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Welcome to the IT Good Place (Or Is It?)
Have you ever looked around your IT environment and thought, “This isn’t bad… actually, it’s kind of nice”? The systems mostly work, the help desk is friendly, and your provider sends you polished reports with lots of green checkmarks. But something still feels off. Tickets vanish into the void. You’re never quite sure what’s billable. And every time you think about switching providers, you realize you’re already locked into another year.
If you’ve ever had that quiet, nagging suspicion that something’s not quite right—congratulations. You might be in The Good Place. Or at least, what looks like it.
Unlimited Frozen Yogurt and the Illusion of Support
In the hit Netflix show The Good Place, a group of morally questionable humans wake up in what they’re told is heaven. Everything is bright, cheerful, and filled with endless frozen yogurt. But as the episodes unfold, they realize the truth: they’re not in paradise—they’re in a cleverly disguised version of hell, designed to torment them in subtle, psychological ways. Sound familiar?
In the IT world, this often looks like a help desk that’s always cheerful but never effective. You submit a ticket, they promise to follow up, and then… silence. Weeks later, the issue resurfaces, and you realize no one ever documented it. Maybe no ticket was created at all. You start to internalize the frustration, chalking it up to “just how IT works.” But that’s the trick. The real torture isn’t fire and brimstone—it’s smiling faces and unresolved problems that slowly wear you down.
The Bureaucracy of Confusion
Another hallmark of The Good Place is its absurd bureaucracy. At one point, a character is told he needs to submit a form to request a form to ask a question. It’s all delivered with a pleasant tone and a helpful smile, but it’s maddeningly obstructive. The system is designed to confuse, not clarify.
This is exactly how it feels when your IT provider has a billing structure so convoluted that even their own staff can’t explain it. One day, a service is included. The next, it’s billable. You ask for clarification and get a vague answer about “policy.” You’re not sure what’s covered, what’s extra, or why your invoice looks like a puzzle. It’s not just frustrating—it’s disempowering. And that’s the point. If you’re too confused to ask questions, you’re easier to control.
The Relationship You Can’t Escape
Perhaps the most diabolical part of The Good Place is the manipulation of relationships. Chidi and Eleanor fall in love, only to have their memories wiped and their connection reset—over 800 times. Each time, they think they’re making progress, but it’s all part of the experiment. They’re trapped in a loop, believing they have agency when they don’t. This is the same feeling many businesses experience with long-term IT contracts that auto-renew months before the end date. You think you’re nearing the finish line, ready to explore other options, and suddenly—bam—you’re locked in for another year. The provider smiles, thanks you for your loyalty, and the cycle begins again. You’re not in a partnership. You’re in a reboot loop.
Are You Eleanor?
In the show, Eleanor is the first to figure it out. She notices the inconsistencies, asks the uncomfortable questions, and eventually uncovers the truth. She wasn’t supposed to be in the Good Place—and maybe no one else was either. So, here’s your moment of clarity: maybe you’re Eleanor. Maybe your IT environment isn’t what it seems. Want to find out? Call your IT provider and tell them you’re bringing in a third-party cybersecurity firm to perform an audit. Then ask for the administrative passwords. Watch what happens.
If they say it’s “too risky” or offer to log in themselves instead of handing them over, you’re not being protected—you’re being managed. Don’t fall for the illusion. A trustworthy managed IT services provider can rotate passwords after the audit. A manipulative one will do everything they can to keep you from seeing behind the curtain.
The Truth Will Set Your Network Free
IT hell doesn’t always come with flames and outages. Sometimes, it comes with smiles, dashboards, and frozen yogurt. But if your systems are unreliable, your billing is confusing, and your provider keeps you locked in with vague policies and early renewals, you’re not in the Good Place. You’re just in a very well-decorated version of hell. And like Eleanor, you deserve to know the truth no matter whether your business is in San Antoino or Jacksonville, Florida (home of Jason Mendoza)!
