An overview of new FileMaker 13 security features

Posted by Justin Hesser on March 20, 2014

For every business relying on the latest technology, security is a high priority. The Target network breach reiterates how important it is to ensure that every aspect of the business is safe and the system is examined with every update.

Any user that upgraded to FileMaker 13 since its release in December was met with several new security features that will help businesses rest a little easier.

The biggest addition is the ability to secure wherever it is housed—desktop, mobile device or serve—as well as when it is moving around the network or the web. This is done through a powerful AES 256-bit encryption that prevents unauthorized access though it does require FileMaker Pro 13 Advanced.

There is also a new visual encryption state indicator that is housed at the top of the page so users are always able to ensure there is a secure connection with the server and that all third-party certificates have been validated. It is easy to understand as it is represented by a lock symbol that turns green when a secure and trusted connection has been made.

There is also a new encryption state function that returns a value representing a file's current state of encryption. This function is used in FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Go.

Aside from encryption, there is also an improved SSL certification management system. Unlike years past, when using a single machine installation, users only need one certificate to support all clients including Pro, Go and WebDirect.

While this is a round-up of what the new security features are, there is still more to cover. Check back tomorrow when we will cover what could be the most significant upgrade — encryption of data at rest.