Microsoftâ Solutions:
Harnessing the power of Database Technology in Retail Banking
"Virtually everything in business today is an undifferentiated commodity except how a company manages its information. How you manage information determines whether you win or lose."
“…the
quality of an organisation’s nervous system helps determine its ability to
sense change and quickly respond, thus determining whether it dies, survives,
or thrives.”
Bill
Gates
Microsoft Chairman
In the digital age, the ability to manage information has become a prerequisite for success – and indeed this applies to the financial services industry. Financial institutions must react more quickly to customer needs, bring products to market with greater speed, and respond more completely to changing business conditions. To meet these demands, many organisations are developing a digital nervous system—a new approach that allows them to build on existing technology to create highly efficient, integrated systems that collect, manage, organise, and disseminate information throughout an enterprise.
A digital nervous system helps institutions get the right information to the right people at the right time, provides them with the tools to analyse that information, and gives them the power to act on their conclusions with speed. It also eliminates the piles of forms and layers of approvals that can make even simple day-to-day tasks time consuming and expensive.
Simply put, a digital nervous system is the culmination of the next stage of the information revolution. It is a powerful way to marshal the benefits of digital technologies to meet the challenges of the digital economy - and it is becoming increasingly essential. Institutions that embrace this approach are using technology to ensure that employees can collect the knowledge that resides within the organisation to respond with creativity and speed to changes in the marketplace.
During the last decade, the business landscape has undergone a fundamental transformation. The proliferation of personal computers linked together in enterprise networks and the rise of the Internet have played a significant role in the creation of a true worldwide economy in which information travels around the globe in the blink of an eye.
With customers using the web to find out almost instantly who has the best product at the best price, mass production is giving way in many industries to mass customisation. Meanwhile, changes in the economic climate of one region can affect economies around the world.
In the face of these changes, speed has become essential for survival, and the ability to adapt quickly to shifting demands in the marketplace has become a prerequisite for success.
"In a Darwinian business world," says Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates, "the quality of an organisation’s nervous system helps determine its ability to sense change and quickly respond, thus determining whether it dies, survives, or thrives."
The term digital nervous system implies that this new form of enterprise information management will enable organisations to behave more like biological organisms. This is apt and important.
In biological organisms, the nervous system automatically controls the basic systems - respiratory, circulatory, digestive - that make life possible. It also receives sensory stimuli, transmits them to the brain, and instantly triggers a response. In higher organisms, the nervous system makes it possible to think and plan with foresight and creativity.
To meet the demands of the digital economy, organisations must be able to behave more like organisms. This will give them better reflexes for reacting to stimuli, a more efficient metabolism for managing daily operations, and a sharper mind for guiding plans and actions more intelligently.
But what are the specific business and technology issues that act as stimuli for a digital nervous system within the financial services arena?
And how can technology be applied to create an efficient metabolism for the retail banking market, the corporate banking market or the financial markets?
This whitepaper will focus specifically on the need for, and advantage of, using database technology as a fundamental piece of the Digital Nervous System in a Retail Banking environment.
Harnessing the power of database technology in Retail Banking...................................... 1
End-user challenges...................................................................................................... 1
What concrete action have European retail banks taken?.................................. 1
Banks should face the future with confidence........................................................ 2
Database Technology......................................................................................................... 3
1. Robustness & openness......................................................................................... 3
2. Ease of integration, deployment and operation................................................. 3
3. Flexibility to handle multiple data storage formats for different channels... 3
Enterprise wide ‘best practice’.................................................................................... 4
Tackling end-user challenges............................................................................................ 5
Banks have designed their IT systems to fit products, not customers............... 6
Database technology moves banks away from a static view of their customers. 7
Tackling end-user challenges in different types of bank....................................... 9
Location of customer information files..................................................................... 9
Telecommunications infrastructure........................................................................... 9
Mergers & acquisitions activity................................................................................ 10
Branch staff.................................................................................................................. 11
Exploiting database technology in enterprises with distributed data............... 12
Microsoftâ SQL Serverä 7.0: delivering business solutions throughout the enterprise 12
Harnessing the power of database technology in Retail Banking
The number, and complexity, of the relationships consumers have with providers of financial services has increased dramatically. At the same time, customer demands continue to rise as the breadth of products sold to each individual grows. In European markets, congested with the arrival of new entrants such as financial services supermarkets (bancassurers) and disintermediators (direct providers), traditional banks have made some important strategic decisions.
