Recorded live from the Nobu Hotel in Miami at Convergence, this episode of AMBUSH On Air brings tax, AI, and the Microsoft channel together in the most unexpectedly fun way. Sam Bush sits down with Jessica Krasinger, Channel Sales Manager at Vertex, to talk about 10 years in tax, life in the Microsoft ecosystem, and how AI is quietly reshaping the most “unsexy” but critical part of business: tax and finance operations.
Jessica shares how Vertex is using AI and agents (including her internal assistant “Claire”) to keep channel managers on track, surface action items, and eliminate repetitive work. Sam and Jessica dig into what it really looks like when Copilot, internal data, and tax engines are connected end to end—and how that changes the day-to-day reality for controllers, finance leaders, and partner teams.
You’ll hear them get into:
How a “10 years in tax” career became a niche superpower in the Microsoft ecosystem
Real-world ways Jessica uses AI agents to manage meetings, follow-ups, and internal processes
How Vertex is launching an Azure Marketplace agent to automatically detect and validate tax-impacting changes
Why AI in finance is less about replacing roles and more about giving controllers their time back
The human side of AI adoption: generational comfort levels, communication styles, and meeting people where they are
How AI and automation can shorten close cycles, reduce manual tax work, and free teams to focus on revenue and strategy
If you live in the Microsoft channel, sell or implement ERP, or support finance teams that are drowning in month-end tasks, this conversation will give you a fresh, practical look at where AI in tax and finance is really headed—and how to stay ahead of it.