Is software-defined router the next step towards digital transformation? The simplest answer is yes. We can observe that through the years, data, voice, and video traffic passing through the network have grown swiftly. This era of information revolution shows the continuous growth of explosive data not only in LAN (Local Area Network) but also in WAN (Wide Area Network). These add up to the realization of developers that the advancement of cloud computing, big data analytics, internet-of-things now have preeminent demands for the network today. It needs to be more adaptable, scalable, secured, but above all, it needs to be programmable.

With the recent developments of technologies, the network has evolved tremendously and is not anymore bounded by physical location. What used to be only limited in corporate offices and remote branches can now be extended to our homes and residing areas of mobile workers. This huge step into a more modernized and digitalized age is through the creation of new network infrastructures and software architectures. Thus, network virtualization emerged and is now one of the most prominent global digital transformations to date.

Research has proven that network virtualization can diversify the future Internet architecture according to the requirements of the end-user. These requirements include 1) the needs of different network applications, 2) the need for an environment that can support developing new commands and protocols, as well as 3) the need to adapt to constant traffic surges. One of the network’s components that needs to process more and more traffic and to adapt to the increases in bandwidth and port speed is a router.

As the world continues to move away from the traditional hardware-centric enterprise router functionalities, it leaves the routers in data centers, head offices, branches, and remote locations outdated. As service providers continue to discover how the network edge will evolve, it has become clear that IP (internet protocol) and routing will be needed very close to the end-user. It is also a fact that routers are needed to cost much less but perform a lot more.

Soon, these routers would need to get upgraded to keep up with this fast-changing digital age. However, the traditional hardware-centric routers that are used and deployed today are very costly to upgrade. It’s not programmable to cope up with the ever-evolving needs of modern IT systems as well as the demands from businesses, users, and applications. Thus, virtual routers are one of the proposed solutions.

Virtual routers (software) and physical routers (hardware) are the same in terms of its role in being an access point for communication between the end-user and other networks. The difference is that a virtual router (VR) is a software-based routing framework, wherein the functions of traditional hardware-centric network appliances and routers are converted to software that can already run on standard commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware. This means that it allows the host machine to perform just like a typical hardware router over a LAN or WAN, enabling a server to perform network and packet routing. Because of this evolution, routing functions can now be dynamically configured to the network’s needs.

Several telecommunication operators and other companies from diverse industries have already started to adopt network virtualization using Software-Defined Networking (SDN). It is an emerging architecture that is dynamic, manageable, cost-effective, and adaptable and is now ideal for the high-bandwidth, dynamic nature of today’s applications. The key advantages of a software-defined router are outstanding. It’s easy to use, brings more power, and allows them to achieve high efficiency, quality performance, and capabilities at a reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) to almost 90%.

Bastion Payment Systems, a business-to-business financial technology company that offers business solutions including Future Technologies, is already launching the Bastion Software-Defined Router (SDR) here in the Philippines. Its goal is to provide businesses high-performance, highly customizable hosting, cutting edge technology at a reasonable price. It is designed to have a simple transition from hardware to software, eliminating the problem of having costly upgrades.

The Bastion SDR shows outstanding performance and capabilities.

With the converged network that we have now, data, voice, and video are traversing on the same pipe of WAN links. The Bastion Router:

• Can prioritize mission-critical applications over the other applications and services.
• Has rich features of new trends in LAN and WAN to cater to the demands of applications and users.
• Has the right specs for CPU and memory to process a sudden or sustained peak of traffic driven by business needs.
• Has the ability for 16 million packets per second per core of IP Forwarding performance.

It is built in the principles of Software-Defined Networking (SDN). The Bastion Router:

• Has linear performance scalability from 1G to 100G with the number of cores deployed.
• Provides scalable, cost-effective IP routing, IPsec VPNs, and CG-NAT solutions.
• Has full-featured data plane networking with fast path protocols.
• Uses YANG-based NETCONF APIs network management framework.
• Can be purchased as software and installed in a bare metal server powered by Intel Xeon.
• Supports virtual machine deployments in VMware ESXi, Linux KVM, and Amazon Web Services.

The Bastion SDR ensures ease of use and provision of technical support.

• Router configuration can happen through Linux, the CLI, and APIs for integration with third-party management tools and orchestrators.
• Can be configured by users as easy as they would browse a file system.
• Supports automation and zero-touch deployment
• Supports all the required protocol operations to read and write the configuration.
• Documentation and technical support are easily available.
• Bastion provides technical training for network admins and IT staff for configuration and maintenance of the router.

