Kristin Alexander

Government Technology • 05/22/2025

Understanding Cyber Risks in the AI Era

Artificial intelligence is changing the game for government cybersecurity. Gone are the days when security teams could weed out phishing emails based on simple indicators like misspellings or awkward syntax. Today’s cybercriminals are weaponizing AI to evade detection and launch more sophisticated attacks. AI is also reshaping the cybersecurity landscape for IT teams working to protect networks and secure sensitive data.

Avalara • 05/21/2025

Cross-border ecommerce trends: How global businesses are adapting to growth, regulation, and risk

Significant growth in global ecommerce is creating new opportunities for businesses worldwide. The chance to enter new markets also presents challenges, especially where logistics and compliance with complex trade regulations are concerned. To understand how businesses are adapting to this shift, Censuswide surveyed 903 executives overseeing global logistics, supply chain, and international trade compliance.

Avalara, Inc. • 01/23/2025

Avalara tax changes 2025

I wrote the sections on beverage alcohol, communications, and excise (energy, fuel, tobacco, and vape) for Avalara's flagship annual report.

Avalara, Inc. • 03/05/2024

Know Your Nexus

Getting sales tax compliance right is important. The first step is understanding where your business has nexus, or where you need to collect and remit sales and use tax. Nexus is ever-changing and it can be confusing for even savvy professionals.

Avalara, Inc. • 11/18/2019

GlobalPost delivers a helping hand to international shippers

By offering the tool for free, GlobalPost enhanced customer satisfaction and empowered smaller merchants to expand globally without fear of unexpected costs or package rejections.

Avalara, Inc. • 11/25/2024

The future of AI in finance and tax compliance

Finance and tax professionals are under increased pressure to operate more efficiently while remaining strategic business advisors. The growing importance of their ability to shape the overall direction and success of their organizations is demonstrated by how companies worldwide are investing in technology to improve how finance and tax teams perform their jobs.

Avalara, Inc. • 10/03/2024

The risks and challenges of navigating regulated business licenses

Convenience store operators cater to customers with many needs, including travelers filling up their gas tanks, hopeful lottery winners, and neighborhood residents with midnight munchies. Ensuring everyone gets what they came for is more complicated than stocking shelves with a bit of everything. Selling a variety of products, especially heavily regulated ones like alcohol and tobacco, makes business license management complex.

Palo Alto Networks • 07/25/2024

Moving to the head of the class with the Palo Alto Networks security platform

Los Rios Community College District partnered with Palo Alto Networks to transform its network, empowering it to provide quality education with modern infrastructure to protect users and valuable data.

Avalara, Inc. • 06/26/2024

Build a world-class finance function with tax compliance automation

Automation is a necessity for growing your business in today’s world and is vital for informed decision-making, collaboration, and agility. That was the key takeaway from a panel of finance, technology, and tax compliance experts who presented at a recent symposium hosted by CFO Magazine in Sydney, Australia.

Avalara • 10/11/2023

Sales and use tax audits: How to prepare your business

Expanding into new markets, adding new sales channels, and launching new products are great for growing revenue but these activities can affect sales and use tax obligations. It’s important for companies to consider how changes to their business may impact their audit risk.

Palo Alto Networks • 04/29/2024

American Food & Vending scales quickly with Prisma SASE

For American Food & Vending, providing excellent—and secure—customer experiences is of paramount importance. Some of its customers are in the defense space and expect American Food & Vending to have security measures in place that are as rigid as their industry’s. The company turned to Palo Alto Networks to help it better manage and protect its network, customers, and employees while supporting ambitious growth plans.

Avalara, Inc. • 01/22/2024

2024 beverage alcohol tax changes guide - Avalara

The beverage alcohol industry is experiencing both highs and lows. Changing consumer preferences and drinking behaviors are boosting sales of certain products while other markets are declining. Yet even in the face of economic pressures, environmental threats, and a continually evolving regulatory landscape, the sector is expected to find success.

Avalara, Inc. • 04/24/2024

Drop grows and powers international ecommerce in style with Avalara

Drop builds and manages ecommerce platforms for some of the fashion industry’s biggest brands and a well-known motorcycle manufacturer. Located in Montegranaro, Italy, the company has been helping retailers sell for 20 years. Its customers’ products are shipped to buyers in Australia, Canada, U.S., U.K., and Singapore.

Palo Alto Networks • 11/08/2023

Airline soars by moving network security to the cloud

A large global commercial airline sought to differentiate itself from competitors by establishing a singular track record of on-time flights and providing exceptional customer service. The airline realized it needed to digitally transform to achieve its goals. It aimed to upgrade its network security infrastructure and migrate additional mission-critical applications from on-premises to the cloud, primarily with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Microsoft Customer Stories • 10/03/2023

Land O’Lakes uses Azure Data Manager for Agriculture to support more efficient, sustainable farming

No one can control the weather, but the livelihood of farmers who grow our nation’s food depends on their ability to make important decisions rain or shine. Land O’Lakes saw a critical need to help the thousands of growers in its member-owned cooperative chart the unknown.

Avalara • 09/22/2023

State of finance market trends report

How global tax and finance teams are using automation to transform challenges into opportunities.

WineBid • 10/16/2019

Wine Collection of a Lifetime: Record-Breaking WineBid Auction

There are wine collections, and then there are wine collections that make sommeliers swoon. That’s the sort a Michigan wine collector has amassed over nearly a half-century of global travels and socializing with wine industry legends.

Palo Alto Networks • 09/05/2023

Protecting patients during the pandemic by securing the Internet of Medical Things

From nuclear medicine imaging cameras to MRI machines, infusion pumps, and ultrasounds, healthcare providers rely on a myriad of connected medical devices to care for patients. A large U.S. public sector healthcare organization saw a critical need to protect millions of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices on its network from cyberattacks. The situation was made more urgent by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Avalara • 12/12/2023

Conquering the challenges of California winery property tax compliance

California produces more than 80% of U.S. wine and is home to some of the largest wineries in the country. Tax compliance can be complicated when your business involves managing multiple vineyards, operating specialized equipment, and even moving grape bins with forklifts. In addition to complying with beverage alcohol tax laws regulating shipping and selling wine, California wineries must also consider managing property tax compliance.

Quantivate • 01/27/2023

Regulators Crack Down on Compliance in Financial Services

It’s a tough time to be a compliance professional in the financial services industry. A growing number of U.S. financial institutions have been hit hard with regulatory fines and lawsuits due to compliance failures. Meanwhile, federal regulators are imposing new rules on a level unseen in the past decade, underscoring the importance of guarding against non-compliance in financial services.