Automation has shifted to autonomy, with systems doing more than streamline workflows. They now interpret signals, adapt processes in real time, and anticipate decisions across the business. In this model, enterprises become “driven, adaptive, and human-centered,” with intelligent systems collaborating across functions and delivering measurable outcomes rather than just efficiency gains.
In this AI-first, autonomous enterprise vision, Microsoft’s agentic business applications are changing how organizations create, collaborate, and decide based on three connected pillars: data, Copilot, and agents.
Data provides the foundation; Copilot acts as a strategic productivity layer that understands intent and orchestrates work; and agents plan, decide, and act across systems. Together, these elements are presented as the path from systems of record to systems of action, where AI-powered processes and human expertise reinforce each other across Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the broader Microsoft Cloud.
Agents Across ERP, CRM, Industry Workflows
Microsoft laid out a multi-layer agent strategy: first-party embedded agents within Dynamics 365, industry-focused agents customizable by partners, partner-built agents, and custom agents created with Copilot Studio. All of these share the same security, governance, and identity foundation, which is critical for enterprise adoption.
Microsoft expects AI agents to become core to how businesses operate, interpreting signals, identifying patterns, and initiating actions to keep operations moving.
Concrete examples show this strategy in action. For small and mid-sized businesses, Dynamics 365 Business Central brings agents directly into finance and operations: a Sales Order Agent that creates, validates, and updates sales orders to improve accuracy and speed, and a Payables Agent that automates vendor invoices and reconciliations to strengthen control and free up finance teams.
Across finance and operations, embedded agents are already transforming processes in Project Operations (time and expense entry), Supply Chain Management (supplier outreach), Finance (reconciliations), and Field Service (technician scheduling), reducing manual effort and increasing precision.
Agent-to-Agent Coordination
Partners are key to extending agentic workflows into specialized domains. RSM’s Shop Floor agent brings production job details, quality checks, and operational signals into a single experience, surfacing issues in real time and supporting rapid resolution to maintain output. HSO’s PayFlow Agent handles vendor payment inquiries by analyzing incoming emails, pulling live payment data from Dynamics 365, and responding with current status updates, which can streamline payment cycles and improve transparency in accounts payable.
Cegeka’s Quality Impact Recall Agent helps organizations identify product quality issues and trace their impact across inventory and shipments, coordinating notifications and corrective steps to strengthen recall readiness. Factorial connects to the Business Central model context protocol (MCP) server to enable a single Copilot interface where its agent can request, validate, and reconcile financial data directly within expense workflows, creating an agent-to-agent experience between systems.
Zensai’s agent links Dynamics 365 Business Central to Perform 365 in Microsoft 365, turning finance, compliance, HR, and sales insights into structured, cascaded goals and check-ins. Across these examples, Microsoft shows that agent-to-agent coordination and cross-system reasoning will define the next era of enterprise automation.
What This Means for ERP Insiders
AI-first ERP platforms are becoming systems of agency. The emphasis on agents that plan, decide, and act across finance, supply chain, field service, and CRM signals that ERP roadmaps must now assume embedded autonomy, not just workflow automation. This raises expectations around how tightly operational data, controls, and AI decision-making are being integrated into core modules.
Agent-based extensibility is an integration layer for ERP systems. Rather than extending ERP through custom code or standalone integrations, Microsoft is positioning agents built with Copilot Studio and partner frameworks as the primary way to add domain logic and automation. The examples highlighted show agents operating directly within governed Dynamics 365 workflows, drawing on shared identity, security, and data foundations.
Ecosystem-led agent patterns will influence competitive dynamics across ERP providers. The portfolio of first-party, partner, and custom agents showcased around Dynamics 365 demonstrates how domain expertise and vertical workflows can be packaged as reusable, AI-powered services. This points to a future where differentiation comes from orchestrating multi-agent ecosystems and codifying industry know-how into agents that run on shared ERP and cloud foundations, rather than purely from core transactional functionality.
