IBM and Microsoft partner on Imagine Enterprise platform for AI agents

IBM and Microsoft have unveiled Imagine Enterprise, a joint platform created to build, deploy and oversee AI agents for industry workflows.

Announced on Tuesday, the system pairs IBM Consulting with Microsoft Azure infrastructure. The companies said the goal is to cut the time businesses spend cobbling together custom code, data connections and compliance guardrails.

Ready-made agents and industry workflows

The foundation of the offering is a library of more than 6,000 pre-built AI agents and assets developed on IBM Consulting Advantage. These agents cover common industry-specific jobs across sectors such as banking, insurance, retail and healthcare. Instead of starting from scratch, companies can configure these existing agents to work with their internal databases and business software.

Microsoft provides the underlying AI models, data systems, cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity tooling. For qualifying enterprise rollouts, the two companies are also providing joint engineering teams on site to assist with moving agent prototypes into live production.

Governance and monitoring are central to the service. The platform includes controls to track agent behaviour, inspect model outputs and meet compliance rules. This is intended to give organisations clearer visibility into how autonomous agents handle customer data and complete multi-step tasks.

What this means for Australian businesses

For Australian companies looking beyond basic chatbots, the launch points to several practical developments:

• Moving to pre-built agents: Writing custom code to coordinate multi-step workflows often requires specialized developers and long trial periods. Packaged agent libraries allow businesses to test specific back-office tasks, like processing claims or checking supplier invoices, without building the mechanics internally.
• Built-in audit trails: As local authorities tighten scrutiny on automated systems and corporate data handling, auditability is becoming mandatory. Using tools with built-in logging and access controls helps small and mid-sized operators demonstrate proper oversight.
• Consolidation around major software suites: Businesses already using Microsoft 365 or Azure will find it simpler to plug automated tasks straight into existing systems rather than adopting standalone niche software.
• Practical starting points: Rather than attempting end-to-end automation immediately, firms should pick one repetitive, well-documented procedure to run through a supervised agent first.