Microsoft unveils Agent 365 to help IT manage AI 'agent sprawl'

""Even though it is early days..., there are quickly becoming too many agents to manage manually," said Allie Mellen, an analyst at Forrester. A tool such as A365 can help IT and security teams "track, manage, and secure the agents in their organization," she said. "AI agents are a new attack surface that we must protect given their access to sensitive data.""

"A365 builds on three existing Microsoft tools: Defender, Entra, and Purview. Microsoft Defender helps detect and block known and emerging threats that target agents, while Purview, Microsoft's data governance tool, is used to prevent agents from accessing - and then leaking - sensitive data. Each agent is assigned a unique Microsoft Entra ID for IT to track usage and apply "adaptive, risk-based policies," that can shut down compromised agents."

A365 centralizes management and security for AI agents by integrating Defender, Entra, and Purview. Defender detects and blocks known and emerging threats that target agents. Purview enforces data governance to prevent agents from accessing and leaking sensitive data. Each agent receives a unique Microsoft Entra ID to enable IT to track usage and enforce adaptive, risk-based policies that can disable compromised agents. The platform treats agents as distinct identities with employee-like IDs rather than mere software licenses. AI agents represent a new attack surface due to their potential access to sensitive information.

Read at Computerworld