About Mark Richman

Mark Richman is a FileMaker Certified Developer at Skeleton Key in St. Louis, MO.

Entries by Mark Richman

Why we created Gloss for PDF viewing, search, and annotation in FileMaker

Here’s an obvious statement: PDFs are indispensable for modern work. Think of what gets stored this way: plans, manuscripts, legal documents, contracts, invoices…the list goes on. Some industries and fields generate a high volume of PDFs, and the more PDFs an organization has, the harder it is to organize those PDFs in a meaningful way. […]

Custom Application Development Costs: Understanding ROI

Getting a handle on custom application development costs is difficult but understandable. When undertaking any large project, the last thing you want to realize is that there was a far-better approach that you missed during the planning phase. For an analogy: It would be awful to be the one responsible for building a bridge and, […]

Do You Love Your ERP?

When most people think of “business software,” they think of an application or a platform with a specific purpose – a CRM such as HubSpot, or an email sending platform such as MailChimp. We can understand why most businesses wouldn’t consider custom-built software solutions for such applications — why spend that money when there are […]

Delivering higher engagement and better security for Personal Assistance Services

For years, Skeleton Key has worked closely with Personal Assistance Services (PAS), a highly regarded employee assistance program (EAP) provider with a global reach. PAS provides turnkey mental health and wellness solutions for companies — in particular, “bridge programs” not covered by most common insurance carriers, including smoking cessation, exercise and nutrition, mental health, addiction […]

Should You Rebuild or Remodel Your Database?

How is improving your database like remodeling your home? Imagine you’re standing in a kitchen. The appliances are all 15 years out of date, the countertops are in need of some love and the cabinetry is from a different century altogether. In that situation, remodeling the kitchen would be the way to go—not only to […]

What is Rapid Application Development, and Is It Right for My Business?

At Skeleton Key, we often use an approach called Rapid Application Development (Rap App Dev, or RAD). It’s a simple concept, but the process requires some getting used to. Those who are open to RAD, however, can reap the benefits of having a more innovative and ultimately more useful application. What is Rapid Application Development? […]

Saving Slave Houses: Why Skeleton Key Lent Its Support to an Important Preservation Project

Many of the organizations we serve are businesses and governmental organizations, but we’re also proud of the work that Skeleton Key does with not-for-profit organizations. While many of the challenges not-for-profit organizations face are unique, many are also similar to those faced by any organization trying to manage large amounts of data: staying organized, logging […]

Paper and Pen: How Skeleton Key Addressed a Common Problem (that COVID-19 Amplified)

It’s an occupational hazard here at Skeleton Key: When we see paper and pens, we typically discover clunky, manual processes. Organizations that rely on paper and pen for data collection are often introducing opportunities for errors and backlogs. In our experience, paper-based files don’t allow for easy and fast references, or searches, and paper-based files […]