Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Check Point Software Technologies and IBM are both solutions in the Vulnerability Management category. Check Point Software Technologies is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while IBM is ranked #52 with an average rating of 5.0. Check Point Software Technologies holds a 1.5% mindshare in VM, compared to IBM’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Check Point Software Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of IBM users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 13, 2026

Check Point Cloud Firewall and IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment are major players in network security and vulnerability assessment, respectively. Check Point Cloud Firewall may have an advantage with its robust threat prevention capabilities, but IBM Guardium offers a detailed analysis of vulnerabilities, making it a top choice for comprehensive security insights.

Features: Check Point Cloud Firewall provides advanced threat prevention, IPS, application control, and identity awareness, fortifying both on-premises and cloud environments. IBM Guardium excels with its vulnerability discovery, compliance monitoring, and detailed database reporting, ensuring robust database management.

Room for Improvement: Check Point could improve virtual firewall management, policy configuration simplicity, and broader CSPM integration. IBM Guardium might enhance user interface intuitiveness, simplify configuration, and offer more flexible deployment options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Check Point Cloud Firewall supports flexible cloud deployment and offers reliable customer support, suitable for scalable operations. IBM Guardium focuses on comprehensive database security with effective customer service, streamlining its specialized focus.

Pricing and ROI: Check Point offers competitive setup costs and promising ROI with scalable protection features. IBM Guardium’s detailed insights entail higher initial costs but provide long-term value by enhancing database security and reducing risks.

To learn more, read our detailed Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs. IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs. IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment

September 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Qualys TotalCloud

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Qualys TotalCloud is 1.2%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) is 1.5%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment is 0.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Vulnerability Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)	1.5%
Qualys TotalCloud	1.2%
IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment	0.8%
Other	96.5%

Vulnerability Management

Featured Reviews

reviewer2859021

Sr Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

Risk-based triage has transformed container security and now prioritizes high-impact threats

The best features Qualys TotalCloud offers currently include managing cloud infrastructure and container security while facing major challenges such as alert fatigue. Traditional vulnerability scanners flag hundreds of CVEs on short-lived Kubernetes containers, some of which have no internet exposure or are gone before we can even triage them. I leverage Qualys TotalCloud to move beyond static CVSS. I use it to implement runtime exposure, correlation risk reprioritization, and shift-left integration. This notifies developers to fix a base image upstream rather than patching live ephemeral instances. In my work with cloud and container security, the biggest operational hurdle was alert fatigue. I use Qualys to shift left from static CVSS severity to context-aware risk prioritization. I correlated raw vulnerability data with real-time risk factors such as public network exposure, active runtime execution, or overly permissive IAM roles. This allows us to immediately drop the priority of isolated containers and escalate lower-severity CVEs that sit on an exposed, high-risk path. We can map these findings directly back to our CI/CD pipelines so developers can patch the root base images upstream. We have drastically cut down the signal-to-noise ratio, saved a lot of manual hours doing triage work, and ensured engineering effort goes directly towards high-impact risk reduction.

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Oscar Nunez

Ingeniero en redes y Telecomunicaciones at K-IT

Centralized management has reduced policy time and provides reliable multitenant protection

What I would like, what I think they should improve a little is the management of objects at large scale. When you work with multiple domains, there are thousands of network objects. Detecting duplicates and consistency across domains is a very manual process that should be more automated. Another thing: the SmartConsole interface is very powerful and very good, but the learning curve, compared to other solutions in the market from other manufacturers, could be modernized. I think it does not necessarily have to be done from a client application; it could be done via web, because via web I know that not all the options you have in SmartConsole are available. So it would be good if it could also be done from the web and all the options were available. Another thing that I would really like is more automation with Ansible or Terraform. I know it has improved in recent versions, but I think it is still not mature enough. Compared to other manufacturers that do have a bit more in terms of automation capabilities in integration flows with Ansible or Terraform, Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) could improve. Another thing that could be improved a little would be the TAC response time, because when there are very complex cases, I think there should be more speed initially, more ownership of those urgent cases, and not leave the customer waiting. This has happened to me: when I have cases open with Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) TAC, sometimes they do not respond and I have to keep insisting, and I think that part should improve. I do not know if it depends on who takes the ticket or on the severity of the ticket, but sometimes I have had to insist a lot, and that would be the only problem. Once they attend to me and become involved in the case, the responses they give are very professional and really help directly resolve the problems when there is a bug or troubleshooting to do. As I said, I would like to see a specific improvement in SmartConsole. I think if they improved it—how to say it—gave it a facelift so you could access all the options directly from a browser, that would be great, because sometimes, for one reason or another, you cannot download SmartConsole or, for some reason, the SmartConsole client does not start correctly, and you could do it directly from the browser. I think that would be a good option to improve. Another thing would be that in multidomain environments, I would like a global search function for objects and rules. That is, you could enter and search across all domains at once, because right now you have to go domain by domain, and in environments with many customers, you spend quite a bit of time; you have to exit one domain and enter another. So those would be the improvements I would like to see.