Among other virtual router software brands, the Bastion SDR allows you to upgrade your business to high performance, programmable software that has the ability and capacity to cope with the fast-changing needs of modern IT systems.

Bastion Payment Systems can even help you decide on the specs that would suit your business. And whichever virtual router you choose, considering its specs and capacities, the investment you will make is a sure future proof of investment. Virtual routers will allow you to move to a higher-performing one if needed in the future. This way, you would not need to purchase bulks of hardware routers to cope up with the constant digital transformation, the continuing rise in traffic surge, the requirement for upgraded applications, and many more. You can start small now and then expand and grow gradually by upscaling the virtual environment. Virtual routers are cutting-edge technology that would give businesses and other end-users their future edge routing needs and demands.

In this era of the information revolution and digital transformation, the development of future technologies and upgrading outdated devices are both inevitable. So make it your company’s goal to secure future proof of investment! With the Bastion SDR, you’ll get top-quality, high-performance, software-defined router. Bastion can even help you visualize what specs you’ll need that is within your means and budget. To know more about the product,click here to be directed to our home page and request for a quotation to be sent to your email. As Bastion continuous to enhance business with world-class business solutions, it is guaranteed that you’ll get the best deal Bastion can offer!

During this COVID-19 pandemic, lung ultrasound is being used as an accurate and safe alternative to diagnose patients without the need for X-Rays and CT-scans. As more cases of COVID-19 are being diagnosed, implementing this procedure to manage infected patients continues to become significant.

Jonathan Cheung and his colleagues wrote with emphasis that doctors have to lessen the use of the stethoscope and radiological devices as these have high possibilities of being contaminated. Once a device is contaminated, it puts the doctor and other patients at risk as well. Thus, doctors are in dire need of lung ultrasound to replace the use of a stethoscope. Dr. Copetti had already supported this concept back in 2016 when he stated that lung ultrasound would be the stethoscope of the next millennium.

Several journal articles have also been released concerning the benefits of point-of-care ultrasound to screen and monitor COVID-19 patients. So not only is lung ultrasound becoming a necessary procedure, but the ultrasound scanner has to be handheld and portable as well.

In one of the articles from the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), they had also recognized that POCUS devices reduce the exposure of doctors and patients. However, they stated that the meticulous cleaning of such devices is a critical protocol, indicating that these devices are best to be waterproof or fully immersible for easy sanitation and safe disinfection.

The good news is that there's an ultrasound scanner in the market today that has all of these features in check.

Clarius HD Wireless Ultrasound Scanner is the next generation of new technology when it comes to ultrasound systems. It can address the concerns for such lung ultrasound exams, the need for infection control, and lessening the risk of exposure of doctors and patients during this pandemic.

According to Dr. Frenkel, an emergency physician at St. Paul’s Hospital of Vancouver, positive findings on ultrasound exams for viral pneumonia infections greatly help in the effective and quick diagnosis of COVID-19 cases. He is even leading a POCUS project that provides clinicians in rural areas with Clarius HD ultrasound scanners that would be utilized for different kinds of ultrasound exams, including cardiac and lung ultrasound.

Since lessening the risk of exposure and tightening infection control during this pandemic is already a protocol, having handheld, waterproof, and easy-to-clean devices like Clarius is the choicest technology for performing safer ultrasound scanning.

Clarius HD is IPX7 rated, meaning it is waterproof and fully immersible for sanitation and disinfection. Since it is also a wireless scanner, it can be encased in a sterile, airtight bag with compatible cleaners and disinfectant gel, eliminating the risk of contamination.

And with the use of Telemedicine, the device is connected to the Clarius App via iOS or Android devices, providing scanned results in seconds and reducing the physician’s exposure time with patients. Telemedicine also allows remote access to scanned results via Clarius Cloud, lessening the need for face-to-face consultation and second opinion.

Dr. Joanna Bostwick, an ER doctor at Montfort Hospital, stated that the traditional procedure was putting a patient on a stretcher just to get them to the ultrasound exam room. Quick scanning a patient for immediate patient care and immediately disinfecting the Clarius HD device afterward in an airtight bag is so much easier for them. For her, the key advantage of handheld devices in this pandemic is the easy infection control.

Clarius HD’s ultrasound exams are of exceptional image quality because of its Octal Beamforming Technology. It provides 8x faster frame rates and 8x more data processed for higher resolution. With quality image scans, it helps lessen human error in analyzing results, especially for COVID-19 related cases. Another benefit of the Clarius HD is that it’s a one-click scanning device. With specific lung-presets, this allows doctors to start scanning their patients in seconds.

