Fortinet FortiGate vs Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Fortinet and TrendAI are both solutions in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category. Additionally, 92% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of TrendAI users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 26, 2026

Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] and Fortinet FortiGate are products in the network security category. Fortinet FortiGate has the upper hand due to its advanced security features that justify its higher price point, offering more comprehensive protection.

Features: Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] provides effective URL filtering and malware protection, famous for its ease and effectiveness in threat detection. Fortinet FortiGate offers a comprehensive security suite, including deep packet inspection, firewall capabilities, and VPN support, giving it an edge in extensive security provision.

Room for Improvement: Trend Micro can enhance its range of features and improve its competitive pricing to match feature-rich competitors. Its real-time monitoring and threat response might also benefit from advancement. Customer service accessibility needs expansion. Fortinet FortiGate could simplify deployment to cater better to less experienced teams. Enhancements to pricing flexibility would make it more accessible to budget-conscious users. Lastly, refining documentation to reduce complexity would ease implementation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] is easy to deploy and offers quick customer support, making it ideal for quick setups. Fortinet FortiGate, while requiring a more complex installation, provides extensive documentation and resources, which aid smoother deployment for experienced teams.

Pricing and ROI: Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] is cost-effective for initial setups and appealing to budget-conscious operations. Fortinet FortiGate, though more costly, delivers long-term value through a comprehensive feature set and enhanced security, offering a potential for a higher ROI for businesses prioritizing long-term security investments.

To learn more, read our detailed Secure Web Gateways (SWG) Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

August 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

iboss

Featured Reviews

Ashok Ananthula

Senior Consultant Proxy Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Cloud gateway has strengthened remote web security and now needs better Mac and ISP support

The problem our organization had is that iboss failed for the Mac devices. It is not able to give a successful agent for the Mac agents. That is where in 2025, we had to migrate to the Palo Alto-based platform. If your use case is for just Windows laptops,you can consider this platform as an option One issue is the data center resiliency part. In India especially, they are not tied up with the Tier 1 ISPs like Tata or Airtel; they were having Tier 2 ISPs and encountered many issues reaching few major sites that my organization depends on, and they were having problems that they could not fix quickly. They also lack a mechanism to route that traffic within their data center; rather, they ask customers to make a pac file change to route it to Singapore explicitly. It would be better if they route from their backend , i mean even if I send it to India DC, they should be able to route it internally to make that work; however, they fail to do that and ask the customer to route it in the pac file. Another suggestion is that in China, they do not have the proper setup; they used to have numerous problems with slowness and lack of premium circuits in China as well. That leads to multiple sites working slowly with latency-related issues. So the main issue is the ISP-related problems that need to be solved.

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Vijay Ramani

Practice Head at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Unified security has protected diverse environments and supports consistent policies everywhere

I would say 8 out of 10 regarding the stability of Fortinet FortiGate. It requires a lot of bug fixing and what I understand, Fortinet is fast enough to provide bug fixes and patches, but usually I suggest Fortinet should do thorough testing of their releases and software releases and once probably they can reduce the frequency of new releases but make it stable. That's what my recommendation is. As far as the core objective of Fortinet FortiGate is concerned, I think they are meeting the targets but I guess for rolling out new features and new updates, they are doing a bit of hurry just to cope with the market dynamics. But possibly, I understand that they are compromising on the quality of the software and stability. So over there they have to improve. Rest of the aspects, I guess they are doing pretty good. We are happy. Regarding my experience with Fortinet FortiGate in comparison to maybe some other vendors such as CyberArk, Fortinet is in the top three and they give a lot of competition to their nearest peers in the market. But I guess Fortinet is really struggling in software-defined LAN, Wi-Fi, and FortiSwitches space. So they have to make their products more affordable in Forti-switching and Forti-WiFi space. They are not able to compete effectively with the nearest competitor HP Enterprise and HP Aruba.