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Dr. Sajid Latif

Guardium Administrator at Interactive Group

Improvements sought in database optimization while benefiting from robust security monitoring

We use the analytical functionality of Guardium, but the analytical functionality is not so powerful or flexible because it does not include the application user ID. It only includes the database user ID. To identify risky users, it does not support end users, so IBM must incorporate this feature into the built-in analytical engine of the Guardium. There is only one problem I experienced while using Guardium: the internal database of the collector is MySQL, which is not so powerful or flexible. When you make a query in a MySQL database, it takes too much time to respond. IBM should replace this MySQL database with a more powerful internal database for the logging mechanism so that Guardium can collect logging data flexibly and ensure optimization. My overall experience with Guardium is good. The only problem is that IBM must replace the internal DB, MySQL, with a more powerful enterprise-level database because enterprises use it at an enterprise level, and MySQL does not support optimally.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"I highly recommend Qualys TotalCloud to other users."

"The dashboards are particularly valuable as they offer a comprehensive view of the environment, highlighting any misconfigurations."

"Qualys TotalCloud has positively impacted my organization by providing visibility into the environment."

"The most valuable feature is extensibility."

"Multi-cloud visibility saves time and makes things easier, as we can also have comparability to see what configuration differences have been made from cloud to cloud."

"In my opinion, this is the best tool."

"I appreciate TotalCloud's real-time protection and remediation features. The remediation options include automated one-click remedies and custom changes that help manage vulnerabilities efficiently."

"The best feature would be the ability to create policies. It is easy to control and update policies as required."

More Qualys TotalCloud pros

"It helps us to analyze vulnerabilities way before they get installed in production and the web. It gives us more security in the production environment."

"The most valuable feature for us is the ability to run the gateways as virtual machines in our virtual data center. The tool protects the virtual data centers."

"I would recommend Check Point as it's an effective tool, and implementation is very easy."

"Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) has positively impacted my organization by mainly helping us secure our cloud environment at the network base."

"CloudGuard is functionally equivalent to what we are doing on-prem, it's easy to manage CloudGuard from on-prem and offers the same protection that we're able to give the rest of our environments, which is a big plus for us."

"It matches what we have on-prem. We kept the same management and the same functionality that we were having on-prem. It has simplified things for us because there is no new dashboard to touch."

"The security configuration features have enhanced the reliable coordination of programs and data safety."

"It is dynamic and agile, and its features and utilities continuously improve and evolve."

More Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) pros

"The reporting features are good and there are many built-in reports that can be quickly configured."

"It helped with some of the regulatory requirements, and it also helped with some of the security analytics and analysis, making it worthwhile from that perspective."

"The best feature is that you can see the activity in your data environment and have the ability to get the vulnerability assessments done quickly with scores that can be compared."

"The most valuable feature is that it provides a simple English recommendation on actions that you need to take once a vulnerability is discovered."

"The Vulnerability Assessment feature is quite stable and helps identify numerous vulnerabilities in databases."

Cons

"The price is very expensive, actually."

"The patching process with Qualys Patch Management, which is part of TotalCloud, does not cover installing certain prerequisites on the servers or workstations. This shortcoming means we must rely on SCCM when any service stack updates or additional prerequisites are needed."

"Some major banks and insurance companies require an on-premises solution for comprehensive vulnerability management, which TotalCloud does not offer."

"In my opinion, the combination of detection and protection features in Qualys TotalCloud cannot protect but can only detect."

"An area for improvement would be to focus on risks related to AI, such as large language models and potential data leakage."

"The support process is inefficient due to the excessive number of replies required when submitting tickets."

"There is a lack of data segregation according to criticality or inventory."

"Qualys TotalCloud can be improved in the integration piece, especially with ServiceNow, where there's a bidirectional sync integrated, as there is no native capability from Qualys that can give monitoring metrics of how many assets came in and how many failed or were not properly reconciled or combined."

More Qualys TotalCloud cons

"Sometimes, if you aren't familiar with the solution, it can be a bit complex, but it does become easier to use with time. However, every time they launch a new version, it becomes more complex and you need to take time to get familiar with all the changes. For every version that they upgrade, you need to upskill yourself."

"CloudGuard CNAPP could be enhanced by increasing the number of components that run natively on Azure."

"The solution's integration with cloud providers has seen significant development in the past months, but there is room for improvement for better integration."

"Ease of management and reporting would be crucial for capacity planning and budgeting. If I see capacity increasing, I want to be able to plan appropriately."

