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Microsoft Agent 365 vs ServiceNow AI Control Tower

Microsoft Agent 365

Microsoft 365 control plane to discover, manage, govern, and secure AI agents

ServiceNow AI Control Tower

What ServiceNow calls a central hub to discover, secure, govern, observe, and measure AI

Short answer

Microsoft Agent 365 is a Microsoft 365 control plane for AI agents; ServiceNow calls AI Control Tower a central hub to discover, secure, govern, observe, and measure AI.⁠Source 1, Source 2 Agent 365 is licensed per user; ServiceNow says AI Control Tower ties AI assets to the CMDB and to contact it for pricing.⁠Source 2, Source 3

By Blocks.ai teamLast checked

Where each one sits

Six layers of running AI agents at a company, and what each product’s own public sources say it covers.

Public sources · checked 2 October 2026
  • Offered
  • Preview
  • Not included
  • Not publicly documented

Microsoft Agent 365

  • Build agents: Not includedUse your chosen framework⁠Source 4
  • Host and run agents: Not includedYou host your agent⁠Source 5
  • Identity and access: OfferedEntra Agent ID⁠Source 6
  • Registry and governance: OfferedAgent registry in admin center⁠Source 7
  • Traffic between agents, tools, and models: PreviewTooling Gateway for MCP servers⁠Source 8
  • Agents across organizations: Not publicly documented

ServiceNow AI Control Tower

  • Build agents: Not publicly documented
  • Host and run agents: Not publicly documented
  • Identity and access: OfferedScoped OAuth tokens (community docs)⁠Source 9
  • Registry and governance: OfferedAI inventory tied to CMDB⁠Source 2
  • Traffic between agents, tools, and models: OfferedAI Gateway (community docs)⁠Source 10
  • Agents across organizations: Not publicly documented

At a glance

TopicMicrosoft Agent 365ServiceNow AI Control Tower
Where it livesA Microsoft 365 service, administered across the Microsoft 365 admin center, Microsoft Entra, and Microsoft Purview.⁠Source 1, Source 11ServiceNow says it runs on the ServiceNow AI Platform, with each AI asset a configuration item in an inventory tied to the CMDB.⁠Source 2
Agent identityAgent identities live in Microsoft Entra Agent ID, though the inventory also lists agents without one.⁠Source 6, Source 12ServiceNow’s community documentation says AI Gateway verifies agent identity and issues scoped, short-lived OAuth 2.1 tokens for MCP connections through it.⁠Source 9
Stopping an agentAdmins can block an agent for the whole organization; for SharePoint and Foundry agents, that only affects their availability in Copilot Chat.⁠Source 13The kill switch can contain a managed agent and revoke all of its active credentials across connected systems.⁠Source 14, Source 15
Pricing modelLists at $15 per user per month, or in Microsoft 365 E7.⁠Source 3 Basic identity and inventory come with Microsoft Cloud subscriptions; enterprise customers need Microsoft 365 E5, or E3 with the Defender and Purview suites.⁠Source 3ServiceNow says to contact it for pricing.⁠Source 2 AI Control Tower is included in the Foundation, Advanced, and Prime tiers.⁠Source 16
Generally availableSince 1 May 2026, for the Commercial segment.⁠Source 11ServiceNow announced general availability on 6 May 2025.⁠Source 17 ServiceNow’s community documentation says AI Gateway became generally available on 10 September 2026.⁠Source 18

What each one is

Microsoft Agent 365

Microsoft Agent 365 is a Microsoft 365 service that provides a centralized control plane to discover, manage, govern, and secure AI agents.⁠Source 1 Admins work across its agent registry in the Microsoft 365 admin center, Microsoft Entra for agent identity, and Microsoft Purview.⁠Source 6, Source 11

ServiceNow AI Control Tower

ServiceNow describes AI Control Tower as a central hub to discover, secure, govern, observe, and measure AI across an enterprise.⁠Source 2 ServiceNow says it inventories agents, models, and MCP servers from ServiceNow and third parties, tied to your configuration management database (CMDB).⁠Source 2

The differences that matter

  1. What each one keeps track of

    Microsoft Agent 365

    One registry in the Microsoft 365 admin center lists Microsoft and non-Microsoft agents, including agents without an Entra agent identity.⁠Source 7, Source 12