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Vladimir Alexandrov

CEO at Chorus

Consistent web protection has prevented incidents and supports flexible hybrid security models

I would rate Trend Micro Web Security a nine, but not because I have some issues in mind. I have only seen a bit better product. I was also a McAfee partner some time ago, when there was still McAfee. Some features definitely in McAfee were better than what I see in Trend Micro. I cannot tell what Trend Micro could learn from web security products of their competitors because this product has not existed for at least eight years now for McAfee, and I have no experience with other competitors. But relative to my experience and expertise, I should rate it a ten, but still I am a bit cautious because other products also have great features and these features are not covered 100% by Trend Micro. I cannot tell what additional features I would like to see in the next release, but when I see such a feature, it is very compelling. When you get into a new car and this car has something new and great, adaptive suspension, whatever, you just feel a nice feeling and you want this car. That is how I feel. I have not complained that something is missing from Trend Micro product, but I have seen in specific examples some great ideas in competition.

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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

"It was a very easy product to install. It can be deployed very fast."

"Deploying iboss leads to good return on investment, estimated around 70% to 80%."

"iboss is among the few products providing inline filtering where no application is needed on the device. It operates on the network side and is not device-based. This feature was one of the main reasons why we stayed with them for so long."

"From a use-case scenario, what I like the most is the plug-in. I like the fact that we can do the filtering of these devices offsite independent of the network they are connected to, and we do not have to have traffic coming back inside our network."

"The students were always protected, and the content filtering worked very well, seeming to work better than other products we had tried previously."

"As I mentioned, the return on investment is significant, as it saved our office locations' bandwidth because when you are working remotely at home, your internet traffic routes directly to iboss and will not go to your office building, saving bandwidth bottlenecks and ensuring that issues with our building internet circuits will not impact your internet connectivity because you are directly going to the iboss data center."

"I would say iboss is a very good product; its scalability is very good, and it's seamless for the user."

"We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times."

More iboss pros

"All the features of Fortinet FortiGate are good; when customers have issues, it's very easy to talk them through the interface, and when they've got any support issues and they want to figure them out themselves, it's very easy for them to contact the FortiGate support."

"I like the common administration and the possibility of adding Fortinet defense systems."

"Customers are more inclined towards FortiGate because of application control, web filtering, and anti-spam features. The support from the FortiGate team is good, and price-wise, it is affordable."

"The product is easy to implement, easy to manage, and easy to develop and grow."

"The biggest reason I went with Fortinet is that it felt like it has got Palo Alto type of functionality at a much more reasonable price point."

"The solution is user-friendly."

"The reporting on employee behavior and the prevention of new viruses are essential features."

"Our project needs to link two sides through the internet. One of these was in Cairo and the other in another city. We used FortiGate as the integrating solution between the two locations, i.e. the Fortinet 30E & 100E."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Trend Micro Web Security is used for web filtering and protects the environment from web threats and malicious sites."

"The solution's scalability is good and we have more than 90 users for it."

"The most valuable feature is machine learning, which automatically monitors the activity on the machine."

"It prevents phishing attacks, ransomware attacks, and other threats that can compromise data."

"The solution is stable."

"The security of Trend Micro Web Security is good."

"Trend Micro effectively supports our remote workforce by securing our web servers from external threats, particularly browser security."

"Overall, I would rate this solution a ten out of ten."

More Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] pros

Cons

"The easiest device I have set up was the Barracuda line of products."

"The area I would like to see improvement in is the ability with in the reporter to navigate directly to the content the user is traversing. It is kind of there, but it's not perfect. Quite frequently, I receive links that lead me to pages with error messages."

"One thing I would like to see differently with their Zero Trust platform is that some of the AI aspects related to high-risk activities have more false positives."

"For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company ExxonMobil."

"The endpoint-type solution is an area that needs some improvement."

"Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctly."

"The reporting feature needs improvement."

"I am currently doing a PoC of the zero trust aspect of it. Compared to other similar solutions, it is hard to get around each feature. It takes a while to get used to it."

More iboss cons

"Their software support needs improvement. I would prefer to have better support for bug fixes. Sometimes, we open a ticket, and it is very difficult to get a solution. Specifically, we are not at all happy with their support for load balancing."

"FortiGate IPS is somewhat pricey compared to other solutions. There is also room for improvement in terms of the radio signals. The FortiGate WiFi has a relatively short range. I've found there is a lag in its zero-day malware response that could be better, and FortiGate could integrate better with other brands of equipment or identity management solutions."

"The graphical user interface of Fortinet's FortiGate product does not function well with text-based interfaces."