Traditional banks are
reacting to customer driven changes by trying to find the optimum
institution size, structure and product range given the growth of niche
providers.
Banks are expanding
middle office operations, in areas such as liquidity & risk analysis,
to rapidly identify and reward profitable sections of their client base.
Firstly, traditional banks are reacting to customer
driven changes by trying to find the optimum institution size, structure and
product range given the growth of niche providers.
Institutions are trying
to develop a more detailed view of the customer and to distribute an
expanded range of products through non-branch channels.
Secondly, under consolidating market conditions, where
margins are under pressure, the need to raise ‘per customer’ profitability is
paramount. Banks are expanding middle office operations, in areas such as
liquidity & risk analysis, to rapidly identify and reward profitable
sections of their client base.
Lastly, institutions are trying to develop a more detailed view of the customer. Institutions want to distribute an expanded range of products through non-branch channels, where measures of operating efficiency and return on datawarehousing investment are more attractive than distribution via the branch.
What concrete action have European retail banks taken?
Institutions have merged seeking lower operating costs, better commercial borrowing rates and to extend the range of value added services available to existing clients. Retail focused institutions have concentrated on the acquisition of asset management expertise as a way of moving into the sale of complex life products where the threat from direct distribution is reduced. The consolidation of retail lending markets means that banks want to avoid:
· too much exposure to commercial business, where margins are falling;
· being left without expertise in complex long term products in addition to established short term lines of business.
The fact that some banks
have been outmanoeuvred by nimble retail sector entrants, with faster ‘time
to market’ cycles for new products, has made the rapid analysis of customer
behaviour a competitive advantage.
Banks want a more detailed view of their customers. The fact that some banks have been outmanoeuvred by nimble retail sector entrants, with faster ‘time to market’ cycles for new products, has made the rapid analysis of customer behaviour a competitive advantage. Banks want a return on their sunk investment of electronically storing account details for over 20 years:
· to isolate and target unexploited niche opportunities: e.g. the business traveller segment;
· to tailor existing products, retain profitable customers and acquire new business.
Banks want to service
their retail business through new channels where ‘return on investment’ can
most quickly be realised.
Banks have encouraged remote distribution channels
to proliferate as a means of satisfying changing
customer demands, reinforcing group branding and redistributing transactions
away from more costly branch infrastructures. Banks want to service their
retail business through new channels where ‘return on investment’ can most
quickly be realised. Institutions are learning to manage new channels because
they represent:
· a cost effective way of supporting an expanded set of products
· a way to enhance and maintain the most profitable customer relationships.
Banks should face the future with confidence
Electronic account
records, maintained over many years, are the most important competitive
advantage open to traditional operators against financial services
supermarkets and direct sellers. The most cost effective,
simplest and productive solution is offered by database technology.
By asking what the optimum organisational structure is,
customer profile and most profitable channel to market, banks are re-examining
the way they store, distribute and analyse customer information. Central to
this process is the acknowledgement that electronic account records, maintained
over many years, are the most important competitive advantage open to
traditional operators against financial services supermarkets and direct
sellers. But where should banks look to capitalise on the potential of
leveraging existing customer records to profitably serve new distribution
channels with new products? The most cost effective, simplest and productive
solution is offered by database technology.
Database technology is
fundamental to harnessing sunk, core system investment and profiting from
the changing relationship between consumers and financial services
providers.
Database Technology
Database technology is fundamental to harnessing sunk, core system investment and profiting from the changing relationship between consumers and financial services providers described above. Banks across Europe, and the US, are looking to deploy new database technologies:
· to accelerate the merger of institutions, speeding up new product development cycles and easing the introduction of new distribution channels;
· to integrate client/server with centralised data infrastructures, thus protecting investment in application development;
· to combine multiple data formats, introduce object technology and create a standardised programming environment for the profitable analysis of customers,
· to prevent the loss of local knowledge when branches close, which may never be regained.
Database technology has
the potential to provide clear direction on these fundamental questions. At present the optimum
organisational size, structure, and breadth of product range carried by a
bank are unknown.
