{"id":43810,"date":"2020-07-11T19:34:35","date_gmt":"2020-07-11T19:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"\/us\/en\/blog\/?p=43810"},"modified":"2025-03-13T06:25:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T13:25:13","slug":"cloud-collaboration-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/cloud-collaboration-software\/","title":{"rendered":"The 4 best cloud collaboration software for small businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collaboration is crucial for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">every<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> part of a small business. From deciding what products or services to sell to providing support to customers, without communication between teams and departments, it\u2019s impossible to get anywhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But with teams more spaced out than ever, collaborating even with a small team can be difficult without the right tools. Sure, email and phone calls have their place, but they\u2019re not always the best way to connect with employees, customers, or partners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where a cloud collaboration tool comes into play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sure, cloud collaboration makes it easy to host meetings, have brainstorming sessions, walk through feedback, or get in touch with team members in whatever way you need, <em>regardless<\/em> of where that person (or group of people) is located.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But for small businesses that need to be budget-conscious, mobile, and adaptable, cloud collaboration is arguably even more essential.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you choose the right cloud collaboration solution, it can be more than just a communications platform. It can make it easy for your team to share documents, files, and screens during meetings\u2014and a whole lot more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s dive into what a good cloud-based collaboration tool can do\u2014and what a small business in particular should look for. Skip ahead if you want to get straight to the different options:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#methods\">Different cloud-based collaboration methods<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#what\">What should small businesses in particular look for in a cloud collaboration solution?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#four\">The 4 best cloud collaboration tools<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Shopping for a powerful collaboration tool for your team? (Or just curious about what to look for?) Grab the free checklist to help you choose the right one.<\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-widget standart-download-form\" data-url=\"https:\/\/netstorage.ringcentral.com\/documents\/team_messaging_platform_checklist.pdf\" data-id=\"6a0ab03fb5e66\" id=\"6a0ab03fb5e66\">\n\t\t<button tabindex=\"on\"  on=\"tap:6a0ab03fb5e66.toggleClass(class='open')\" class=\"open-modal-download-action download-form-button\" type=\"submit\">\ud83c\udf1f Get it now<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-body\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-title\">See what you need to do (and know) as you're deciding on a team messaging app with this checklist!<\/div>\n<form class=\"download-form SMB\" method=\"post\">\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Full Name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"text\" name=\"fullname\" placeholder=\"Full Name\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"text\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"email\" autocomplete=\"on\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"email\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"popup_form\" value=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Asset_ID__c\" value=\"ODAM-01511\" class=\"download-form-input\"><\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Lead_Entry_Source__c\" value=\"RC Blog\" class=\"download-form-input\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"download-form-submit\" type=\"submit\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\" data-dl-name=\"Get it now\">Get it now<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<button on=\"tap:6a0ab03fb5e66.toggleClass(class='open')\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"  class=\"download-form-modal-close\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-thank\">Happy shopping! <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"methods\"><\/a><br \/>\nWhat are some common cloud-based collaboration methods?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The point of a cloud-based collaboration tool isn\u2019t <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">just <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to get in touch. There are enough apps out there that make it easy to communicate with people from all over the world. But a cloud collaboration solution is designed to help teams work together, sharing files and making edits in real time, no matter where they\u2019re located.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">True collaboration is done through multiple platforms\u2014not only through one message like email or video conferencing. Here are some of the most common cloud-based collaboration methods:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Video conferencing. <\/b>Although it\u2019s probably the most popular way to collaborate with teams these days, <a class=\"waffle-rich-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/video-call.html\">video calls<\/a> are just one part of collaborating.<b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Because as you&#8217;ve probably realized, not everything needs to be a meeting. Our best tip here is to look for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/the-best-video-conferencing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">video conferencing solution<\/a> that does <em>other<\/em> things well. (For example, a video conferencing app that also lets you do screen sharing and\/or make phone calls\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/rcapp.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">yes, they exis<\/a>t!)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Team messaging<\/strong>.<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Messaging and chatting features let team members leave notes, check-in, or have quick conversations about projects or tasks on their own time.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>File sharing and editing.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When team members are all working from the same digital file, cloud-based storage and editing tools make sure everyone is looking at the most up-to-date version:<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43590\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/file-sharing-integrations-with-dropbox-and-box.gif\" alt=\"file sharing in RingCentral's cloud collaboration solution\" width=\"800\" height=\"699\" \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Screen sharing.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharing your screen in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/virtual-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">video meeting<\/a> lets you and your team run through slide decks, presentations, documents, or feedback with everyone on the same page. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/video\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">For example, RingCentral Video<\/a> gives you the power to choose a specific desktop screen and even a specific app to share (so you don&#8217;t inadvertently share a sensitive document):<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-43675\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/screen-share-1024x658.png\" alt=\"screen sharing in RingCentral Video\" width=\"1024\" height=\"658\" \/> \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/remote-readiness\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-45676\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Banner-Image-for-Blog-Promo.png\" alt=\"Remote Readiness CTA\" width=\"695\" height=\"247\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"what\"><\/a><br \/>\nWhat should small businesses look for in a cloud collaboration solution?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When choosing a cloud collaboration tool for your small business, here are the top things to consider:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Ease of use\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you have a small team, everyone needs to be as productive as possible as much as possible. You can\u2019t afford to spend days or even hours training and educating your team about new tools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why ease of use is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a cloud collaboration solution for your small business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When deciding on a tool, look for something that is intuitive and designed with the end user in mind. Do you need to be an expert to know how to use it to share a file? Do you need to download different pieces of software just to join a call\u2014or can you just click a link from an email invite to join a meeting from your internet browser\u2014like you can using a collaboration solution like RingCentral?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-43813\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/join-ringcentral-video-meeting-with-link-1024x452.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"452\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Multi-functionality\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we mentioned before, a cloud collaboration solution is more than just a way to communicate with your team, and the features offered by each tool will vary. To find the right one for your small business, you need to know what additional functions are most important to your team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/best-video-conferencing-for-small-businesses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Video conferencing<\/a> might be important to your team&#8217;s day-to-day collaboration, but what about team messaging or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/best-file-sharing-app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">file sharing<\/a>? Do you need task management as well?\u00a0 Sure, you <em>could<\/em> do what most people do and try to build a big app stack in order to meet all your teams\u2019 needs\u2014but having one app that can do it all can end up reducing your expenses while making collaboration even easier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you have a handful of apps that all do different things, you run the risk of losing important information, missing a task, or forgetting to copy something over. What seems like one small mistake at first can quickly add up over time and have serious long-term consequences on your business\u2019 growth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biggest benefit of using a multi-functional tool that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">puts everything in one place is that it <em>minimizes human error<\/em>. Files are stored right where your team communicates, and tasks can be assigned within your messaging thread. Team members only need to stay up to date on one app, saving them time and ultimately making them more productive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>\ud83c\udfc6 Did you know:\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<p>RingCentral is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/pc-mag-ringcentral-editors-choice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>PCMag<\/i>\u2019s Editors\u2019 Choice Award<\/a> winner because of its reliable service and easy-to-use app (among other reasons)!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Scalability<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your team might be small now, but it probably won\u2019t always be that way. As your team grows, you want a collaboration tool that can grow with you. While it might make sense to choose something basic and cost-effective early on, if it won\u2019t work for a larger or more complex team, you\u2019ll just end up needing to invest in something new (and also retrain your team) later on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although your future goals might seem far away, consider them when choosing your cloud collaboration tool. Even if your tool works for you now, does it also have the features you think you\u2019ll need in the future? What do larger plans look like, and can they accommodate the growth you hope to achieve?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Integrations\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While a cloud collaboration tool (especially one with a lot of features) can do a lot, it can\u2019t do it all. This is where integrations will become important.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll want your collaboration tool to connect with other apps and tools your team uses on a daily basis, like your CRM, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/project-management-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">project management tool<\/a>, and invoicing and billing software. Connecting the apps your team uses every day creates an easier project flow and minimizes the need for you to copy and paste information, project updates, and deadlines between apps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When choosing between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/collaboration-hub\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">collaboration platforms<\/a>, look at not only the tools you use now, but also the tools you might want to bring on in the future. You shouldn&#8217;t have to overhaul your entire system just because your new collaboration tool can&#8217;t connect with the apps your team already loves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"four\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe 4 best cloud collaboration tools\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Okay, let&#8217;s get into a few cloud collaboration apps and tools. We specifically chose options that are multi-functional, easy to use, scalable, and integrate with other tools\u2014all important considerations for small businesses with big plans to grow.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. RingCentral<\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>\u2705 Best for small businesses that\u2026\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<p>Want a free tool that incorporates different collaboration channels and includes features like task management and screen sharing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation\" title=\"RingCentral app for Desktop: Message. Video. Phone.