Microsoft launches Agent 365 to help businesses manage AI agents
What's the story
Microsoft has unveiled Agent 365, a new platform aimed at helping businesses manage the increasing number of AI agents. These agents are expected to automate workplace tasks. The software giant sees AI as another entity that needs management in a workplace, just like humans. "Agents are already changing how people work, and IDC predicts there will be 1.3 billion agents by 2028," Jared Spataro, Microsoft's Chief Marketing Officer for AI at Work, said in a statement.
Platform features
Agent 365 helps companies deploy and organize AI agents securely
Agent 365 is described as a control plane for agents, extending the infrastructure businesses already use to manage their people. The platform helps companies deploy and organize AI agents securely, preventing any unexpected behavior from these new digital coworkers. It also includes dashboards showing how AI agents are operating with telemetry and alerts.
Functionality
Agent 365: A comprehensive management tool
Agent 365 is a comprehensive management tool that lets businesses register AI agents with the Microsoft Entra registry. It also gives them control over what these agents can access, ensures their integration with Microsoft 365 apps, and protects against external and internal security threats. The platform will support a wider ecosystem of AI agents from companies like Adobe, NVIDIA, ServiceNow, and Workday, among others.
Monitoring capabilities
Firms can monitor how AI agents behave in real-time
The dashboards within Agent 365 allow admins to see connections between agents, people, and data. They can also monitor how these AI agents behave in real-time. Microsoft is making this platform available through Frontier, its early-access program for AI features. This initial rollout is aimed at IT admins testing scenarios for adopting and managing these digital workers effectively.
Product development
Agent 365: A response to business leaders' requests
Judson Althoff, CEO of Microsoft's commercial business, said the product was developed in response to requests from business leaders wanting to manage AI agents at work and measure their return on investment. "Take supply chain. You might have an inventory agent. You might have an out-of-stock agent," Althoff said in an interview. "Without this kind of a tool, understanding how those things compose in an overall process is really, really hard."