"FortiLink is the interface on the firewall that allows you to extend switch management across all of your switches in the network. The problem with it is that you can't use multiple interfaces unless you set them up in a lag. Only then you can run them. So, it forces you to use a core type of switch to propagate that management out to the rest of the switches, and then it is running the case at 200. It leaves you with 18 ports on the firewall because it is also a layer-three router that could also be used as a switch, but as soon as you do that, you can't really use them. They could do a little bit more clean up in the way the stacking interface works. Some use cases and the documentation on the FortiLink checking interface are a little outdated. I can find stuff on version 5 or more, but it is hard to find information on some of the newer firmware. The biggest thing I would like to see is some improvement in the switch management feature. I would like to be able to relegate some of the ports, which are on the firewall itself, to act as a switch to take advantage of those ports. Some of these firewalls have clarity ports on them. If I can use those, it would mean that I need to buy two less switches, which saves time. I get why they don't, but I would still like to see it because it would save a little bit of space in the server rack."

"Fortinet Fortigate could benefit by simplifying some of their processes."

"They need to improve their technical support."

"Fortinet needs more memory to save the log files. We need it to save the logs on the hardware and not in the cloud. I know this feature is available in FortiCloud, but if we need this log locally, it is not available."

"FortiGate support could do some improvements on their IPv6 configuration. Right now it's still in the very early stage for utilizing in an enterprise level network environment."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The interface could be improved; we need it to be more user-friendly."

"Trend Micro products are quite expensive compared to Kaspersky, Sophos, and McAfee."

"This solution has a lot of restrictions on what non-administrator users can do, including generating comparative code. We would like to see this changed as the product is developed."

"The installation is a little bit complex."

"The system should generate reports when an attack has been stopped, contained, or removed."

"Setup isn't very straightforward. You must have a certified technical engineer."

"The licensing is paid annually. It is a little bit expensive when you compare it to the competition."

"The ease of use depends on the blacklisting of the sites. Some of the authorized sites have been blacklisted, which requires a request to unblock the site."

More Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"The beauty is the price performance ratio is great with FortiGate. It provides all the features we needed and the price is comparable with others' firewalls. The price is quite competitive with the firewalls with similar features."

"When you look at these end security systems and firewalls, these firewalls even five years ago were $50,000 or perhaps $25,000 to implement in some types of customer sites. Now we're talking about tools that are $1,000. In this case, it might have been $500 or something like that."

"The product is not very expensive."

"We pay for the solution annually."

"If you compare Fortinet FortiGate with Sophos and other firewall products available in the market, this solution is affordable."

"Licensing is usually on a three-year period."

"The product is expensive. I rate its pricing a six out of ten."

"The solution is very expensive so pricing is rated a one out of ten."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"We have found this product to be very cost effective. The endpoint product costs roughly $20, and when purchasing the endpoint product, there are multiple other features included."

"I don't remember the exact pricing, but I think that it is approximately $10.00 per user."

"The license is yearly and user based."

"There's annual and monthly options for the license. When you're on the managed services option, it's monthly. They're also setting up an option via AWS where there will be a monthly option via the AWS shopfront."

"The solution is expensive in terms of deployment."

"I rate the product price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"It is pricey. Trend Micro has been in the field for 30 years, so you have to pay a premium amount for that."

"We pay for the license on an annual basis."

More Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user216600

Senior Technical Consultant with 51-200 employees

Jan 3, 2016

Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate

I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Performing Arts

12%

Outsourcing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	372
Midsize Enterprise	138
Large Enterprise	195

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

I think iboss could be improved by making reporting and dashboard customization more flexible, and simplifying troubl...

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What is your primary use case for iboss?

I use iboss as a cloud-based secure web gateway to provide secure internet access, web filtering, and protect remote ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

My experience with iboss's pricing structure, setup cost, and licensing model has been positive, straightforward, and...

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Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?

When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...

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What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?

From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...

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What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...

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Do you recommend Trend Micro Web Security?

I would recommend Trend Micro Web Security to organizations looking for an end-to-end security solution. Trend Micro ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Trend Micro Web Security?

It is pricey. Trend Micro has been in the field for 30 years, so you have to pay a premium amount for that. SentinelO...

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What needs improvement with Trend Micro Web Security?

I would rate Trend Micro Web Security a nine, but not because I have some issues in mind. I have only seen a bit bett...