As for Dr. Robinson, a family physician who also uses Clarius HD, they have already accomplished remarkable work on different kinds of ultrasound exams. With point-and-shoot ultrasound technology, Clarius HD makes scanning easier and quicker for her and their hospital staff.

Although lung ultrasound does not replace swab testing in terms of getting conclusive COVID-19 positive or negative results, there are still certain findings that lung ultrasound can provide for doctors so they can cross-check with COVID-19 symptoms. These findings greatly help them quickly decide if patients are suffering from COVID-19 disease or something else entirely.

As for Dr. Robinson, a family physician who also uses Clarius HD, they have already accomplished remarkable work on different kinds of ultrasound exams. With point-and-shoot ultrasound technology, Clarius HD makes scanning easier and quicker for her and their hospital staff.

Although lung ultrasound does not replace swab testing in terms of getting conclusive COVID-19 positive or negative results, there are still certain findings that lung ultrasound can provide for doctors so they can cross-check with COVID-19 symptoms. These findings greatly help them quickly decide if patients are suffering from COVID-19 disease or something else entirely.
To know more about the products, click here to be directed to our website’s Clarius product page and get in touch with us. As Bastion continuous to enhance business with world-class business solutions, we guarantee that you'll get the best deal Bastion can offer!

A crisis simulation aims to validate an organization's crisis management plans through training and asking the right questions to hopefully derive the participants' desired responses and actions, regardless of the unpredictability of crisis scenarios.
The best simulations create not just long-term wisdom, but ones that prove to have lasting value to the company. The participants would know and feel that they have truly learned from the simulation and remember them from that proactive experience.

Here are some of the vital roles of crisis simulation exercises and how it can serve as a steady foundation for your people and your company:

1. It provides an opportunity for review and analysis. Continual assessment of known risks and new, potential risks is crucial, and this needs to be the foundation for any crisis. Through crisis simulation exercises, you would be able to practice and evaluate your people and your plan.

2. It creates internal awareness per employee and per team. Simulations help your people realize what they need to work on as a team and as individuals who are part of your organization. They get to make a rain check of what they should have been aware of in crisis management before the simulation occurred.
3. It creates an opportunity for team building and leadership training. Leaders and their second-in-command would be tested on handling their team and the situation and develop communication skills. While simulations can bring the best of us, it also brings out the worst. Thus these would also help in building trust and overall team or department bonding.
4. It opens the discussion for potential loopholes and issues. Simulations create the opportunity for your people to raise the issues and concerns they encounter and discuss the possible solutions after to come up with a better crisis management plan.
With Bastion's Crisis Simulation Service, you can get all these benefits even in the comforts of your home or work station. This service is the only entirely internet-based crisis simulation service that prepares your organization by analyzing decision-makers' behaviors during complex situations that test the decision-making process under stress.

It's an automated system that focuses on your organization's most important asset, your people. The simulations are repeatable and are the same regardless if it needs to run twice or two hundred times. Bastion would only require an internet connection and the ability to write an email to communicate to run the service for you.

Bastion's Crisis Simulation is the only system that simulates custom decision-making scenarios focusing on real-life interactions. It provides real-time analysis of organizational behaviors, compares real decision-making processes to expected decisions, and understands the causation of behaviors and decisions. It improves preparedness by providing an endurance score and proactive corrective actions.
This service allows you to prepare for any scenario, such as data breach, cyber incident, natural disasters, brand threat, aviation safety, money laundering, aviation security, smart city terror, GDPR, water security, competitive intelligence, and active shooter.

To deliver this service flawlessly, Bastion's team would interview your team and set goals for what crisis you would want to test and simulate. The crisis scenario would be designed and customized according to your inputs, and provide real-time, practical indications on process impact. But the service doesn't end there. Bastion also presents a diagnostic report that indicates your organization's readiness to manage a crisis, as well as the necessary insights on how you'll improve performance.

As Benjamin Franklin had said, "Tell me, and I forget, Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn." If you and your people took crisis simulation seriously, you would be able to derive the results you want to see when an actual crisis happens, no matter how worse the case would be. You would see it as an opportunity to learn and build a team and the whole company.
Let Bastion help you prepare for the next crisis today! To know more about the service, click here to be directed to our home page and get in touch with us. As Bastion continuous to enhance business with world-class business solutions, we guarantee that you'll get the best deal Bastion can offer!