"Automatic remediation requires read/write access. When providing read/write access to third-party applications, this can add risk. It should have some options of triggering API calls to the cloud platform, which in turn, can make the required changes."

"The product is quite quick, but when it comes to communication, there is some lack of communication regarding escalation and related matters."

"New features have been introduced recently, but they have not yet been integrated into CloudGuard Vsec."

"Sometimes, the support is good, and other times, we are a bit desperate."

More Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) cons

"I wouldn't use it. That would be my advice to others looking into implementing IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment."

"There is only one problem I experienced while using Guardium: the internal database of the collector is MySQL, which is not so powerful or flexible."

"It was not as easy to use. The user-friendliness of it was somewhat lower than what I was expecting. It was also lacking in terms of the ease of the setup. There should be an automatic agent for deployment."

"The interface could be improved by having sub-groups of tests, ultimately making the process of collecting tests faster."

"The only problem is that some of the reports come up with blanks and missing data."

"Building policies is not that easy. There are some things that are turned off by default, for example, displaying values."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Qualys TotalCloud is cost-efficient and was selected for its value compared to other products."

"As a middle management member, I do not have direct pricing knowledge, but based on the knowledge from our meetings, its pricing is competitive."

"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive, but it offers a premier solution with no headaches."

"It isn't cheap, but it's reasonable. It helps us to manage things with very few resources."

"The pricing for TotalCloud is attractive and competitive in the market. Given the features, especially the dashboard, I have no concerns regarding pricing."

"TotalCloud's price is about right where I would expect it to be."

"Its price seems higher compared to other tools, but it is worth it. If they could adjust the pricing and make it comparable with other tools, that would be great."

"I am not sure about the pricing. From what I understand, it is a bit on the higher side, but I do not have the exact numbers."

More Qualys TotalCloud pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is highly competitive and advantageous, offering great value."

"The cost is on the higher side, as it is based on workload, hence we need to decide which VPC or workload needs to be part of CloudGuard."

"The tool's pricing is moderate. Its licensing costs are yearly."

"I like the flexibility because I am pretty sure you can use the same license on Azure or AWS. I forgot the name of the license, but there is a specific type you can use that lets you interchange them, and that is pretty good. I like that."

"Handling costs is not my department. Licensing has been quite acceptable. It is a bit easier now, but when I began working with CloudGuard, it was a bit too technical."

"When customers compare it with Sophos or any other products, the price is on the higher side."

"In the beginning, the price of Dome9 was cheap, whereas now it is not."

"There is flexibility in the different licensing models that are offered."

More Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) pricing and cost advice

"One thing not advantageous for it was that it was a little bit more expensive. I would rate it one out of five in terms of pricing."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

18%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Outsourcing Company

16%

Construction Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

22%

Comms Service Provider

15%

Healthcare Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	38

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	133
Midsize Enterprise	55
Large Enterprise	146

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys TotalCloud?

I was not involved in pricing, setup cost, and licensing, but I can say that the setup was fast, within a quarter, an...

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What needs improvement with Qualys TotalCloud?

In terms of improvements, the features we are using in Qualys TotalCloud are working in the best optimal way, and I d...

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What is your primary use case for Qualys TotalCloud?

I have been using Qualys TotalCloud for the last eight months to scan the hardware and the virtual devices in our inf...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?

Since we use a unified standard for using policies and modules in Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Net...

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What needs improvement with Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?

The main limitations of Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) are not in Check Point itse...

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What is your primary use case for Check Point CloudGuard Network Security?

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) is the main manager that provides network security ...

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What needs improvement with IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment?

We use the analytical functionality of Guardium, but the analytical functionality is not so powerful or flexible beca...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment?

We are still using IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment. We only use IBM Guardium Data Protection and monitoring, da...

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What advice do you have for others considering IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment?

We do not use IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment for data encryption or any other tool for analytics, or identity ...

See all answers

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Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 2% of the time

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Compared 2% of the time

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Compared 21% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

Fortra Tripwire IP360 vs IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Qualys TotalCloud

October 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)

October 2026

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) report

Download Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) product report

Buyer's Guide

Vulnerability Management

September 2026

IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment report

Download IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment product report

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan

CloudGuard IaaS, Check Point vSEC, CloudGuard IaaS, Check Point Virtual Systems, Check Point CloudGuard Network Security, Check Point CloudGuard CNAPP

No data available

Overview

Qualys TotalCloud enhances security posture across cloud environments with continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and risk visualization, ensuring efficient threat assessment and automated remediation for improved cyber risk reduction.

Qualys TotalCloud offers a robust suite of security tools essential for organizations managing multi-cloud infrastructures. By integrating cloud accounts and automating workflows, it supports AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering comprehensive vulnerability management and zero-day detection. The platform's user-friendly design, combined with its extensive risk management and unified threat assessment capabilities, enables organizations to prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities effectively. TruRisk Insights provides clear insights on cyber risks, while the automation options streamline patch management and scanning processes. API integration across IaaS and SaaS environments further enhances resource allocation efficiency and saves time, addressing misconfigurations across cloud environments.

