Kristin Alexander

Government Technology • 11/22/2025

Modernizing for Efficiency: A Smarter Approach to Government IT

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY PAPER SPONSORED BY CDW GOVERNMENT AND AWS. As governments modernize, IT teams are rethinking how to make their systems more efficient — from the code they write to the infrastructure and networks that support it. In this Q&A, Asim Iqbal, chief technology officer of emerging technologies for CDW Government, shares why code, infrastructure, and edge computing all play a vital role in improving efficiency.

Government Technology • 10/02/2025

Secure by Design: A Plan for Ransomware Defense

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY PAPER SPONSORED BY SOPHOS. Sophisticated adversaries — from organized cybercriminal groups to nation-state actors —are targeting public sector systems with unprecedented speed and precision. Ransomware remains one of the most damaging threats.

Government Technology • 09/23/2025

Open source, open future: Government and education embrace a better model for AI

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY PAPER SPONSORED BY RED HAT. As public sector organizations explore how to adopt artificial intelligence, the challenges they face extend far beyond technical capabilities. Questions of trust, security and the ability to upskill teams are front and center. Increasingly, one answer is emerging: The future of AI is open source.

Government Technology • 09/07/2025

No Wrong Door: Modernizing Digital Identity for Seamless Government Access

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY PAPER SPONSORED BY OKTA. State and local governments want better, faster and more efficient processes that eliminate agency silos and strengthen cybersecurity across the enterprise. Meanwhile, constituents want easy access to government services and a seamless, satisfying user experience. But many governments rely on decades-old login infrastructure that can’t address those needs.

Government Technology • 05/22/2025

Understanding Cyber Risks in the AI Era

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY PAPER SPONSORED BY SOPHOS. 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, Inc. • 10/11/2024

How does implementing an automated property tax solution transform daily operations?

Property tax in the United States traces its roots to colonial times. Surprisingly, many aspects of property tax compliance seem frozen in time — evidenced by numerous county assessors still requiring businesses to submit property tax returns via traditional mail, a practice reminiscent of Benjamin Franklin’s tenure as the first U.S. postmaster general in 1775.

Avalara • 03/20/2024

Personal property tax can be more mind-boggling in these states

Great literature is full of head-scratchers. Some questions are tough to answer: the Sphinx’s riddle in Oedipus Rex, the lead casket that contains Portia’s picture in The Merchant of Venice, Gollum’s brainteasers in The Hobbit. Property tax compliance can be just as puzzling, and getting it right in some states can be more complex than in others. This blog post sheds light on what makes personal property tax compliance in certain states particularly tricky.

Avalara • 02/23/2024

Property tax and licensing compliance for mergers and acquisitions

According to Gartner, in 2024, the success of enterprises entering into mergers and acquisitions (M&A) depends partly on their ability to navigate “an increasingly complex regulatory environment.” While Gartner points to anti-competition and national security as significant concerns and subjects of scrutiny, companies must also consider how M&A activity can make property tax compliance and licensing more complex.

Avalara • 01/08/2024

COVID impacts on personal property tax

Around the country, warehouses are packed with used chairs and standing desks that once outfitted bustling offices. In what’s become a common occurrence in the wake of the COVID pandemic, businesses are liquidating office furniture and desktop computers no longer needed by employees who now work from home. Sometimes, employers are simply giving the items away.

Avalara • 12/13/2023

How COVID has affected commercial property tax

The COVID pandemic lockdowns dominating 2020 resulted in millions of employees sent home to work. Nearly four years later, fewer workers are returning to offices full time and companies are facing tough decisions about what to do with their primarily empty buildings.

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.

HumanPoint • 05/25/2023

How generational differences impact workplace culture

A manager kept asking the vice president of her company for a promotion. The VP repeatedly asked her to define her new role. In turn, the manager asked her boss again and again to define his expectations for the role. Around and around they went.

HumanPoint • 03/15/2023

Leading with authenticity in the Human Era: Lessons for leaders

“Be true to yourself” isn’t a worn-out pep talk. It’s valuable advice to anyone who aspires to be an effective leader. Studies show higher work engagement and improved psychological well-being and job satisfaction among employees who view their managers as authentic.

HumanPoint • 02/13/2023

Avoid these barriers to psychological safety: Lessons for leaders

Bosses want their employees to feel it’s OK to ask for help or share a seemingly silly idea. Leaders may even understand how psychological safety benefits a workplace by improving collaboration and innovation. Too often, though, there’s a disconnect between how bosses think team members feel at work and reality.

HumanPoint • 01/30/2023

6 ways to create psychological safety at work: Lessons for leaders

An organization’s effectiveness depends on its employees’ ability to see themselves as valued team members and feel comfortable sharing opinions without negative consequences. A three-year research study involving 50,000 Google employees revealed that the top differentiator among the company’s highest performing teams was psychological safety. Leaders have the most influence when it comes to making team members feel safe. Yet, many managers lack an understanding of how to create a psychological

Avalara • 01/20/2023

The state of 988: Can telecom complexities from new crisis hotline fees be solved?

It’s been six months since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deadline requiring telecommunications providers to direct all 988 calls, texts, and chats to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. ... Though most will agree the new service provides a lifesaving safety net, it’s also creating increased complexity for businesses that pay communications taxes.

Avalara • 11/11/2022

Tricky states for communications tax that can trip up businesses

There’s a common belief that tax is hard. When we say tax is hard we aren’t talking about grumpy auditors, tax payments that carve into your bottom line, or automated phone messages that make it tough to reach a human at the Department of Revenue.

Avalara • 10/21/2022

The way states define communications products and services impacts tax codes

Robert Frost famously stood at the crossroads of two paths then took the one less trodden. In a similar but less poetic fashion, there’s an easy way and a hard way for jurisdictions to tax new communications technologies. How their statutes define communications products and services makes all the difference.

Avalara • 09/23/2022

Communications tax is not sales tax 2.0

Buying a new smartphone with the latest bells and whistles is pretty straightforward. Pony up the big bucks upfront or finance it through multiple payments, either way you can expect sales tax to be tacked onto the bill. But the moment you want to actually use that phone for something more than taking videos of your dog’s latest trick, the costs become infinitely more complicated.

Spiceworks • 04/15/2020

Digitalization of Government Procurement is Changing the Playing Field for Tech Companies

Technology is one of the biggest challenges faced by government agencies. For years, antiquated procurement processes stood in the way of businesses hoping to win the big bucks that often come with state and local government IT contracts. For the benefit of all, that’s changing.