Dra. Cynthia Balila is a Filipino OB-GYN doctor specializing in Reproductive Medicine and Gynecologic Endoscopy, with sub-specialties in Infertility Management, In Vitro Fertility (IVF), and Minimal Invasive Surgery. She started her training in the year 2000 and graduated in 2004. And for the past 16 years, she's been performing private practice and is part of the Philippine Society for Gynecologic Endoscopy (PSGE).
OB-GYN doctors like her use ultrasound scanning to produce an internal image of their patient's bladder, uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix, and ovaries, and pictures of an embryo or a fetus within a pregnant woman. The best simulations create not just long-term wisdom, but ones that prove to have lasting value to the company. The participants would know and feel that they have truly learned from the simulation and remember them from that proactive experience.
As for Dra. Cynthia's specialty in Reproductive Medicine, she prescribes her patients the medicine they need to become fertile. Through ultrasound scanning, she can monitor if the medication works and if her patient has ovulated. This specialty gave Dra. Cynthia a sense of fulfillment as she can take care of life, having not just one but two patients: the mother and the baby. As the years went by, she became more interested in helping her patients get pregnant, especially those who have difficulty ovulating. It warms her heart to help them, and that desire pushed her into her sub-specialty in Infertility Management.
For this sub-specialty, she performs follicle monitoring and scanning of her patients for their In Vitro Fertilization and Intrauterine insemination. These are both medical procedures used to help treat infertility, assist with the conception of a child, or prevent genetic problems. And ultrasound scanning is an essential part of Dra. Cynthia's patient management for those undergoing infertility treatment. She needs to monitor if there is a response to the medicine she gives them and perform an ultrasound scan every two to three days, especially during the fertile period.
With twenty years of experience as an OB-GYN doctor, Dr. Cynthia can attest that ultrasound scanning has already evolved tremendously, from 2D to 5D. She rarely used the big, traditional cart-based ultrasound machine. She was trained on using one and had used it during her training years and a few times during her private practice. However, she found it difficult to use. It had heavy wires, a bulky figure that resulted in taking up much space, and there were many things to consider in order to operate the machine. So when she purchased her own ultrasound, she got a wired probe.
Since she moves from one clinic location to another, bringing a big bulky machine was not an option. She opted for a wired probe scanner that could be connected and attached to a laptop, with the image projected onto the monitor. Yet, she still was not satisfied due to the plentiful wirings and set up that had to be done each time. To her, wires were a hassle whenever she performed an ultrasound scan. And with her wired probe, the USB hub also loosened up over time and caused the scan to hang or freeze, which was the last thing she wanted to happen while performing the scan.
Good thing she discovered Clarius’ handheld ultrasound scanners a few weeks before Christmas last year. Among the scanners, she chose the Clarius EC7 HD Scanner that has presets for IVF/Reproductive, Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Urology specializations. In her line of work, Dra. Cynthia mostly utilizes the scanner's IVF presets for infertility management and follicle scanning.
"Clarius is very amusing to use, and its features are remarkable for such a small scanner." ~ Dra. Cynthia Balila
Of the many features of this device, what Dra. Cynthia loves the most about Clarius is its portability, its lightness, and being able to connect to her tablet via the scanner's direct Wi-Fi. It being wireless is another big plus for her, as she won't have to deal with wires anymore. She now has her very own wireless, handheld ultrasound scanner that she can carry wherever she goes.
Besides Clarius' portability, she is thrilled to see the high-resolution images that the scanner provides and its features of enlarging or decreasing the screen and lightening or darkening the resolution using the Auto Gain mode. She loves using the Color Flow feature to check internal organs and cells, allowing her to identify if her patient is ovulating. And most often, she utilizes Clarius’ Power Doppler whenever she encounters questionable polyps, which is an excess outgrowth of the innermost uterine layer in the patient's uterine cavity.
Dr. Cynthia believes that Clarius will soon be popularly used by Obstetricians here in the Philippines once they know more about it, especially by those who specialize in Infertility Management. It will soon become an essential device for them because they will be able to scan their patients anywhere and anytime without having to go to an ultrasound room. But to Dra. Cynthia, even the general pool of OB-GYN doctors would see Clarius as an essential device to have. It will enable them to perform abdominal and transvaginal scanning and measure and hear the baby's heartbeat during a checkup.
"Some may think it's a bit pricey, but for me, with the kind of features that a Clarius scanner possesses, it's worth it. Even my patients are excited when they see the device!" ~ Dra. Cynthia Balila
The feedback of her patients gives her a stronger affirmation that she made the right decision in choosing Clarius. First time patients are always amazed to see Dra. Cynthia using just her tablet and the Clarius scanner. Most of the time, she would ask her patients to lie down on the hospital/clinic bed, and her patients would look around the room, asking, "Where's the machine?" She would smile and tell them to relax as she brings out her tablet and the scanner.
"Ever since before, whenever I scan my patients, I teach and show my patients what I'm doing and what I'm looking at. So now that I can show them the scan through my tablet, my patients have become more fascinated during our appointments. They see the scanner as a very efficient, handy, high-technology device. And so do I." ~ Dra. Cynthia Balila