What are the most important features of Qualys TotalCloud?

Accurate Vulnerability Reports: Delivers precise and actionable insights for risk mitigation.
Zero-Day Detection: Identifies and addresses zero-day vulnerabilities proactively.
Unified Threat Assessment: Offers comprehensive evaluation of threats across the environment.
Extensive Risk Management: Manages risks effectively with advanced insights and prioritization.
Continuous Monitoring: Provides non-stop surveillance for vulnerabilities and threats.
Cloud-Native Automation: Streamlines processes and reduces manual efforts using automation.
FlexScan for Internet-Facing VMs: Scans external VMs efficiently to detect vulnerabilities.
Dashboard Risk Visualization: Clear visualization helps prioritize vulnerabilities.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Improved Security Posture: Enhances threat detection and response across clouds.
Time Savings: Automation reduces time spent on manual vulnerability management.
Resource Efficiency: Better allocation of resources through streamlined workflows.
Enhanced Risk Prioritization: Focus on critical vulnerabilities for effective mitigation.
Integrated Cloud Accounts: Facilitates seamless cloud management and security.

Qualys TotalCloud is deployed in sectors needing rigorous vulnerability management, such as finance and healthcare. Companies utilize it to secure multi-cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP, focus on compliance, and integrate security into CI/CD pipelines to detect and remedy threats pre-deployment.

Qualys

Check Point Cloud Firewall, previously known as CloudGuard Network Security, provides advanced threat prevention, centralized management, and VPN capabilities, enabling robust cloud security across various platforms including Azure and AWS.

Check Point Cloud Firewall delivers seamless cloud integration with advanced automated threat prevention and centralized management to enhance security posture. It offers auto-scaling for dynamic environments and a comprehensive policy enforcement framework in hybrid settings. The unified interface streamlines administration across cloud infrastructures, ensuring consistent protection and reducing risk.

What important features does it offer?

Advanced Threat Prevention: Safeguards against sophisticated threats.
Centralized Management: Simplifies control for cloud infrastructures.
Auto-scaling: Adapts to changing workloads seamlessly.
VPN Capabilities: Enables secure connections across environments.
Integration with Azure and AWS: Ensures compatibility with leading cloud services.
Visibility Tools: Enhanced monitoring and management for security enforcement.

What benefits can users expect?

Enhanced Security: Comprehensive threat management reduces risk.
Operational Efficiency: Automation capabilities streamline processes.
Cost Management: Efficient resource usage with auto-scaling reduces expenses.
Integration Flexibility: Adapts easily into existing cloud platforms.
Simplified Administration: Unified management reduces complexity.

In manufacturing and conglomerate sectors, Check Point Cloud Firewall is utilized for protecting cloud environments and implementing network segmentation. It supports secure cloud migration on AWS, Azure, and GCP, ensuring compliance, perimeter defense, and traffic inspection, facilitating sophisticated threat prevention strategies.

Check Point Software Technologies

IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment provides robust database security through effective vulnerability insights and remediation recommendations, supporting enterprises in achieving enhanced data protection.

IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment is designed to offer enterprises comprehensive security management. Its monitoring and analytics capabilities enable effective data assessment and vulnerability identification. Integration with LDAP simplifies multi-user access, bolstered by detailed reporting features. The tool aids regulatory compliance and streamlines security processes. Despite its efficacy, improvements are needed in interface usability, automatic deployment, and third-party integration. Enhanced analytical features and a more potent internal database could elevate its functionality.

What are the key features of IBM Guardium?

Vulnerability Identification: Detects and scores database vulnerabilities.
Monitoring Capabilities: Supports effective data aggregation and analytics.
LDAP Integration: Facilitates easy multi-user access.
Customizable Reporting: Offers robust reporting tools with flexible rules.
Regulatory Compliance: Ensures adherence to security standards and regulations.

What benefits do users find valuable in reviews?

Enhanced Security: Strengthens overall security posture.
Efficient Data Assessment: Allows quick scans and swift data understanding.
Improved Visibility: Increases transparency across data activities.
Compliance Assurance: Helps conform to necessary industry regulations.

IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment is widely adopted across enterprise sectors for its robust security management. Organizations frequently employ it for data security, especially when migrating to cloud environments, ensuring the protection of sensitive information throughout its lifecycle. Its capabilities in catalog discovery and activity monitoring make it a preferred choice for businesses requiring advanced security solutions and implementations.

IBM

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Physicians Choice Laboratory Services, Helvetica Insurance

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs. IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment

September 2026

Free Report: Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs. IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment

Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs. IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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