IBM and Microsoft have introduced Imagine Enterprise, a new AI agent platform designed to help businesses automate complex operations using industry-specific artificial intelligence.
Announced on November 10, 2026, the platform combines IBM Consulting’s collection of more than 6,000 pre-built AI agents and assets with Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, enterprise AI technologies, and security capabilities.
The collaboration addresses a persistent challenge for large organizations: moving AI beyond isolated experiments and making it useful across everyday business operations.
Instead of requiring companies to replace their existing systems, Imagine Enterprise aims to connect AI agents with established workflows, internal data, and enterprise applications.
Financial services, insurance, and retail are the first industries targeted, with potential expansion into manufacturing, energy, government, and mobility.
IBM and Microsoft Combine AI Expertise to Accelerate Enterprise Adoption
IBM and Microsoft’s partnership brings together two different strengths in enterprise technology. IBM contributes consulting expertise, industry knowledge, and thousands of existing AI assets, while Microsoft supplies the infrastructure needed to develop, deploy, and manage intelligent agents.
At the center of the initiative is IBM Consulting Advantage, an AI-powered delivery platform containing more than 6,000 pre-built agents and technology assets. These resources allow businesses to start with existing capabilities rather than developing every automation tool independently.
The platform is designed to adapt to each organization’s operational requirements. Companies can connect AI agents to internal systems, incorporate proprietary business information, and gradually expand their use of automation.
IBM and Microsoft are also providing forward-deployed engineering support for qualifying projects. Engineers from both companies can work alongside customers to develop AI solutions and help move them into production.
The approach reflects a broader shift in enterprise AI. Businesses increasingly want technology that can perform useful work, not another demonstration that never makes it beyond the testing stage.
Imagine Enterprise Integrates Microsoft Azure and Copilot Technologies
Imagine Enterprise uses Microsoft’s enterprise technology ecosystem to support AI agent development, coordination, and deployment.
Microsoft Foundry, GitHub Copilot, and Copilot Studio help organizations create and coordinate intelligent agents across business applications. Microsoft Fabric supports enterprise data operations, while Microsoft Azure provides the cloud infrastructure needed to run AI workloads.
Security and governance are also built into the platform’s architecture. Microsoft Entra supports identity management, while Microsoft Purview and Defender contribute data governance, compliance, and threat protection capabilities.
IBM complements these technologies with Process Studio, Context Studio, and Advantage Core from IBM Consulting Advantage. These tools help businesses connect AI agents to operational processes and organizational knowledge.
The goal is to make AI agents more capable of understanding business context rather than simply responding to individual instructions.
An agent working inside a financial institution, for instance, may need to retrieve information from several systems, check internal policies, and identify when a task requires human approval.
Imagine Enterprise is designed to coordinate those activities within a governed environment.
Financial Services, Insurance, and Retail Lead Initial AI Deployment
IBM and Microsoft are initially concentrating on industries where complicated workflows and extensive information management create opportunities for intelligent automation.
Financial institutions regularly handle large volumes of transactions, customer requests, documentation, and regulatory requirements. AI agents could help employees organize information, coordinate internal processes, and manage repetitive administrative work.
Insurance companies face similar challenges, particularly when processing claims, reviewing policies, and evaluating supporting documents. Imagine Enterprise could help coordinate these activities while allowing employees to retain responsibility for important decisions.
Retail businesses may also benefit from agents that connect customer information, operational systems, and internal workflows.
IBM has illustrated the platform’s potential through an insurance claims scenario in which a coordinating AI system evaluates incoming cases, checks relevant information, and routes work to employees according to complexity.
Straightforward cases can reach junior adjusters, while complicated claims requiring additional investigation can be assigned to more experienced personnel.
Human employees remain responsible for decisions, with AI handling much of the preparation and coordination.
The companies expect their initial industry frameworks to provide a foundation for future applications in other sectors.
SEI Explores Agentic AI to Improve Business Operations
Financial technology and asset management company SEI is exploring how emerging AI technologies could support its enterprise transformation.
