IBM Consulting Advantage for Agentic Applications on Microsoft Azure

IBM has built capabilities, architecture and assets to help enterprises scale AI use cases and accelerate value realization.

In order to truly scale AI adoption and value realization at enterprise level, organizations need a well architected, well designed and comprehensive framework and platform. It should not only have access to the latest advancements in AI, but should also cover comprehensive guardrails, governance, and lifecycle management. It should not only be a design, but it should also have tangible technical assets which are tested and proven at enterprise scale. Building upon IBM’s experience in delivering GenAI and Agentic AI solutions, we have developed ICA4AA.

ICA4AA is a modular platform designed to accelerate the design, deployment, and scaling of Agentic Apps across enterprise environments. It provides a pre-integrated architecture with reusable agent templates, orchestration frameworks, governance controls, and AI-ready Data Products built natively for our clients’ preferred cloud platform such as Microsoft Azure.

It consists of three main components:

• The Agentic Apps Library, which includes a portfolio of pre-built Agentic App templates for specific business processes (e.g., Source-to-Pay, Docuflow.AI, Customer Service, Content Generation). These templates jumpstart implementation and reduce time to value.

• The Builder Studio and Core Agentic Fabric which is a comprehensive, modular enterprise architecture deployable as infrastructure-as-code, purpose-built to support the full lifecycle of agentic applications. It features a multi-layered design that enables orchestration of native, containerized, and third-party agents; supports agent memory, AI tools, and runtime services; and integrates seamlessly with enterprise systems and data sources. With built-in capabilities for Model Context Protocol (MCP), Agent-to-Agent (A2A) interactions, AI governance, and observability. Fabric provides a resilient foundation for defining, managing, and scaling agentic systems with enterprise-grade control and confidence.

• The Governance Control Tower ensures every Agentic App is deployed with enterprise-grade guardrails, observability, and security – enabling safe, compliant, and controlled AI operations at scale.

By combining Azure-native services (Azure AI Foundry, Azure AI Search, Agent Service) with IBM’s accelerators for multi-agent orchestration, governance, and data readiness, ICA4AA delivers a modular, composable platform for mission-critical workloads. Organizations can deploy autonomous AI Agents that go beyond simple assistants—transforming entire workflows, integrating across systems, and embedding governance by design.

Key Benefits

• Leverage your Azure investment – Runs natively on Azure, accelerating time-to-value through deep integration with Azure AI services • Enterprise-grade by design – Embeds governance, monitoring, and compliance into every Agentic App • Modular & composable – Plug-and-play architecture enables flexible integration with existing Data & AI stacks • Accelerated delivery – Pre-built Agentic App templates cover 50–80% of requirements out of the box

Core Capabilities

1. Agentic Apps Library – Industry- and function-specific app templates for rapid deployment (e.g., KYC-AI, Contracts-AI, Claims-AI, CustomerSelfService-AI)
2. Core Fabric – Unified communication, security, and orchestration layer for agents, tools, and systems
3. Builder Studio – Low-code canvas to design, configure, and launch Agentic Apps quickly
4. Governance & Observability – Built-in monitoring, evaluation, and policy enforcement
5. Data Products – Ensure AI-ready data with structured, integrated, and quality-controlled sources

Example Use Cases

• Customer Self-Service – Multi-modal AI interface that resolves complex inquiries and triggers backend processes • Document-to-Action Automation – Automates ingestion, extraction, and processing for KYC, claims, and compliance reporting • Regulatory Compliance – Consolidates and validates submissions, automates checks, and ensures audit readiness • Contracts & Claims – Speeds review, risk analysis, and resolution through specialized agentic workflows

ICA4AA delivers:

• Reference Architecture natively on Azure for scalable Agentic App deployment • Orchestration & Integration Layer supporting Azure-native and third-party agents/tools • Governance by Design for safe, compliant AI operations • Commercial Model scaling by value—annual subscription tiers with additional apps available on demand

Get started today to scale AI beyond assistants—deploy enterprise-ready Agentic Applications that deliver measurable business transformation.