Microsoft outlines agentic AI security strategy with new Defender, Entra and Purview capabilities

New offerings aim to help enterprises secure the rise of agentic AI and treat it as a core security layer

Mar. 22, 2026 at 10:11pm by Ben Kaplan

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Microsoft has detailed a broad set of security updates and enhancements that are aimed at helping enterprises secure the rise of agentic artificial intelligence. The announcements cover agent governance, identity protection, data security and cloud and endpoint defense, complemented with new AI-powered security operations capabilities.

Why it matters

As AI adoption accelerates, enterprises need continuous visibility into where AI is being used, how it is being accessed and where new forms of risk are starting to emerge. Microsoft is arguing that the industry needs to start treating AI agents as a new core security layer rather than simply another application to protect.

The details

The updates include the forthcoming general availability of Microsoft Agent 365, a control plane for agents that is designed to give IT, security and business teams centralized visibility and governance over AI agents. Microsoft is also expanding its visibility tooling with offerings like Security Dashboard for AI and Entra Internet Access Shadow AI Detection. On the identity front, new Entra capabilities aim to strengthen resilience and governance, while on the data side, new Purview features will allow organizations to block sensitive information from being processed by AI systems. Microsoft is also extending its security stack across endpoints, cloud workloads and AI services, and making a push around agentic defense using AI agents to help security teams respond faster.

  • Microsoft Agent 365 will become generally available on May 1.
  • Entra Internet Access Shadow AI Detection will become generally available on March 31.
  • Enhanced Intune App Inventory is due in May.
  • Entra adaptive risk remediation is due to become generally available in April.
  • Purview embedded in the Copilot Control System is due in April.

The players

Microsoft Corp.

A multinational technology company that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports and sells computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services.

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What’s next

Microsoft will be demonstrating its new security offerings at the RSAC Conference in San Francisco from March 23-26.

The takeaway

Microsoft is positioning its new security capabilities as an end-to-end architecture to help enterprises secure the rise of agentic AI, treating it as a core security layer rather than just another application to protect. The company is aiming to provide centralized controls for agent governance, stronger identity protections, tighter data safeguards and increasingly autonomous security operations.