IBM and Microsoft announced Imagine Enterprise on November 10, 2026, a jointly developed platform for building, running, and governing AI agents tied to industry-specific business processes. IBM Consulting contributes more than 6,000 prebuilt AI agents and assets, while Microsoft supplies AI, data, cloud, identity, and security technologies through Microsoft Foundry, Copilot Studio, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft 365, Entra, Purview, and Defender.
The platform targets enterprises that want AI agents connected to their existing data, workflows, and systems — without replacing what is already in place. Initial industry frameworks cover financial services, insurance, and retail. For companies in regulated sectors, the platform includes controls and observability features: every agent action, decision, and escalation is logged, with real-time data on latency, cost, token usage, and run history. Governance settings determine which actions an agent may take autonomously, which require a human sign-off, and when escalation is mandatory.
Customers can engage IBM Consulting to deploy and operate the platform, co-develop implementations, or use self-management options. Forward-deployed engineering support from both companies is included. For CIOs or IT directors evaluating agentic AI, it may be worth reviewing how Imagine Enterprise's governance model aligns with your organization's existing audit and compliance requirements before any procurement conversation begins.
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