For inquiries on how you can own a Clarius HD Wireless Handheld Ultrasound Scanner, Bastion Health Sciences would be more than happy to assist you. You can check out our website click here, reach out to us at 8844-7285, or email us at bastion.sales@paybps.com

The word "Clarius" became the name synonymous with "superior handheld ultrasound" back in 2016, and many physicians have begun using Clarius scanners since. In 2019, the new Clarius HD Wireless Handheld Ultrasound was released and is now popularly known as the next generation, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) device. It enables you to have easy, point-and-shoot ultrasound scanning. It's wireless and portable, allowing you to bring it anywhere around your hospital, clinic, and laboratory, or even to your patients' home if you'll be performing home visits.
Here in the Philippines, Bastion is the only authorized distributor of Clarius. We have started to introduce this to many Filipino physicians, and Dr. Jeremy is one of the Filipino doctors who has long enjoyed using the optimal features of Clarius. He is an Interventional Pain Physician with Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation training, commonly known as a Physiatrist. He has his clinic, Clinic OS Habitares in Katipunan, Quezon City, and performs online video consultations for his patients.
He purchased Clarius to have a POCUS device in his possession and make it easier for him to check and diagnose his patients. Among the seven types of Clarius scanners, Dr. Jeremy opted for the Clarius L15 HD scanner with a frequency of 5-15MHz and a max depth of 7cm. It has presets for specialties such as Anesthesia, Injections, Breast, MSK, Nerve, Thyroid, Lung, Vascular, Small Parts, and Superficial. But because of its MSK presets, Clarius L15 perfectly matches the typical structures he needs to scan within his specialty.
As an Interventional Pain Physician, Dr. Jeremy evaluates and treats patients with musculoskeletal medical conditions, such as bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissue that supports and bind tissues and organs together. He believes that Clarius is a game changer in medical technology and has remarkably helped him in his medical practice.
“I cannot imagine not using ultrasound nowadays. And now, with Clarius, it has much improved. It is so useful for screening, diagnosing, and treating. It has simplified my clinical decision-making process.” ~ Dr. Jeremy Flordelis
Dr. Jeremy also compared his experience using cart-based ultrasound machines and Clarius HD.
According to his experience using cart-based ultrasound machines, it was a struggle to use because they do not have cloud storage, they have heavy and bulky wires, and they are not portable. Traditional ultrasound exams were usually done in the radiology department and performed by a sonographer. Medical physicians like Dr. Jeremy had to get the results from that department to diagnose the condition, and the patient would come back after a day or two to hear the diagnosis from him.
But Dr. Jeremy testifies that with Clarius, a wireless, easy-to-use, point-and-shoot device, he’s been performing all those steps in just one appointment. And for the past months that he’s been using Clarius, it has been a breeze. He’s been performing his work more efficiently, which is a significant advantage, not just for him but also for his patients.
Since Clarius can be connected to a user-friendly Clarius App and provides unlimited storage through the Clarius Cloud, Dr. Jeremy has been able to fully utilize the device since he started performing ultrasound scanning using the Clarius L15 HD scanner. He also loves its portability because he can easily show his patients the ultrasound scan right then and there with the aid of real-time visuals through his tablet. He is amazed at how Clarius has allowed him to diagnose his patients all in one appointment.
“Ultrasound scanning and utilization of telemedicine have never been this easy. Clarius is a device that my fellow doctors would love. It doesn’t fall short on any of the qualities or features needed for an ultrasound, even if it has become handheld.” ~ Dr. Jeremy Flordelis
Dr. Jeremy believes that soon, every doctor who performs and can use ultrasound would want to see and experience performing one with Clarius. More and more doctors like him will see its significance here in the Philippines. Once that happens, he knows that the Clarius HD Wireless Handheld Ultrasound scanners would quickly become the future of medical technology.
“Technology has a way of evolving faster than anything in this world. I have seen it with smartphones, and now I have seen it with the Clarius scanner, so that future is not that far.” ~ Dr. Jeremy Flordelis

For inquiries on how you can own a Clarius HD Wireless Handheld Ultrasound Scanner, Bastion Health Sciences would be more than happy to assist you. You can check out our products and services at our website click here, reach out to us at 8844-7285, or email us at bastion.sales@paybps.com.