Workday & Microsoft unite to simplify AI & human workforce management
Workday has announced a new collaboration with Microsoft to enable organisations to manage their human and AI agent workforces securely from a single platform.
Through this partnership, customers who develop AI agents using Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio will be able to register and manage those agents within the Workday Agent System of Record (ASOR). This integration brings together Workday ASOR and Microsoft Entra Agent ID, providing each agent built on Microsoft platforms with a verified identity and embedding the appropriate business context for secure and effective operation.
Unified management
The introduction of AI agents into business operations has highlighted challenges in tracking access, establishing roles, ensuring security, and measuring value. Managing these identities and permissions has become essential as agents assume a greater degree of autonomy in daily enterprise tasks. Without a central management approach, companies risk fragmented operations, weakened governance, and increased security vulnerabilities.
"As AI agents become a huge part of how we work, managing and securing them across different systems is a real challenge. Our commitment to an open ecosystem is about giving organizations the flexibility to build their fleet of AI agents on the platform of their choice," said Gerrit Kazmaier, president of product and technology, Workday. "Through our strategic partnership with Microsoft, we're giving organizations one secure system to manage both their people and their AI agents – so they can focus on results, not complexity."
With the new integration, firms will benefit from a unified management system that brings people and AI oversight together, reducing complexity in workforce administration and strengthening compliance controls.
Visibility and analytics
One component of the integration is providing actionable analytics and improved visibility into the enterprise AI ecosystem. Leaders will be able to view detailed dashboards showing how both people and AI agents are performing and interacting, supporting data-driven decision-making and more accurate measurement of return on investment (ROI).
"Our partnership with Workday is a breakthrough in delivering the trust organizations need to adopt AI," said Charles Lamanna, president, business and industry Copilot, Microsoft. "By seamlessly registering agents built with Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry into Workday's Agent System of Record, we're giving customers full visibility into their AI ecosystem. This integration equips leaders with actionable analytics to measure ROI, enforce governance, and ensure their AI agents are secure and delivering real value."
The analytics feature within Workday ASOR allows business leaders to monitor which agents are in use, how they are used, and the impact on efficiency and productivity. Detailed reports can break down agent usage, highlight where time is being saved, and demonstrate the interplay between human and agent contributors to the business.
Enhanced collaboration
The partnership aims to support smooth collaboration between human workers and AI agents. The integration enables interoperability so that tasks started through Microsoft platforms - for example, updating employee records or submitting reviews - can be completed seamlessly by handing off processes between Microsoft and Workday agents. This approach brings a more unified and context-rich user experience without the need to switch between different systems.
The joint solution allows developers using Copilot Studio to easily register newly built agents within Workday. These agents can then be made available across the enterprise, increasing their utility and extending AI-driven workflows in core business processes.
Governance and security
Security and governance remain a priority in AI adoption. The integration with Microsoft Entra Agent ID ensures that every AI agent is given a unique, verifiable identity. Workday administrators can use this system to routinely audit agent permissions and activity patterns, making it straightforward to identify any unauthorised access or unusual behaviour early and help maintain compliance requirements.
This facility allows for proactive management of AI agents, ensuring that security standards are met and that agent activities remain consistent with organisational policies. Administrators can remove unnecessary permissions or deprovision agents with a clear audit trail for oversight.
With this collaboration, Workday and Microsoft are addressing the operational, governance, and security challenges facing organisations as they scale up their use of AI agents within digital business environments.
