In the fast–moving world of college sports, the action on the playing field is the most exciting part — but there's a lot going on behind the scenes to make the competition happen. Administering a college athletic program at any level requires careful organization of data — and that's the vital role being filled by Collegiate Athletic Technologies, developers of specialized data management systems built around FileMaker Pro, the award–winning database software application from FileMaker Inc.

Business Challenge

Collegiate Athletic Technologies got its start in 2002, several years after Bevin Hartnett realized that something needed to be done to streamline the paperwork that flooded daily through her office. She was working then as the Compliance Assistant for the Council of Ivy Group Presidents — the administrative heart of the Ivy League — and could see the problem up close. "I chose to automate athletic administrative processes through the use of a database because we were dealing with lots of complex individual records," Bevin recalls. "For each athlete there were so many tasks that needed to be performed and information that needed to be shared."

Successful Solution

So in the fall of 1998, Bevin turned to FileMaker Pro. "FileMaker Pro is the crux of my systems," she continues. "It is incredibly easy to develop custom web solutions — the web is a great conduit, as many end users of my systems do not need the flexibility of the background application. The web provides an access–anywhere portal to the system, and allows thousands of users to be using the system."

FileMaker Pro is the crux of my systems. It is incredibly easy to develop custom web solutions — the web is a great conduit, as many end users of my systems do not need the flexibility of the background application. The web provides an access–anywhere portal to the system, and allows thousands of users to be using the system.

— Bevin Hartnett, Chief Executive Officer, Collegiate Athletic Technologies

Bevin soon turned to designing institution–specific solutions tailored to the needs of individual schools and athletic departments. After a brief stint as an independent consultant, she decided to incorporate — and Collegiate Athletic Technologies was born. From the beginning, the Ivy League itself was one of her top clients, but she also deals with schools on an individual basis, including such institutions as Cornell University, MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California–Davis. "We have standard modules," Bevin explains, "which run from databases of recruited high school athletes to the eligibility status of current athletes — collecting their grades and their financial aid information, tracking their injuries and rehabilitation — along with scheduling contests and facilities usage, preparing budgets, and many other functions. Once we have a new client, we customize the modules to fit the specific needs of that institution. We work with different departments on campus, from financial aid to the registrar's office, connecting the university's data warehouse to the system. Customizations can range from minor to over 100 hours worth. We then provide differing levels of customer support and maintenance throughout the academic year."