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EbIAZJd9rCU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/rcapp.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The RingCentral app<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a phone, team messaging, video, and task management tool that allows teams to share files, create and manage tasks, and work together on the go. Although it looks like a chat-based tool, you can easily make a phone call, switch to video calls, drop links to files and documents, and integrate it with popular apps like Asana, Google Drive, and Jira.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Basically, it has all your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/communication-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">communication channels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in one place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral&#8217;s messaging feature is free, and lets you add unlimited team members. It also has built-in to-dos and tasks so you can coordinate with your team and get things done\u2014without a second project management system:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42881\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/RingCentral-Task-Management-1024x696.png\" alt=\"task management in RingCentral's cloud collaboration solution\" width=\"1024\" height=\"696\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\ud83d\udd79\ufe0f<\/span> Get a hands-on look at how RingCentral works by booking a product tour:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><button data-href=\"#leadform-popup\" class=\"js-open-popup-activator btn primary\" >Choose a time<\/button><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcb0 You can also <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/roi-calculator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">use this calculator<\/a> <\/strong>to see roughly how much your business could save by using RingCentral to support your team&#8217;s communication with each other\u2014and clients.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Slack\u00a0<\/span>\u200b<\/h3>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>Best for small businesses that\u2026\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<p>Mostly plan to use message-based collaboration (where Slack really shines).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-43738\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/slack-messaging-app-1024x638.png\" alt=\"slack cloud collaboration app\" width=\"1024\" height=\"638\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Slack is another popular cloud collaboration tool that looks and functions similar to the RingCentral app. Like the RingCentral app, Slack\u2019s primary communication method is team messaging, with video calling and file sharing tacked on. Slack also has a long list of apps it integrates with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Slack does have a free offering, but it doesn\u2019t come without some limitations. The number of available messages is limited to just 10,000 (meaning you can\u2019t scroll back to look at past chats), and you\u2019re limited on the number of integrations you can have with the free plan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Microsoft Teams<\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>Best for small businesses that\u2026\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<p>Already use and love Microsoft Office tools and apps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-43749 size-large\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/microsoft-teams-group-video-chat-app-1024x574.png\" alt=\"microsoft teams cloud collaboration solution\" width=\"1024\" height=\"574\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microsoft Teams isn\u2019t actually one cloud collaboration tool but rather a collection of apps and tools that can make working with teams easy and productive. With 365, you can use the Office products you love, use OneDrive to edit, share, and collaborate on documents, and stay in contact with employees and team members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although Microsoft\u2019s suite of tools is designed to work together, the collection of apps means your team needs to be well versed in a variety of apps. They also work best when using the full range of Microsoft tools, so integrating with other apps can be a no-go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Wrike\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>Best for small businesses that\u2026\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<p>Want to prioritize project data management and collaboration over team communication.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-43812\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/wrike-cloud-collaboration-project-management-tool-1024x810.png\" alt=\"wrike cloud collaboration project management tool\" width=\"1024\" height=\"810\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike some of the other apps on this list, Wrike is first and foremost a project management tool. While team communication is important, Wrike prioritizes organization and information management to make collaboration easy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wrike shares project data in real time, which is great for small businesses with a lot of different moving pieces. While it does integrate with communications platforms, the only in-app communication is text-based, which might not be enough for some teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which cloud collaboration solution should you choose?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We might be a little biased in favor of RingCentral\u2019s functionality, but for small businesses looking for a tool that&#8217;s comprehensive, cost-effective, <em>and<\/em> able to grow with them, RingCentral checks all the boxes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But there are a lot of great tools out there. If you\u2019re looking for a cloud collaboration solution for your small business team, take some free trials for a test drive! Get a feel for what works for you (and what doesn\u2019t) and make a decision that feels comfortable to your team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Collaboration is crucial for every part of a small business. From deciding what products or services to sell to providing support to customers, without communication between teams and departments, it\u2019s impossible to get anywhere.\u00a0 But with teams more spaced out than ever, collaborating even with a small team can be difficult without the right tools. &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":43814,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17901],"tags":[4871,18799,18800],"class_list":["post-43810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-leadership","tag-cloud-collaboration","tag-cloud-collaboration-software","tag-cloud-collaboration-tools"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.3 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The 4 best cloud collaboration software 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