    ServiceNow AI Control Tower

    ServiceNow says it auto-discovers agents, models, copilots, MCP servers, and datasets into one inventory tied to the CMDB.⁠Source 2

    Agent 365’s registry counts agents created or managed outside it, without its risk protection; ServiceNow’s community documentation says only Managed assets get governance workflows.⁠Source 7, Source 19

  2. Where policy is enforced

    Microsoft Agent 365

    Through Microsoft 365 and Entra controls: policy templates, Conditional Access on agent identities, and tenant-wide control of which tools agents can access.⁠Source 1, Source 6, Source 20

    ServiceNow AI Control Tower

    ServiceNow’s community documentation says AI Gateway, a ServiceNow-hosted MCP proxy, applies tool-level policies that can follow role, department, or data classification.⁠Source 10, Source 21

    Agent 365 can also route your own registered MCP servers through its Tooling Gateway, in preview.⁠Source 8

  3. Agents from other platforms

    Microsoft Agent 365

    The Agent 365 SDK works with agents on AWS, Google Cloud, or on premises; registry sync, in preview, imports agents from platforms like Amazon Bedrock.⁠Source 4, Source 22

    ServiceNow AI Control Tower

    Service Graph Connectors discover AI assets on external platforms; ServiceNow’s Microsoft connector adds Agent 365 to discovery.⁠Source 23, Source 24

    Microsoft says agents built outside Microsoft 365 channels and Entra Agent ID need extra steps to appear in the inventory, and premium capabilities may vary by platform.⁠Source 3, Source 25

For security teams

What a security review asks, answered from each vendor’s public documentation.

TopicMicrosoft Agent 365ServiceNow AI Control Tower
Network exposureTelemetry can go over OpenTelemetry; notifications (preview) need an endpoint Agent 365 calls.⁠Source 26, Source 27 Ports and private networking: not publicly documented.Discovery authenticates to external platforms with credentials you provide.⁠Source 28 Ports and private networking: not publicly documented.
IdentityAgent identities are Microsoft Entra service principals, managed with Conditional Access and consent; the inventory also lists agents without one.⁠Source 6, Source 12ServiceNow’s community documentation says AI Gateway issues scoped, short-lived OAuth 2.1 tokens for MCP connections through it.⁠Source 9
Access changes and revocationBlock agents organization-wide (Copilot Chat only for SharePoint and Foundry agents), or disable an Entra blueprint’s agents in one operation.⁠Source 6, Source 13The kill switch can contain a managed agent and revoke all of its active credentials across connected systems.⁠Source 14, Source 15
Audit trailSupported agents’ activity shows in Defender, Purview, and the admin center; Purview’s agent audit logs need E7 or Agent 365.⁠Source 1, Source 4, Source 29Audit logs show changes to Data, Approvals, and AI model provider settings; each kill-switch containment leaves an audit trail.⁠Source 14, Source 30
ComplianceNot yet a Core Online Service; runs on SOC- and ISO-audited services.⁠Source 29 Microsoft announced FedRAMP High authorization is pending.⁠Source 1ServiceNow says the company has undertaken an annual SOC 2 Type 2 attestation since 2013 and holds ISO/IEC 42001.⁠Source 31

Full comparison

18 criteria in five groups. Every cell links to its source, or says no public source answers it.

