Contact info database software.

Question

Contact info database software.

I'm the studio manager for a photography studio and we just bought a Mac Mini server with Snow Leopard Server 10.6 and I need some recommendations. We're basically looking for software that will store all of our contact information and make it accessable on all of our computers in the studio, on location and on our iPhones as well. I know that the address book has a "sharing" feature but we're looking for something just a little bit more robust than the address book. I've tried Daylite and I just don't think that it's going to work for us so we're looking for something else. Basically we just want to be able to enter company names, contacts associated with those companies and then all sorts of different searchable data for each contact. We'd love to have all of it compatible with iCal and Address Books as well.

Can someone help point me in the right direction?

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Apr 19, 2011 5:57 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 19, 2011 11:25 PM in response to nottaylorsmith

I use a Filemaker server which would do what you want and plenty more but has a large cost of the software up front and then time to work out how to use it or pay for someone to do it. Along with copies for all the clients and iphones

Filemaker Pro has a sharing option for multiple users so could avoid the server cost if you dont have many connections to it and Filemaker GO on the iphone can sync to it.

Filemaker make a cheap and easy to use Bento that supports sharing and also has an iphone app along with ical intergration i believe as well. I have never used it so dont know how good the "sharing" component is as that is crucial for you since everyone could be editing and updateing clients at the same time

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Answer 2

Apr 20, 2011 4:09 AM in response to nottaylorsmith

Addressbook is fine just create a user studiocontacts then add studiocontacts to each users address book etc.

This was ical if you are using it will have access to the addresses for invites etc.

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Answer 3

Apr 20, 2011 8:35 AM in response to nottaylorsmith

You seem to be looking for what is often called a customer relationship management (CRM) package.

Have a look at SugarCRM, or analogous.

The Address Book Server and the Open Directory LDAP contact storage mechanisms are rather limited in their capabilities in this regard, unfortunately. Equally unfortunately, SugarCRM isn't tied into the other pieces of Mac OS X, so there are definite trade-offs here. Off-hand, I don't know of a CRM that's tied into the existing clients, but there might be one.

Also have a look at what's available with the Kerio Connect package. They have a reasonable product and reasonable integration with Mac OS X pieces and parts, and might have something that meets your requirements.

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