IBM and Microsoft Launch Imagine Enterprise AI Agent Platform for Industry-Specific Transformation

IBM and Microsoft have announced a new collaboration to accelerate enterprise artificial intelligence adoption through a platform called Imagine Enterprise. Announced on November 10, 2026, the platform is designed to help organizations build, deploy and govern AI agents that can support industry-specific business processes.

The initiative combines IBM Consulting's enterprise transformation expertise and library of more than 6,000 pre-built AI agents and assets with Microsoft's AI, cloud, data and security technologies. Both companies will also provide engineering support to help qualifying customers move AI projects from experimentation into production.

Bringing AI Agents Into Enterprise Operations

Imagine Enterprise aims to help businesses integrate AI agents into their existing systems, data environments and daily workflows rather than requiring them to build everything from scratch.

The platform focuses on three capabilities: providing access to pre-built AI agents and industry expertise, connecting AI tools with existing enterprise infrastructure, and making organizational knowledge more accessible to both employees and AI agents.

This approach is particularly relevant for large organizations that operate across multiple departments and manage complex processes. By connecting enterprise data with AI capabilities, businesses can explore ways to automate workflows while retaining human oversight.

Combining IBM and Microsoft's Technology Ecosystems

IBM Consulting contributes more than 6,000 AI agents and assets developed through its IBM Consulting Advantage platform.

Microsoft provides the technology foundation through products including Microsoft Foundry, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Microsoft Fabric and Azure. Its security and governance technologies, including Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Purview and Microsoft Defender, are also part of the platform's enterprise architecture.

IBM Consulting Advantage tools, including Process Studio, Context Studio and Advantage Core, support the design, deployment and governance of tailored AI agents.

The combined technology stack is intended to help organizations manage agent coordination, enterprise data access, security and AI governance.

Initial Focus on Financial Services, Insurance and Retail

The first industry-specific frameworks will target financial services, insurance and retail. These sectors often manage complex operational processes, sensitive information and regulatory requirements, making governance and secure AI deployment particularly important.

The companies also identified manufacturing, energy, public services and mobility as potential areas for future expansion.

Financial technology and asset management company SEI is exploring enterprise transformation opportunities with IBM Consulting and Microsoft. Its work illustrates how organizations can investigate agentic AI to improve internal processes and employee and customer experiences.

Human Expertise Remains Important

The companies are positioning Imagine Enterprise as a way to combine human expertise with digital AI capabilities rather than simply replace existing teams.

Forward-deployed engineers from IBM and Microsoft will help customers address implementation challenges and adapt AI agents to their operational requirements. Organizations can engage IBM Consulting to deploy and operate the platform, collaborate on large-scale implementations or use available self-management options.

The announcement reflects a broader shift in enterprise AI adoption. Businesses are increasingly looking beyond individual AI assistants towards connected systems capable of supporting complete workflows.

The Next Phase of Enterprise AI

Imagine Enterprise highlights the growing importance of industry-specific AI solutions, where business knowledge, enterprise data, security and automation work together.

For organizations, the opportunity lies in moving AI beyond isolated experiments and integrating it into measurable business operations. However, successful adoption will depend on responsible governance, reliable data, clear accountability and effective human oversight.

As enterprises continue exploring agentic AI, partnerships such as the one between IBM and Microsoft could help shape how intelligent systems become part of everyday business operations.