core business, and they will not want to spare the time.

Claris partners will want to certify themselves for Claris Connect development to leverage what could become an interesting market. The price point is roughly a tenth of Nintex and it will be interesting to see how quickly it can gain market share in the SMB and mid market space.