By Laura Hyde |
IBM Consulting and Microsoft have teamed up to create Imagine Enterprise, an AI agent platform designed to help organisations deploy AI agents tailored to industry-specific business processes.
Imagine Enterprise aims to help enterprises accelerate AI deployment through governance, observability and AI compliance capabilities. It combines human expertise with AI agents and connects with an organisation’s existing data, processes, systems and technology environment. The two companies say the platform will help organisations move beyond generic AI use cases and develop agents capable of supporting business processes.
The platform combines IBM Consulting’s industry expertise, including more than 6,000 AI agents and assets, with Microsoft’s AI, cloud and data technologies. Forward-deployed engineers from both companies will help customers move from agentic AI experimentation to production by providing access to prebuilt industry frameworks, implementation services and governance capabilities.
“Clients are no longer looking for AI that simply helps people do the same work a little faster; they want to build an agentic business,” said Mohamad Ali, senior vice president and head of IBM Consulting. “Microsoft and IBM are helping organisations bring human expertise and digital labour together in a way that can scale across the enterprise, to turn AI from a productivity aid into a real competitive advantage.”
Financial technology provider SEI is collaborating with IBM Consulting and Microsoft to explore how emerging and agentic AI technologies could support its enterprise transformation efforts, while also using existing IBM and Microsoft technologies to enhance operations and client experiences.
“AI is evolving quickly, and our focus at SEI is on applying it with intention in ways that strengthen trust, enhance human decision-making and create meaningful value across our business,” said Sneha Shah, chief AI strategist and head of SEI Next. “Our work with IBM Consulting and Microsoft is helping us explore how emerging capabilities could support critical processes and be responsibly scaled over time, with the goal to create better experiences for our employees and clients. By combining emerging technology with SEI’s deep industry and operational expertise, we can move faster, scale more effectively and create new opportunities for growth.”
Rodrigo Kede Lima, president of Microsoft Frontier Company, added: “Enterprise AI will be won by organisations that can turn their data, industry expertise and AI into action. Together, Microsoft and IBM Consulting are bringing the best of our technology and expertise, to help customers move from AI ambition to business impact faster and with confidence.”
Imagine Enterprise initially includes industry frameworks for financial services, insurance and retail, however IBM Consulting and Microsoft plan to use these as blueprints for future expansion into additional sectors, including manufacturing, energy, public services, mobility and more.