Microsoft has launched a new platform called Agent 365, designed to help businesses manage and secure their growing number of artificial intelligence agents. Announced at the company’s annual Ignite conference, the tool is described as a “control plane” that provides a unified observability layer for all AI agents an enterprise uses, regardless of whether they are built on Microsoft’s platforms or by third parties.
The initiative aims to address the challenges of “agentic sprawl,” where a rapid, unmanaged increase in AI agents can create security risks and operational complexity. Microsoft’s president of business apps and agents, Charles Lamanna, stated in a blog post that the launch marks a shift from “isolated experiments to enterprise readiness,” where agents are part of a governed system. Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer of AI at work, added that the goal is to manage agents using the same trusted infrastructure that companies use to manage their employees.
Key capabilities of Agent 365
Microsoft outlined five core functions for the platform to give IT and security teams unified oversight:
- Registry: Using a system called Entra, companies can log every agent in use, creating a single, authoritative list for IT, security, and business leaders.
- Access Control: Each agent is given a unique ID, allowing administrators to set specific access policies and block agents that do not
- Visualization: A central dashboard allows teams to monitor how agents are connected, measure their performance, and track their adherence to assigned tasks in real time.
- Interoperability: The platform is designed to be open, supporting agents from third-party companies such as Adobe, Databricks, ServiceNow, and Nvidia.
- Security: Agent 365 provides tools to protect against both internal and external threats related to agent activity.
By bundling these features, Agent 365 offers a more integrated solution compared to other observability tools from companies like DataDog, Splunk, or Google, which are often separate platforms or siloed features. Microsoft is making Agent 365 initially available through Frontier, its early-access program for AI features, allowing IT administrators to test its management capabilities.
Sources: VentureBeat, The Verge