The company is working with IBM Consulting, with Microsoft’s support, to investigate opportunities for applying agentic AI across important business processes.
SEI wants to understand how intelligent automation can improve internal operations while creating better experiences for employees and clients.
Sneha Shah, Chief AI Strategist and Head of SEI Next, emphasized the importance of applying AI responsibly, strengthening human decision-making, and building trust.
The company’s involvement highlights the practical questions enterprises face when considering AI adoption.
Businesses need to determine which processes are suitable for automation, how employees will interact with intelligent agents, and whether the technology can deliver measurable improvements.
SEI’s engagement remains exploratory. IBM and Microsoft have not disclosed specific productivity gains or financial returns associated with Imagine Enterprise at the company.
Enterprise AI Moves Beyond Chatbots and Productivity Assistants
The introduction of Imagine Enterprise comes as technology companies increasingly focus on agentic AI systems capable of coordinating tasks across business environments.
Traditional AI assistants generally respond to user requests, generate content, or help employees complete individual activities. Agentic systems are designed to take on more complex workflows involving multiple steps, connected applications, and automated actions.
That difference is becoming increasingly important for organizations investing heavily in artificial intelligence.
Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President and Head of IBM Consulting, said customers are looking beyond AI tools that simply help employees work faster. Businesses increasingly want to build operations where human expertise and digital agents work together.
Microsoft shares that ambition.
Rodrigo Kede Lima, President of Microsoft Frontier Company, emphasized the importance of combining enterprise data, industry knowledge, and artificial intelligence to produce meaningful business outcomes.
The partnership suggests that the next stage of enterprise AI competition will depend less on the number of available models and more on how effectively companies integrate AI into their existing operations.
AI Governance and Security Become Critical for Enterprise Automation
Allowing AI agents to interact with enterprise systems introduces significant security and governance challenges.
Organizations must control which information agents can access, what actions they can perform independently, and when employees must intervene.
These concerns are particularly important in regulated industries such as banking and insurance, where operational errors or unauthorized access to sensitive information can create serious consequences.
Imagine Enterprise includes governance controls intended to monitor agent behavior, manage permissions, and maintain visibility across automated processes.
IBM describes an operating model where agent activities, decisions, and escalations can be logged and monitored. Organizations can establish approval requirements and define limits on automated actions.
Microsoft’s security and identity technologies provide additional support for managing these environments.
Even with those safeguards, businesses will still need to evaluate how agents perform under real operating conditions.
Reliable automation requires more than capable AI models. It depends on accurate information, clearly defined responsibilities, effective monitoring, and appropriate human oversight.
IBM and Microsoft Aim to Make AI Agents Part of Everyday Business
Imagine Enterprise is available through IBM Consulting, with several implementation options depending on customer requirements.
Organizations can engage IBM Consulting to deploy and operate the platform, collaborate on enterprise-scale implementations, or explore self-managed arrangements.
The companies are positioning the platform as a way to reduce the technical complexity associated with building AI-powered business operations.
For enterprises already using Microsoft technologies, the integration with Azure, Copilot, and existing security systems may offer a familiar foundation for adoption.
IBM’s industry expertise and existing AI assets could also help organizations identify practical applications without starting from scratch.
Still, the platform’s long-term success will depend on how well these capabilities perform outside controlled demonstrations.
Businesses will want evidence of lower operating costs, improved productivity, reliable automation, and manageable implementation requirements.
Imagine Enterprise represents another step toward a future where AI agents become integrated participants in business workflows.
Whether that future arrives quickly will depend on how effectively IBM, Microsoft, and their customers turn the technology into measurable operational results.
Sources
- Microsoft News — November 10, 2026
IBM and Microsoft Announce a New AI Agent Platform Designed for Industry-Specific Transformation - IBM Newsroom — November 10, 2026
IBM and Microsoft Announce a New AI Agent Platform - IBM — November 10, 2026
The Digital Workforce: Why the Next Competitive Frontier Isn’t AI—It’s How You Operationalize It - CIO Dive — November 10, 2026
Microsoft, IBM Team Up on AI Agent Platform