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Comparisons

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 10% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

FortiSASE vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs iboss

Compared 5% of the time

More iboss Competitors

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 14% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 14% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 6% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Cisco Web Security Appliance vs Trend Micro Web Security [EOL]

Compared 17% of the time

Netskope Next Gen Secure Web Gateway vs Trend Micro Web Security [EOL]

Compared 7% of the time

Skyhigh Security vs Trend Micro Web Security [EOL]

Compared 6% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs Trend Micro Web Security [EOL]

Compared 6% of the time

Symantec Proxy vs Trend Micro Web Security [EOL]

Compared 5% of the time

More Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

September 2026

Download iboss product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

September 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Trend Micro Web Security [EOL]

August 2026

Download Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Virus Wall, VirusWall, Trend Micro VirusWall

Overview

Iboss offers a comprehensive cloud-based security platform valued for its scalability and autonomous features, ensuring robust security with easy deployment and management capabilities.

Renowned for its robust security architecture, Iboss integrates seamlessly within diverse networks, delivering efficient granular filtering and advanced content categorization. Its single pane of glass console provides ease of management, allowing rapid scalability suitable for rapidly deploying environments. Operates in BYOD setups due to inline filtering without device installation. Integration with cloud-based applications enhances user control, and features like SASE, SSL inspection, and ChatGPT risk protection stand as highlights. Despite its strengths, users have pointed out areas for enhancement like direct navigation in reports, SSL decryption, and better cloud integration while having room to improve data loss prevention.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

Scalability: Supports rapid deployment across diverse networks.
SASE: A consolidated approach to secure access.
SSL Inspection: Ensures safe data transmission.
Granular Filtering: Detailed control over accessible content.
Single Pane Management: Unifies control through a centralized console.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Cost-effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing with robust features.
Autonomous Operation: Reduces management overhead.
Responsive Support: Provides assistance when needed.
Flexible Deployment: Available for both cloud and on-premises environments.

The usage of Iboss spans educational institutions, specifically K-12, to enforce internet policies, protect data, and support remote work environments. It provides web filtering and security frameworks to ensure safe browsing. Its platform-as-a-service model offers flexibility for both cloud-based and on-premises requirements, integrating seamlessly to deliver enhanced security features suitable for various deployment needs including zero trust, CASB, and network security for work-from-home setups.

iboss

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] integrates machine learning, endpoint security, and Zero Trust technology to offer comprehensive threat detection and protection. It supports cloud filtering, access control, and advanced DLP licensing for effective monitoring and security management across environments.

Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] is designed for robust protection against threats like hacking, malware, and ransomware. Combining features such as centralized management with OWASP Top 10 monitoring, it facilitates proactive web filtering, identity management, and cloud security. Enhanced with HTTP decryption rules and patch updates, users benefit from responsive support and reliable stability. Despite its comprehensive capabilities, improvements are needed in reporting, performance, anti-malware enhancement, and cost efficiency, especially for scalability and multi-tenant use. Companies capitalize on its sandboxing, URL filtering, and application control to secure on-premises and cloud infrastructures. Its potential is enriched yet requires enhancements in site blacklisting, SQL injection security, and DDoS protection.

What are the key features of Trend Micro Web Security [EOL]?

Machine Learning: Enhances threat detection accuracy.
Endpoint Security: Protects endpoints from security breaches.
Zero Trust Technology: Ensures strict identity verification.
Cloud Filtering: Monitors and secures cloud environments.
Advanced DLP Licensing: Safeguards sensitive data across networks.
Access Control: Manages user permissions and access.

What benefits or ROI should users expect from Trend Micro Web Security [EOL]?

Scalability: Adapts to growing enterprise requirements.
Stability: Provides consistent performance under heavy load.
Responsive Support: Offers timely help and resolution of issues.
Regular Logs: Delivers comprehensive logging for analysis.

Trend Micro Web Security [EOL] is prominently used in industries such as finance and delivery, where secure data handling is crucial. Organizations deploy it to protect endpoints, remote work environments, and manage identity securely. Essential for preventing unauthorized access and ensuring compliance, its features cater to complex network infrastructures.

TrendAI

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya

Landwirtschaftskammer Nordrhein-Westfalen, Mosaic Medical, Okinawa Prefectural Education Center, RAK Investment Authority

Buyer's Guide

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

August 2026

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