IBM and Microsoft Launch Imagine Enterprise for AI Agents

IBM and Microsoft unveil Imagine Enterprise, a platform designed to deploy and govern AI agents in regulated industries. The offering leverages over 6,000 assets from IBM Consulting and the Microsoft ecosystem for data, security, and cloud. Frameworks are initially provided for finance, insurance, and retail, with options for managed services or self-management.

Three sectors served from the outset and deployment options

The initial industry frameworks cover financial services, insurance, and retail. Companies can engage IBM Consulting to deploy and operate the platform or co-innovate for organization-wide implementations. Autonomous management is also possible. These frameworks are designed to extend to other potential industries, including manufacturing, energy, public sector, and mobility. The platform particularly targets regulated environments and aims to accelerate the deployment of AI in businesses.

Governance, compliance, and connection to existing systems

Imagine Enterprise is designed to combine human expertise and AI agents, connected to daily data and processes. Controls, observability, and support for AI compliance aim to frame and secure deployments. The platform is built to integrate with existing systems, data, and technological environments, with security, identity, AI governance, and control embedded in the experience. Engineering teams can assist in transitioning from experimentation to production. Organizations can start with pre-established capabilities and adapt them, allowing both individuals and agents to operate with enriched business context.

Respective contributions and technical components utilized

IBM Consulting provides over 6,000 AI agents and assets from its IBM Consulting Advantage delivery platform. Microsoft supplies the AI, data, cloud, and security foundation to operate the agents at enterprise scale. For tooling, Microsoft Foundry, GitHub Copilot, and Microsoft Copilot Studio enable orchestration of agents and information systems, while Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra, Purview, Defender, and Azure serve as the foundations for data, identity, AI governance, security, and cloud. IBM's Process Studio, Context Studio, and Advantage Core solutions facilitate the design, deployment, and management of customized agents. Engineering support deployed in advance by both partners is anticipated. The displayed benefits are based on the available asset catalog and the combination of partner expertise.

SEI outlines its objectives and leaders set the course

SEI, a global player in financial technologies, is exploring emerging and agentic technologies with IBM Consulting, supported by Microsoft, and is leveraging other solutions from both partners as part of its transformation. Its AI strategy lead, Sneha Shah, states that the goal is to intentionally apply AI to enhance trust, improve human decision-making, and create value, while testing capabilities that could support critical processes and be scaled responsibly. She notes that the alliance of emerging technologies and SEI's own expertise should enable faster progress, more efficient evolution, and open up new growth avenues. From the suppliers' side, Mohamad Ali believes that clients want to build an agentic enterprise and that the combination of human expertise and digital work can be deployed at enterprise scale. Rodrigo Kede Lima asserts that gaining in enterprise AI requires converting data, industry expertise, and AI into actions, and that Microsoft and IBM Consulting aim to accelerate the transition from ambition to impact.

Announcement and scope

Imagine Enterprise was announced on November 10, 2026, from Armonk, New York, and Redmond, Washington. The platform is designed around three structural advantages, as an alternative to replacing existing systems or engaging in lengthy and fragmented integrations. IBM is listed on the NYSE (IBM) and Microsoft on the NASDAQ (MSFT).