To connect or not to connect? I have been debating the advantages and disadvantages of coupling both personal and work IT systems for some time now. If you tie your IT systems together, you can manage them more easily and efficiently. On the other hand, as in Mat's case, a single node failure can cause an entire system to collapse. For another example, consider fully automatic self-updating servers. Without safe-guards, a configuration bug can bring them all down within minutes. At this point, I think some coupling, but not total coupling, is best. Too little coupling won't allow enough productivity; too much increases your risk of system-wide failure.