Bespoke FileMaker
Custom Claris FileMaker solutions for real businesses — CRM, job management, inventory, invoicing, field service, document management. Integrates cleanly with Xero, Stripe, Outlook and your existing stack.
Claris Partner · Expert
Apple Developer · AI Integration · Claris Partner · Est. 1985
Bespoke business software, built to last forty years.
- Mac
- iPad
- iPhone
- Web
- Windows
- FileMaker
Coates IT is an Apple-focused software practice — building bespoke systems with AI woven through the work, and cross-platform reach wherever the brief calls for it. We design and ship business software for organisations that take their operations seriously, serving clients around the world from one small, principled team. Four decades of practice. Based in Brampton, Cumbria.
- ✓ Bespoke FileMaker
- ✓ Mac & iOS apps
- ✓ Web apps
- ✓ Windows apps
- ✓ AI integration
- ✓ Apple-first IT support
- ✓ UK-managed hosting
A short list of organisations we've built for
- NMBS / SNCB Belgium Rail
- Coventry University
- Ford Foundation
- CAN Consultants
- CLS Surgical
- Henderson Engineering
- 3D Practice
Software, systems, and the steady hands to run them.
From a starter website to a fleet of iPads on a factory floor — we design, build, deploy, host, secure, train and (where it earns its keep) layer AI into the lot. One partner, one phone number, no hand-offs.
Mac & iOS apps
Native software for iPhone, iPad and Mac — FileMaker Go deployments, Swift-based companion apps, and tools that feel right at home on Apple hardware.
Apple DeveloperWeb apps & websites
From a starter site that gets a new venture off the ground, to a full custom web application backed by your data. Fast, accessible, no lock-in.
WordPress · Static · BespokeWindows apps
When the workflow runs on Windows — or has to span both worlds — we build Windows software and cross-platform tools that talk cleanly to the rest of your kit.
Windows · Cross-platformApple IT support
Mac-first IT for studios, practices and offices. Device management, network, identity, mail, backup — and the awkward bit nobody else wants to touch.
Mac · iOS · iPadCybersecurity briefings
Plain-English security primers for boards, leadership teams and staff. The threats that actually matter to small and mid-sized businesses, what to do about them, and what to stop worrying about.
On-site · Online · TailoredIT consultancy
Forty years of "would I really build that?" Honest, plain-English advice on platform choices, vendor decisions, technical debt, system integration and the road ahead.
Independent · Vendor-agnosticApple hardware training
Face-to-face sessions on getting the most from your Mac, iPad and iPhone — for end users, admins and developers. Pitched at the right level, paced for real teams.
On-site · UK-wideUK-managed hosting
For FileMaker, Mac and bare-metal hosting, our sister operation FM Hosting UK runs the servers — UK datacentres, 24/7, hardened from day one.
Powered by FM Hosting UK
New · 2026
AI integration — quietly useful, properly grounded.
We weave large language models into the systems you already use, rather than replacing them. Semantic search across your FileMaker data, document Q&A on your own files, draft-and-summarise tools inside Claris workflows, and OpenAI, Anthropic or on-device models routed wherever they make sense — without leaking your data or your judgement.
We've shipped AI features in FileMaker since the day Claris added them. We also know when not to use one — which is, honestly, quite often.
Tell us about your data →- Semantic search & RAG
- Document Q&A on your files
- ChatGPT / Claude integrations
- FileMaker AI script steps
- Embeddings & vector search
- Workflow automation
- On-device & private models
- Honest "is this worth it?" advice
Our software · Free download
FM Script Paster — the missing bridge from AI to FileMaker.
Claude, ChatGPT and the rest can now write FileMaker scripts and layouts beautifully. The trouble is, FileMaker won't accept them: it expects a very specific set of legacy clipboard formats most modern tools have long since forgotten about.
FM Script Paster is our small, free helper that quietly fixes that. Wraps any AI-generated script or layout XML into the right Carbon clipboard flavours on the fly — so you can copy from your AI of choice and paste straight into FileMaker as if you'd written it by hand.
- Pastes scripts & layouts. XMSS for scripts, XML2 + XMLO for layout objects — handled automatically.
- AI-quirk normalisation. Strips invalid XML, fixes the small inconsistencies LLMs love to introduce.
- Menu-bar, hotkey-driven. Lives quietly in the menu bar, fires on a keystroke, stays out of the way.
- AI-tool agnostic. Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, your own agents — anything that can produce FileMaker XML.
- Local & private. Nothing leaves your Mac. No accounts, no telemetry, no cloud round-trips.
The short version
Four decades. One discipline.
Coates IT has been writing software for Apple platforms since the original Mac. We were on FileMaker before it was called Claris, before it was called FileMaker, and we've stayed close to it ever since.
What that means in practice: when you call us about a system, the person on the other end has likely already seen the failure mode. Most of our work is referred — by the people we built for ten or twenty years ago — and most of our projects last longer than the laptops they were drafted on.
