We are trying to maintain a higher level of water in the canal.

You are getting a higher level of server utilization with a model like that. It is a thrifty way of providing desktop support for clients.

The irritation level is just a lot higher.

The only way we can damp it down is to maintain a strict regime,

I think there's a much greater level of caution -- you could also say it's a much higher level of responsibility.

Now they want to build the levees a little higher and add some rocks on top of the canal. It's still a patchwork-quilt approach, which has already failed miserably.