At present the optimum organisational size, structure,
and breadth of product range carried by a bank are unknown. A cross industry
consensus on the key metrics used to analyse per customer risk and
profitability have not been established. Moreover, best practice for building,
deploying and maintaining new applications across multiple distribution
channels has not emerged.
The ability to provide
identical customer information at the client site, via Self Service
Terminals, PC or telephone is a crucial competitive advantage.
But, database technology has the potential to provide
clear direction on these fundamental questions. To deliver concrete results,
database technology must have the following three key attributes:
Database technology must work alongside a legacy of three generations of computing architecture; mainframe, mid-range and client server. The robustness to interrogate heterogeneous databases, perform per customer analysis, and increase the efficiency of core transactional systems, is critical.
2. Ease of integration, deployment and operation
Database technology must scale from the branch and call centre into the heart of middle office operations, where per customer analysis is performed. From the front office through to the back office, winning database technology will be optimised for existing applications, programming environments and the skill levels of different users. Only ease of integration can deliver these benefits in acceptable timescales.
3. Flexibility to handle multiple data storage formats for different channels
Database technology must handle multiple data formats and deliver files, images, spreadsheets and meta-data to serve customers at the point of distribution they prefer. The ability to provide identical customer information at the client site, via Self Service Terminals, PC or telephone is a crucial competitive advantage. Flexibility in data storage and delivery is a key tool for customer retention and product promotion.
Enterprise wide ‘best practice’
This white paper demonstrates the potential of database technology to directly impact the key business issues of creating, selling, distributing and servicing retail financial services products. It explains the role of database technology in front, middle and back office operations and establishes the strategic benefit of co-ordinated database deployment throughout the entire enterprise.
Microsoft believes that database technology can remove layers of cost and complexity in the way banks work and understand their customers:
·
The successful
application of database technology now will facilitate the future
growth of mobile computing, branch automation and E-commerce at a lower
cost of ownership to banks.
In the short term, this means protecting the investment
already made by banks in writing applications, whilst at the same time,
enabling new databases to scale to a size and complexity necessary to meet
changing customer demands.
· In the longer term, the successful application of database technology now will facilitate the future growth of mobile computing, branch automation and E-commerce at a lower cost of ownership to banks. These benefits can be realised across the enterprise, from lower memory demands for PCs in the branch to ‘lowest cost’ replication and maintenance of data at the back office.
Today, most banks conduct
core business processes, such as the credit, debit and settlement of
accounts, using a legacy of maintenance intensive IT systems.
Today, most banks conduct core business
processes, such as the credit, debit and settlement of accounts, using a legacy
of maintenance intensive IT systems.
Over time, as distribution channels and product lines have proliferated e.g. the growth of Self Service Terminals infrastructures in the 1980’s and the development of tailored current accounts in the 1990’s, new technologies have been grafted onto existing systems; first mainframes, then mid ranges and more recently client-server architectures.
Banks have adopted this strategy of aggregating core and emerging technologies for two key commercial reasons:
· to protect sunk investment in application development, and;
· to guarantee the ‘robustness’ of mission critical functions, e.g. collecting loan interest.
Financial institutions
rely on IT systems to guarantee basic functions such as intra and inter
bank settlement, credit risk analysis, fraud detection and treasury
operations. This means that any lost or corrupted data could represent a
loss of real funds.
Since banking is a continuous computing environment,
with data flowing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, system robustness is of
particular importance. Financial institutions rely on IT systems to guarantee
basic functions such as intra and inter bank settlement, credit risk analysis,
fraud detection and treasury operations. This means that any lost or corrupted
data could represent a loss of real funds.
The patterns in IT procurement described above, for example the organic growth of new systems on top of old systems, and, the priority attached to robustness, have three crucial implications. They affect the way in which:
· banks understand their customers;
· react to their demands;
· determine how fast institutions can benefit from spending on (a) new technologies, such as the Internet, and (b) acquiring new partners, such as insurers and asset managers.
Banks have designed their IT systems to fit products, not customers
Today, retail
institutions have between 10 and 25 customer information files on their
systems, each representing a single product perspective of the customer.
Banks have designed their IT systems to fit products,
not customers. Today, retail institutions have between 10 and 25 customer
information files on their systems, each representing a single product
perspective of the customer, such as, Mr Jones as a current account holder, Mr
Jones as a mortgage holder, Mr Jones as a savings account holder.
