Microsoft launches Agent 365 as a unified control plane for managing AI agents across platforms, addressing security, governance, and observability needs as organizations scale autonomous agents.
Microsoft has introduced Agent 365, positioning it as the essential control plane for organizations deploying AI agents at scale. As the agent ecosystem expands rapidly—with IDC predicting 1.3 billion agents by 2028—businesses face mounting challenges around security, governance, and management of these autonomous systems.
What is Microsoft Agent 365?
Agent 365 serves as a unified management layer that brings enterprise-grade control to AI agents regardless of their origin. Whether agents are built with Copilot Studio, Windows 365 for Agents, Microsoft Foundry, open-source frameworks, or third-party platforms, Agent 365 provides the observability, security, and governance infrastructure needed to operate them safely.
The platform extends existing Microsoft 365 infrastructure to accommodate agent-specific requirements. It adapts familiar enterprise tools—Microsoft 365 apps optimized for agent productivity, Microsoft Admin Center for agent management, Windows 365 for Agents for secure execution environments, and Defender, Entra, and Purview for security and governance—to meet the unique needs of autonomous agents.
Why Agent 365 Matters Now
The timing reflects a critical inflection point in enterprise AI adoption. Organizations have been rapidly deploying agents using no-code and low-code platforms like Copilot Studio and Microsoft Foundry. However, this democratization has created what Microsoft calls "agent sprawl"—a proliferation of autonomous systems operating without proper IT oversight, security controls, or governance frameworks.
Agent 365 addresses this gap by providing the same level of control and visibility that enterprises expect for their human workforce, but adapted for agent-specific workflows and security requirements.
Getting Started with Agent 365
Organizations can access Agent 365 through the Frontier preview program, which provides early access to Microsoft's latest AI innovations. To enable Agent 365:
- Sign into Microsoft 365 admin center
- Select Copilot > Settings
- Under User access, select Copilot Frontier
- Choose specific users, groups, or grant access to all
- Ensure the tenant has at least one Microsoft 365 Copilot license
- Navigate to Agents from the left pane in admin center
After granting access, users can explore the Agent 365 overview page and begin managing agents using guidance from the Microsoft Learn documentation hub.
Development Resources
For developers building enterprise-ready agents, Microsoft provides comprehensive tooling:
- Agent 365 SDK: Extends agents built with any SDK or platform with enterprise-grade identity, observability, notifications, security, and governed access to Microsoft 365 data
- Agent 365 CLI: Command-line backbone for the agent development lifecycle, automating setup, identity, configuration, MCP integration, publishing, and Azure deployment
These tools ensure that agents can be developed, deployed, and managed with the same rigor applied to other enterprise systems.
Learning Resources
Microsoft offers multiple entry points depending on available time:
- 5 minutes: Read the Microsoft Learn overview covering benefits, prerequisites, and key scenarios
- 10 minutes: Watch Jeremy Chapman's explainer video with product demo
- 40 minutes: View the technical deep dive from the Copilot Acceleration Team's CAT AI webinar
The Bigger Picture
Agent 365 represents Microsoft's recognition that the future of work involves not just human employees but also autonomous agents as core contributors. By providing a unified control plane, Microsoft is addressing the enterprise need for security, governance, and observability in an agent-driven world.
The platform's ability to work across different agent development frameworks and platforms positions it as a neutral management layer, similar to how enterprise mobility management solutions work across different device types and operating systems.
As organizations continue to experiment with and deploy AI agents, tools like Agent 365 will become increasingly critical for maintaining security postures, ensuring compliance, and managing the complexity that comes with autonomous systems operating at scale.
What's the biggest challenge your organization faces with AI agents today? The Agent 365 team is actively seeking feedback to shape future improvements and capabilities.
Comments
Please log in or register to join the discussion