20 MARKETWATCH According to IBM’s 2025 CEO Study, over half of CEOs (61 per cent) say they are actively adopting AI agents and preparing to implement them at scale, but their firms are struggling to build the right talent, prioritise use cases and test AI capabilities. To help overcome these hurdles, IBM Consulting and Microsoft launched a global Agentic AI hackathon, designed to give participants the technologies and expert support they need to experiment and scale agentic AI solutions. In April 2025, more than 900 participants from 25 countries took part in the hackathon. The 225 teams had representatives from retail, healthcare, manufacturing and government. Over 200 AI prototypes were submitted and evaluated by a panel of experts from IBM and Microsoft. One winning solution, Checkmate, was developed by the State of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in partnership with IBM. Designed to improve efficiency for code enforcement inspectors, Checkmate replaces manual data entry with a series of AI agents built using Microsoft Azure AI, Dynamics 365 and Power Automate. To read more about the hackathon, visit: bit.ly/3J7U07v Formpipe introduces new Lasernet packages Action1 expands free offering to 200 endpoints Action1 has expanded its free offering to cover up to 200 endpoints, with the aim of making cybersecurity universally accessible in today’s threat landscape. The patch management platform is designed to help IT teams close security gaps, maintain compliance and ensure business continuity. The expansion of the free offering means small and medium-sized businesses can protect their environments at no cost, while larger enterprises can evaluate the solution and scale as needed. In addition, Action1 has been recognised as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the USA according to the 2025 Inc. 5000 list, underscoring the market’s demand for accessible, scalable cybersecurity solutions. Formpipe has expanded its Lasernet packaging line-up to offer additional editions that support scalable document and output management. The expansion builds on the launch of the free, embedded Lasernet Essentials for Dynamics 365 in 2024. “These new offerings make us a better partner for businesses in every stage of growth,” said Anders Terp, head of dynamics at Lasernet. “Whether you want to get online fast or you’re an enterprise looking for solutions that scale, we give you the tool to design your ideal documentation programme with drag and drop functionality. Build it, set it, and change as your needs evolve.” IBM-Microsoft hackathon helps overcome AI adoption barriers
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