The challenge for banks
is to bring together complementary views of the customer to produce basic
account functionality, such as the delivery of the latest current account
balance, identical, regardless of distribution channel.
In addition to customer information files, which are
updated by funds transfer or data from credit and interest rate lists, there
also exists customer ‘meta data’ which is not specific to any single line of
business. This meta data typically includes address details and records of
previous products bought but does not form part of the settlement and reporting
procedures which generate an account balance. The challenge for banks is to
bring together these two complementary views of the customer to produce basic
account functionality, such as the delivery of the latest current account
balance, identically, regardless of distribution channel.
However, there is a limited window of opportunity for banks to leverage integrating quantitative customer records and more qualitative customer records (meta data). The ongoing rationalisation of branch networks across Europe means that banks are faced with the prospect of losing significant quantities of meta data available per customer. At present, branch tellers are able to observe customer age, marital status, whether they have children, and sometimes, the timing of holidays and other extraordinary expenditure. Shifting IT resources to remote distribution channels following branch closures will only deliver comparable levels of service if this crucial meta data can be transferred to both the call centre and the datacentres serving Self Service Terminals and online operations. Therefore, database technologies which can store multiple data formats (images, documents, spreadsheets etc), harnessing account meta data, have a pivotal role to play in:
·
Databases are central to
creating an operational view of the customer which brings together multiple
customer information files and meta data in one place, spanning a
banks’ entire product range. The ongoing
rationalisation of branch networks across Europe means that banks are faced
with the prospect of losing significant quantities of meta data available
per customer.
the exit strategies of retail banks from the
high street;
· underpinning customer loyalty and the market share of traditional banks promoting new channels.
Database technology moves banks away from a static view of their customers
By successfully
leveraging database technology to understand customer behaviour, banks can
take the first step toward deploying data marts and warehouses which can
identify how customer loss or acquisition will impact on overall bank
profits.
Database technology has a key role to play in shifting
banks away from a static, product orientated view of the customer. Databases
are central to creating an operational view of the customer which brings
together multiple customer information files and meta data in one place,
spanning a banks’ entire product range.
The ability to integrate
heterogeneous data sources stored centrally or in distributed locations, is
a key attribute of winning database technology.
Although an operational customer information file is
not visible to the customer, it delivers tangible benefits to the consumer by
significantly affecting quality of service. By successfully leveraging database
technology to understand customer behaviour, banks can take the first step
toward deploying data marts and warehouses which can identify how customer loss
or acquisition will impact on overall bank profits.
For instance, without an operational customer information file banks cannot offer equivalent account functionality from each distribution channel. Mr Jones, using his favoured point of distribution, e.g. the Self Service Terminal, wants an identical level of service, currency of balance, and full listing of transactions to that available over the branch counter or the telephone. The ability to integrate heterogeneous data sources (DB2, Oracle etc) stored centrally (IMS, MVS, AS/400 etc) or in distributed locations (directories, index servers etc), is a key attribute of winning database technology. In short, it is a guarantee of meeting Mr Jones’ service expectations and converting Mr Jones into a profitable customer instead of an irregular user.
In addition, the shortcomings of older database technologies without these attributes makes the management of new relationships with third parties such as VISA or transactions processors problematic. To deliver new products or reduced operating costs, in the case of outsourcing, the ease of integration with third party legacy systems, and for ongoing management of the relationship, is key.
To date, banks have been forced into making an uncomfortable choice between full integration or establishing side-stream operations separated from pre-existing customer information files. Therefore, deciding to add new products, new channels or new partners has either meant a combination of lengthy impact assessment and bespoke application work on the one hand, or, commissioning stand-alone, line of business systems on the other.
Not all bank IT systems
look in the same database, under the same instruction set, for the same
customer information file. This lack of standard operating procedures
between banks posses great problems for institutions.
As is described in more detail later, not all banks understand their customers in the same way. In other words, not all bank IT systems look in the same database, under the same instruction set, for the same customer information file in order to update Mr Jones’s account details. This lack of standard operating procedures between banks posses great problems for institutions wanting to:
· accept ‘best of breed’ solutions developed externally - to avoid high integration costs;
· deploy applications throughout the enterprise - to avoid slow ‘time to market’ for new products, or;
·
Database technology
represents an important solution by providing a link between the different
programming environments that exist within, and between banks.
who want to merge with other institutions due to
external market & shareholder pressure.
