As AI agents move from proof-of-concept to production, the need for end-to-end security is no longer optional. At Build 2025, Microsoft made it clear: identity, data governance, and runtime protection must be built into the AI lifecycle—not added after the fact. Through new integrations across Entra, Purview, and Defender, Microsoft is embedding foundational security controls into the way AI agents are created, deployed, and managed.
Making Identity Non-Negotiable with Microsoft Entra Agent ID
With AI agents starting to make decisions and take actions on behalf of users, they need the same identity safeguards as people. Microsoft Entra Agent ID assigns unique, persistent identities to AI agents built in Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry. Think of it like assigning a digital passport to every AI entity before it leaves the dev environment.
This isn’t just an access play—it’s about giving IT and security teams visibility and control over AI agents through the same policies used for the human workforce. That includes authentication, access provisioning, role management, and lifecycle governance.
To take this a step further, Microsoft is working with partners like ServiceNow and Workday to integrate Entra Agent ID into their platforms. The goal: make it easier to provision, monitor, and manage AI agents as part of the broader workforce—digital or human.
Purview Brings AI Into the Compliance Conversation
As AI agents gain access to sensitive enterprise data, the risk of exposure increases—especially when those agents are built using custom models or complex workflows. That’s where Microsoft Purview steps in.
New updates bring Purview’s data security and compliance controls to AI agents by default. Whether you’re building in Azure AI Foundry or using the new SDK for custom apps, you can apply classification, data loss prevention, and usage policies without reinventing your governance stack.
Security teams now have a way to track what agents can see, how they use data, and whether they’re staying compliant with internal policies and external regulations. It’s a critical step toward operationalizing responsible AI at scale.
Defender Bridges the Dev-Sec Gap
The faster AI development moves, the easier it is to overlook security blind spots. Microsoft Defender now plugs directly into Azure AI Foundry, bringing security posture insights and runtime threat detection into the same environment where developers are working.
This closes a big loop. Instead of waiting until deployment to discover misconfigurations or vulnerabilities, teams can identify issues in real-time, during build. Developers can fix security gaps before agents go live, while security teams get context-rich alerts without needing to switch tools or rebuild workflows.
These updates reflect a shift in how Microsoft is approaching AI adoption—not as a standalone capability, but as something that must be secured and governed like any other part of the digital enterprise. By anchoring AI agent development in identity (Entra), compliance (Purview), and runtime defense (Defender), Microsoft is laying out a practical path forward for enterprises looking to scale AI safely.