We're a small, deliberate team. We don't subcontract. We answer the phone. And when the build is done, we host, maintain and look after it ourselves through our sister operation, FM Hosting UK.
Read the longer version →
Heritage
Apple developers since the mid-1980s. Claris-certified across FileMaker Pro, Server and Connect.
Reach
Clients from Hexham to New York: Belgium Rail, Coventry University, Ford Foundation, CAN Consultants and a long line of UK manufacturers.
Method
One partner. No hand-offs. Build, deploy, host and maintain — all under one roof, indefinitely.
Five steps. No surprises.
Every project follows the same shape — whether it's a one-week tune-up or a multi-year programme of work.
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01
Discovery
We sit down — in person where we can — and learn the workflow, the data, the people, the constraints. No jargon, no assumptions.
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02
Design
Schema, layout and architecture planned on paper before a line of code is written. You sign off on the shape before we start.
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03
Build
Iterative development with regular reviews. You see the system grow, week by week, and steer it as you go.
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04
Deploy
Launched on managed UK infrastructure — hardened, monitored and backed up from day one through FM Hosting UK.
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05
Maintain
Ongoing hosting, support and updates. The team that built it is still the team that looks after it — for as long as you'd like.
Real systems. Real organisations.
A small selection of long-running deployments — most measured in years, several measured in decades.
Belgium Rail (NMBS / SNCB)
An enterprise FileMaker deployment covering customer disputes, train-driver scheduling, platform maintenance and staff management. Six servers, 360 concurrent users, 50+ modules — running for over a decade and recently re-licensed for another three years.
"Excellent and reliable FileMaker IT partner."
Coventry University
Bespoke FileMaker systems supporting research, teaching and administrative workflows — alongside on-site, face-to-face training for the staff who use them every day.
"Excellent to work with and offers face-to-face training." — Tom Wakeford
CAN Consultants & CLS Surgical
Two long-standing partnerships — one consultancy, one in clinical services — sharing FileMaker, Apple IT support, and the kind of straightforward technical advice that lets them get on with their actual work.
"Brilliant IT consultancy. Highly recommend." — Chris Storey, CAN Consultants
Certified, accredited, and answerable.
Coates IT is a Claris Partner, registered Apple Developer, and listed on the UK Information Commissioner's Office register. The certifications below are real, current, and in the names of people who actually do the work.
FileMaker Pro App Developer
FileMaker Server Administrator
Claris Connect App Developer
Apple & native
Apple Developer
Mac & iOS distribution
Mac-first IT
Studios, practices & offices
Native iOS & iPad
Swift, FileMaker Go
ICO registered
Listed on the UK Information Commissioner's Office register — UK GDPR & Data Protection Act 2018.
Cyber Essentials
UK government-backed cybersecurity certification — assessment underway, due shortly.
What clients say.
"Brilliant IT consultancy. Highly recommend for any IT support."
"Excellent and reliable FileMaker IT partner."
"Excellent to work with and offers face-to-face training."
"Everything went really well for us with great support."
"Easy access and a most helpful company."
"I'm always looking for good technical talent — Coates IT delivers."
What we're reading.
A handful of things worth knowing — from the FileMaker and Apple world, and the wider technology landscape.
FileMaker hosting · Unique to Coates IT
A hardened server — and a control panel your clients can actually use.
Standard FileMaker Server gives you a database engine. We give you that, plus a hardened configuration and a private secondary admin panel that puts real visibility and control back in your hands.
Nobody else offers this combination. It's the result of years of running production FileMaker infrastructure, learning exactly what IT managers and business owners actually need to see — and building it for them.
See FM Hosting UK →-
Hardened from day one Every server leaves our hands locked down — firewall rules, OS hardening, and FileMaker-specific security configuration applied before your data arrives.
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Download your own backups Direct, one-click access to your latest backup files from the admin panel. No support ticket, no waiting — your data, on demand.
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Live security news Curated threat intelligence relevant to your stack — visible in the panel so you're never the last to know about a vulnerability that matters.
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See who's knocking A clear log of failed access attempts and probes against your server. Know what's hitting your door — and confirm it's being blocked.
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Restart your server yourself Need a restart at 11pm on a Sunday? Do it yourself from the panel. No call, no ticket, no waiting for office hours.
Need hosting too?
Visit FM Hosting UK →
Servers run by the people who built your software.
Our sister operation, FM Hosting UK, runs FileMaker, Mac, WordPress and bare-metal servers from UK datacentres — hardened, monitored and supported around the clock.
Let's talk
A short call usually saves a long email.
Whether you've got a FileMaker system that needs rescuing, a fresh idea for an iPad app, or just a question about the right way forward — we'd genuinely like to hear from you.
- Phone0114 697 9494
- WhatsAppMessage us on WhatsApp
- Emailenquiry@coates.it
- LinkedIn/coates-it-solutions
- OfficeCoates IT, Joiners Buildings, CA8 1LE
- HoursMonday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm
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