Database technology represents an important solution to the obstacles described above by providing a link between the different programming environments that exist within, and between banks.
Internet technology and
best of breed solutions can be deployed using databases which will scale
from the branch to middle office department, delivering the same
application, data and user interface.
Winning database technology enables branch
applications, middle office reporting tools and back office monitoring systems
to have the same standard interface. By using the widely accepted Microsoft
Component Object Model (COM), applications can be written which interface not
only seamlessly with each other but also across the heterogeneous environment
found in banking IT architectures.
By integrating centralised and distributed databases to create a common environment for application development, COM is a powerful technology allowing banks to receive a return on sunk investment to maintain customer information files and customer meta data. Internet technology and best of breed solutions can then be deployed using databases which will scale from the branch to middle office department, delivering the same application, data and user interface.
Tackling end-user challenges in different types of bank
There are also factors external to bank operation which dictate the effectiveness of database technology for reconciling multiple views of the same customer and reacting to client specific demands for new channels and new products via third parties. These factors account for divergent trends in database usage between institutions of varying size, age and national location.
Outlined below are the fundamental principles governing why data architectures, and database deployment strategies, can vary so dramatically between institutions. Recommendations for ‘best practice’ in the organisation of banks’ front, middle and back office database architectures follow.
The most important factor
affecting how far banks can leverage database technology to improve their
performance are the historic choices made about where a customer
information file is accessed.
Location of customer information files
The most important factor affecting how far banks can leverage database technology to improve their performance are the historic choices made about where a customer information file is accessed. The Database of Record is the repository used to store all customer information files created by a bank and the type of technology selected to store these records (relational, non-relational, object oriented) will largely be a factor of the age of the product or line of business to which the customer information file relates. The most common locations for citing a database of record are at the datacentre (a centralised location) or at the branch (a distributed location).
The three key factors determining the whether a database of record is duplicated in branches throughout the bank network or is centralised at one single point are:
· the telecommunications infrastructure of the national market in which the bank operates;
· the extent of mergers & acquisitions activity, and;
· the role of branch staff.
Telecommunications infrastructure
In markets where telecommunications infrastructures have either provided insufficient robustness, or are sufficiently robust but at a prohibitive cost, the business case for locating the database of record centrally is weak.
Bank tellers must always work from the latest current balance of each account. Hence, the substantial costs of implementing real time systems, where customer information files are stored centrally and accessed locally, can only be born in robust and cheap telecommunications environments. For consolidated retail markets such as the UK, France and the Netherlands, a centralised location for the database of record has typically been adopted.
Most branches in these markets will also have a database maintained locally which will store the interest rates and account fees. However, special cases do exist which can affect telecommunications robustness, for example, poor weather conditions, which provide exceptions to this rule.
In less reliable and more
costly telecommunications environments, the business case for storing
customer information files locally, and accessing them locally via
proprietary bank networks is strong.
In less reliable and more costly telecommunications environments, the business case for storing customer information files locally, and accessing them locally via proprietary bank networks is strong. Therefore, in fragmented retail markets, such as Italy and the Czech Republic a de-centralised, branch location for the database of record has typically been adopted.
Mergers & acquisitions activity
As a general rule, the greater the degree of market liberalisation and merger activity, the greater the average size of institution, product range and complexity of the IT systems inherited. Typically, large nationwide banking groups, which have been expanded through acquisition, have both centralised and de-centralised locations for the database of record. This mixture of locations often means that customer information files applying to products offered on a bank-wide basis are stored centrally, whereas customer specific meta data is still maintained at the branch level.
This model represents a half way position between the centralised and distributed scenarios described above, and is sometimes called a ‘store & forward architecture’. Core customer information is requested by a branch to be sent ‘forward’ from files ‘stored’ centrally to complement branch meta data.
The final factor affecting where the database of record is located within a bank depends on the role the bank management intends the branch staff to perform. In fragmented retail markets with large numbers of small institutions, the average number of staff per branch is relatively high since the middle office functions associated with credit risk, and account administration, which are dealt with centrally in more mature markets, must be performed on site.
