Heard of BYOD, or "bring your own device", to work before? More and more companies are letting or even asking their employees to bring their phones or laptops to work. There are obvious benefits, but also dangers that may not be as obvious. Read on to find out what they are.

You may have noticed more and more of your employees or colleagues bringing their own computing devices to work—be it their mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. Or perhaps in your company or in other companies you may have seen, they have let people decide which device they prefer because they are used to it at home. You may not realize it, but this is all part of a large trend called the "consumerization" of IT, in which the influence of consumer technology is being increasingly felt in the workplace. With the wide availability of cheap but powerful mobile devices and online services, a growing number of people are being exposed to the latest technology at home first—adopting them at a rate faster than most businesses are able to manage. This flips on its head the old paradigm in which traditionally new technologies would be rolled out to businesses first, before they would find their way to consumers.

This trend, plus the increasing sophistication of young workers today and their frustration with the tools available to them at the office, is pushing some companies to adopt a "bring your own device" or BYOD policy at work. They are not alone. According to research by technology analyst group Gartner, end users, not the IT department, will soon be responsible for 50 percent of business IT procurement decisions—ultimately bringing and running their own systems on company networks. Meanwhile, according to management consultants Accenture, around one-third of today's younger generation of workers (a group called "millenials") not only wants to use the computer of their choice at work, but also wants control of the applications they use too.

The benefits companies cite to adopting a BYOD policy are many, among them:

• Savings on capital expenses and training costs in using company equipment—compensating employees instead via other means such as flexible work hours, subsidized purchases, insurance, and other benefits.
• Less management headache—effectively letting employees decide what to use releases the company from some overhead and management responsibilities.
• Improved employee satisfaction—by giving employees the freedom to use devices and applications that they prefer.

However, before you consider letting employees bring their own personal technology to the work place, be aware that there are also disadvantages, and sometimes very real dangers in doing so. These include:

• Non-standardization of hardware, operating systems, and applications. If your business operations require that some equipment is integrated with others, then BYOD can in the long run actually increase IT management costs and decrease efficiency.
• Exposing your network to malware or security vulnerabilities and breaches. When your employees bring their own devices to work, you lose important control over their security. Consumer devices often don't employ comparable bullet-proof security technologies mandated by businesses.
• Leakage of confidential or proprietary information. Employees will naturally do what they want with the data on their devices, even if it doesn't belong to them, or it's against company policies. Employees can also lose precious company data when they misplace or damage their personal devices.
• Lower economies of scale in procurement. Essentially because everyone is buying devices on their own, you miss out on the chance to consolidate purchases and lower purchase costs for everybody.

Have you adopted a BYOD policy at work? Thinking about it? Worried about this trend? If you need to understand BYOD better so you can define a policy for your staff, contact us and see how we can help.

Being part of a sports team is much more than simply an avenue to keeping fit. Often it is the love of the game, as well as the people in your team and the bond that you form, that keeps you playing. In fact, you may be so involved that you don't even feel like you're keeping fit at all and fitness might not be your main motivation for taking part either. Beyond injecting some healthy activity into your lifestyle, being a team player promises some real positives for life too!

Everything you do has an impact on other areas of your life. No one person or one activity operates in a vacuum and there is a holistic interconnectedness running through how you live your life from one moment and action to the next. If you do X then it can lead to Y and so on. So, If you're thinking about becoming more active and fit then you might want to consider what impact a team sport might have, not just on your fitness levels, but your life as a whole.

Here are 10 other reasons to get sporty with others:

1. Work benefits - In any team you get involved, collaborate and work together in a joint effort, whilst still having to use your own initiative. The skills you learn in the sports team arena can be employed in the workplace as well.
2. Energy, excitement and exhilaration - Not every moment in life is an adrenalin-fueled, edge-of-your-seat adventure, full of thrills and moments of loss and triumph. Being part of a team can spark some of that momentum to take you through the rest of your activities with zest.
3. Fun - There's a saying that 'laughter is the best medicine', but regardless of whether laughter-therapy works, having fun can make you feel good for the rest of the day or evening. Embrace your inner-child, the one who loves playing games with others and enjoying their free time, no matter how seriously you take your sport.
4. Letting off steam - Throwing yourself into an activity that really ignites your interest and enthusiasm, not to mention the endorphins that are released through exercise, can be a great way to let off steam. Interacting with others, shouting out encouragement, as well as celebrating victories and lamenting losses, is why teamwork can help work out anxieties.
5. Friends - Meeting like-minded people, or those who have a shared interest, is one of the great pluses of teamwork. It's also healthy to meet people who you might not otherwise come into contact with. It's not just about possible friendships, but having a sense of camaraderie.
6. Empathy and consideration - When you work with others in a team setting, you have to take account of their input, their opinions and how what you do impacts them. Playing any type of team sport is only successful if you have an understanding of others and consider their thoughts and feelings.
7. Structure, roles and rules - Whatever your type of personality or whatever family or work situation you have, team sports can teach you the value of following a code and  working within the confines of regulations, which every person has to do at certain points in life. You can't always do what you want in life regardless, and being part of a team with rules and defined roles in place, can be a valuable life lesson.
8. Communication and confidence - If you don't work as team player when you're part of a team then you might find that you struggle to succeed. To make every player is in the same ball park you need to communicate. The ability to really connect with others and be able to listen, as well a voice your views, is crucial in so many areas of life. Being open to praise, constructive criticism and encouragement from others can really help build your confidence too.
9. Healthy competition and challenge - Acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses and those of others can really help you set goals and target improvements. Setting yourself personal challenges and entering into a competitive spirit can spur you on to aim higher in other areas of your life and inspire ambition.
10. Commitment - Whatever your position in a team, you rely on yourself and your team depend on you too. This accountability gives you a strong sense of responsibility which filters through to other important situations and relationships in your life too.

Do you want to be part of a team and get involved in a healthy way of living, in every way? We might have the right team waiting for you.