Analyst(s): Dion Hinchcliffe, Nick Patience
Publication Date: March 7, 2025
Agentic AI represents a major shift in enterprise automation, extending beyond content generation to directly executing multi-step workflows with minimal human intervention. This first-of-its-kind market overview assesses the top enterprise agentic AI solutions and DIY approaches, providing an in-depth evaluation of their capabilities, scalability, governance, and financial impact.
Key Points:
- 89% of surveyed CIOs consider agent-based AI a strategic priority, with demand growing for solutions that enhance automation, decision-making, and enterprise orchestration.
- Salesforce Agentforce, Microsoft Copilot Agents, and Google Vertex AI Agents lead in enterprise-grade AI integration, balancing ease of deployment with rapid ROI.
- DIY AI frameworks such as LangChain allow for high customization but require extensive engineering, with 60% of DIY initiatives failing to scale past pilot stages due to unclear ROI.
Overview:
Figure 1: Sizing Up the Top Enterprise Agentic AI Platforms
This report provides the first comprehensive market analysis of agent-based AI solutions, evaluating commercial platforms and in-house AI development approaches. As enterprises move beyond simple automation to AI-driven orchestration, selecting the right AI agent solution is critical to scaling efficiency and productivity.
According to Futurum Research, agent-based AI will drive up to $6 trillion in economic value by 2028, accelerating AI’s role in automating enterprise workflows. Futurum’s research highlights Salesforce Agentforce, Microsoft Copilot Agents, and IBM watsonx Agents as leaders in pre-built enterprise AI automation, while Google Vertex AI Agents and Oracle AI Agents show strong capabilities in AI-driven customer engagement.
Open-source DIY frameworks such as LangChain and Crew AI appeal to enterprises seeking high customization, yet they face significant resource demands, complex integrations, and operational overhead. 75% of DIY AI projects report prolonged development cycles, with many failing to reach production due to unclear governance and ROI challenges.
Despite the momentum in AI adoption, governance and compliance remain major obstacles, with 78% of CIOs citing security, compliance, and data control as primary barriers to scaling agent-based AI. IBM watsonx Agents lead in governance (10/10 score), offering enterprise-ready features such as role-based controls, compliance auditing, and AI explainability safeguards.
The First Enterprise Market Overview of Agent-Based AI
Agentic AI is shifting from experimental technology to enterprise-critical automation, redefining how organizations manage workflows, customer interactions, and decision-making.
Commercial AI Agents Deliver Faster ROI: Salesforce Agentforce achieved a 10/10 performance rating, with users reporting ROI in as little as two weeks. Microsoft Copilot Agents reduce customer service response times by 30–50%, demonstrating strong time-to-value.
DIY AI Provides Customization but at a High Cost: Open-source tools such as LangChain, Crew AI, and Claude 3 offer powerful customization but demand significant engineering resources. 60% of DIY AI efforts fail to scale, highlighting the complexity of self-built agentic AI.
Governance Remains a Key Enterprise Concern: Enterprises adopting agent-based AI must address security and compliance risks. IBM watsonx Agents and Microsoft Copilot Agents lead in governance, embedding compliance frameworks, role-based access, and data security protections to meet regulatory standards.
Conclusion
As one of the first enterprise market overviews of agent-based AI, this market overview provides a critical evaluation of leading commercial and DIY solutions for organizations planning their AI automation strategy.
Enterprises must balance scalability, governance, and ROI when selecting agent-based AI platforms. Salesforce, Microsoft, IBM, and Google offer pre-built AI automation, while DIY frameworks require deep engineering expertise but allow for tailored solutions. Businesses prioritizing governance, operational readiness, and AI-driven productivity enhancements will gain a competitive advantage as the market for AI agents matures.
The full report is available via subscription to Futurum Intelligence’s CIO Insights or Enterprise Application IQ service—click here for inquiry and access.
Futurum clients can read more in the CIO Insights Intelligence Portal, the AI Software & Tools Intelligence Portal, or the Enterprise Applications Portal. Nonclients can learn more here: CIO Insights Practice, Artificial Intelligence Software and Tools Practice, or Enterprise Applications Practice.
About the Futurum CIO Insights Practice
The Futurum CIO Insights Practice provides actionable, objective insights for market leaders and their teams so they can respond to emerging opportunities and innovate. Public access to our coverage can be seen here. Follow news and updates from the Futurum Practice on LinkedIn and X. Visit the Futurum Newsroom for more information and insights.
About the Futurum AI Software & Tools Practice
The Futurum AI Software & Tools Practice provides actionable, objective insights for market leaders and their teams so they can respond to emerging opportunities and innovate. Public access to our coverage can be seen here. Follow news and updates from the Futurum Practice on LinkedIn and X. Visit the Futurum Newsroom for more information and insights.
About the Futurum Enterprise Applications Practice
The Futurum Enterprise Applications Practice provides actionable, objective insights for market leaders and their teams so they can respond to emerging opportunities and innovate. Public access to our coverage can be seen here. Follow news and updates from the Futurum Practice on LinkedIn and X. Visit the Futurum Newsroom for more information and insights.
Author Information
Dion Hinchcliffe is a distinguished thought leader, IT expert, and enterprise architect, celebrated for his strategic advisory with Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies. With over 25 years of experience, Dion works with the leadership teams of top enterprises, as well as leading tech companies, in bridging the gap between business and technology, focusing on enterprise AI, IT management, cloud computing, and digital business. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, industry analyst, and author, known for his insightful and in-depth contributions to digital strategy, IT topics, and digital transformation. Dion’s influence is particularly notable in the CIO community, where he engages actively with CIO roundtables and has been ranked numerous times as one of the top global influencers of Chief Information Officers. He also serves as an executive fellow at the SDA Bocconi Center for Digital Strategies.
Nick is VP and Practice Lead for AI at The Futurum Group. Nick is a thought leader on the development, deployment and adoption of AI - an area he has been researching for 25 years. Prior to Futurum, Nick was a Managing Analyst with S&P Global Market Intelligence, with responsibility for 451 Research’s coverage of Data, AI, Analytics, Information Security and Risk. Nick became part of S&P Global through its 2019 acquisition of 451 Research, a pioneering analyst firm Nick co-founded in 1999. He is a sought-after speaker and advisor, known for his expertise in the drivers of AI adoption, industry use cases, and the infrastructure behind its development and deployment. Nick also spent three years as a product marketing lead at Recommind (now part of OpenText), a machine learning-driven eDiscovery software company. Nick is based in London.