In this case, the branch is literally the front and middle office of the bank, and even manages the settlement of one branch’s accounts with accounts held in databases of record held in other distributed locations. This last function would normally be handled by the back office systems of the bank with centralised account information. An extreme example of the branch almost acting as a bank in it’s own right can be found in developing markets in India, where the database of record is held on individual PCs within a branch. Customers must conduct their business via this PC alone; reconciliation between PCs within a branch must then follow before inter branch or inter bank funds transfer can occur.
Exploiting database technology in enterprises with distributed data
The location of the database of record matters because the degree of data centralisation or de-centralisation within a bank severely affects:
· the cost at which new distribution channels can be added;
· the amount of third party involvement open to the bank;
· the complexity of introducing data marts and datwarehouses, and;
· whether or not an ‘operational customer information file’ is an achievable goal.
New database technology
can prove decisive in redistributing data around banks, enabling new
products and channels to be rolled out at a lower cost, from a central point
of co-ordination.
In all of the above areas, distributed databases of
record have in the past caused problems. However, new database technology can
prove decisive in redistributing data around banks, enabling new products and
channels to be rolled out at a lower cost, from a central point of
co-ordination. Whereas previously the technological balance of power lay with
large institutions operating centralised data architectures, this is no longer
the case.
New database technology
can scale between the PC at the branch counter and a database of record
stored locally, exactly the same analytical processing techniques (OLAP)
are available to small and large institutions alike, regardless of the
degree of market consolidation.
Now that new database technology can scale
between the PC at the branch counter and a database of record stored locally,
exactly the same analytical processing techniques (OLAP) are available to small
and large institutions alike, regardless of the degree of market consolidation.
Indeed, within less consolidated markets, the return on investment from
database technology, which can draw together customer information file and
customer meta data from a single location, will initially be higher than for
centralised institutions co-ordinating multi-site projects.
Microsoftâ SQL Serverä 7.0: delivering business solutions throughout the enterprise
SQL 7.0 provides the
robustness, scaleability and flexibility that banks need to find successful
solutions to their core strategic and operational challenges. The number, and
complexity, of the relationships consumers have with providers of financial
services will continue to grow.
The number, and complexity, of the relationships
consumers have with providers of financial services will continue to grow.
Under these conditions, there is no longer a business case for banks to
continuously customise legacy systems to defend against new entrants and direct
distribution. As a result, Microsoft’s database technology leverages, not
undermines, bank’s sunk investment in electronic customer records to enable the
profitable acquisition of customers via new and traditional channels.
Microsoft believes that database technology can remove layers of cost and complexity in the way banks work and understand their customers. Whether institutions want to find their optimum structure and product range following a merger, increase ‘per customer’ profitability or develop corporate wide measures of risk, SQL 7.0 is the cornerstone for making rapid and concrete progress.
SQL 7.0 provides the robustness, scaleability and flexibility that banks need to find successful solutions to their core strategic and operational challenges. Modern retail and business banking is a continuous environment, with data flowing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Microsoft technology guarantees the reliability of intra/interbank settlement, data transformation, integration and distributed replication. This leaves banks free to direct resources toward tangible, value-added services for customers.
Since SQL 7.0 is easy to
deploy and maintain, as well as being supported by comprehensive DSS
services, the key benefits of robustness and efficient data storage are
immediately available to banks.
External market pressures for tailored products and
‘around the clock’ account access mean that database technology must do more
than deliver short term operational efficiencies. This is why Microsoft
technology also provides a platform for deploying applications throughout the
entire enterprise, for integrating externally developed ‘best of breed’
solutions and for initiating 3rd party product processing and distribution
arrangements. Since SQL 7.0 is easy to deploy and maintain, as well as being
supported by comprehensive DSS services, the key benefits of robustness and
efficient data storage are immediately available to banks.
Moreover, in the longer term, the scaleability, high availability and low memory demands of SQL 7.0 will help institutions react to a new range of business issues, such as the growth in e-commerce and mobile computing. In short, SQL 7.0 is fundamental for banks seeking to profit from the changing relationship between consumers and financial services providers, now and in the future, at a low cost of ownership.
For further information, contact:
Nicholas Illidge, European Financial Markets Manager - email: nickil@microsoft.com
Ashley Steele, European Retail Banking Manager - email: ashleys@microsoft.com
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