Microsoft Agent 365 and ServiceNow AI Control Tower compared on 18 criteria
Microsoft Agent 365ServiceNow AI Control Tower
What it is
What it is and who it’s forA Microsoft 365 service that provides a centralized control plane to discover, manage, govern, and secure AI agents, for IT and security leaders.⁠Source 1, Source 25ServiceNow describes it as a central hub to discover, secure, govern, observe, and measure AI across an enterprise, on the ServiceNow AI Platform.⁠Source 2
MaturityGenerally available since 1 May 2026 for the Commercial segment.⁠Source 11 Registry sync and multi-tenant management are in preview.⁠Source 22, Source 32ServiceNow announced general availability on 6 May 2025.⁠Source 17 Its community documentation dates AI Gateway’s general availability to 10 September 2026.⁠Source 18
Control
Agent registry and discoveryAgent registry in the Microsoft 365 admin center: one inventory of Microsoft and non-Microsoft agents, including agents without an Entra agent identity.⁠Source 7, Source 12ServiceNow says it auto-discovers agents, models, MCP servers, and datasets into one inventory tied to the CMDB.⁠Source 2 Connectors you set up reach external platforms.⁠Source 23, Source 28
Identity and access controlAgent identities live in Microsoft Entra Agent ID, managed with Conditional Access, permission grants, and consent.⁠Source 6 The inventory also lists agents without one.⁠Source 12ServiceNow’s community documentation says AI Gateway issues scoped OAuth 2.1 tokens for MCP connections through it; tool policies can follow role or department.⁠Source 9, Source 21
Ownership, policy, and revocationA required sponsor per Entra agent identity, 30-day soft delete, and new owners for shared Agent Builder and Copilot Studio agents.⁠Source 6, Source 13ServiceNow says AI assets can carry ownership.⁠Source 2 The kill switch covers agents on ServiceNow and four connected platforms.⁠Source 33
Audit log and observabilitySupported agents’ activity shows in Defender, Purview, and the admin center.⁠Source 4, Source 29 Agent 365 keeps it 30 days; Purview’s agent audit logs need E7 or Agent 365.⁠Source 1, Source 29Audit logs show Data, Approvals, and model provider setting changes; each containment is audited.⁠Source 14, Source 30 Traces come via trace connections or SDK instrumentation.⁠Source 34
Connection
How agents connectThe SDK works with agents on Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, or on premises.⁠Source 4 Agent 365’s private networking is not publicly documented.ServiceNow’s community documentation says agents using AI Gateway call a ServiceNow-hosted URL instead of the MCP server, which must be remote.⁠Source 10, Source 21
Agents across organizationsPartners’ published agents can be added to a tenant; multi-tenant agent management is in preview.⁠Source 6, Source 32, Source 35 Access the other side controls: not publicly documented.ServiceNow’s separate AI Agent Studio can connect external AI agents over A2A.⁠Source 36 Access the other side controls: not publicly documented.
Protocol supportTenant-wide tool control; your own MCP servers in preview.⁠Source 1, Source 8 Microsoft documents A2A for its separate Foundry and standard-harness Copilot Studio, not Agent 365.⁠Source 37, Source 38Its community docs call AI Gateway its MCP enforcement layer.⁠Source 9 ServiceNow says its separate AI Agents product links ServiceNow and third-party agents over A2A.⁠Source 39
Frameworks, models, and clouds supportedMicrosoft and third-party agents.⁠Source 1 SDK docs name frameworks such as LangChain, CrewAI, and the OpenAI Agents SDK, and agents keep their own host.⁠Source 5, Source 22ServiceNow says it inventories agents, models, and MCP servers from ServiceNow or third parties.⁠Source 2 Outside platforms need connectors you set up.⁠Source 23, Source 28
Operations
Deployment options and data residencyHonors the EU Data Boundary; the observability service stores customer content in the tenant’s default geography.⁠Source 29 Self-hosting it is not publicly documented.ServiceNow says it runs on the ServiceNow AI Platform.⁠Source 2 Data may go to a central ServiceNow environment in another region or a third-party cloud.⁠Source 40
Compliance attestationsNot yet a Core Online Service; runs on SOC- and ISO-audited services.⁠Source 29 Microsoft announced FedRAMP High authorization is pending.⁠Source 1ServiceNow says the company has undertaken an annual SOC 2 Type 2 attestation since 2013.⁠Source 31 It says the company holds ISO/IEC 42001 certification.⁠Source 31
Support and SLANo specific SLA for the Frontier preview program.⁠Source 41 An SLA or support plan specific to the generally available service is not publicly documented.ServiceNow’s company-wide Customer Support Addendum states a 99.8% availability SLA for production instances.⁠Source 42 Its community docs point to Now Support.⁠Source 43
Time and effort to get runningConnecting an agent means registering an Entra agent identity blueprint and creating identities from it.⁠Source 6 At least one user needs an Agent 365 license.⁠Source 11Initial setup uses a Guided Setup widget.⁠Source 24 Discovering outside agents needs a connector and credentials you supply.⁠Source 23, Source 28 Features depend on your license.⁠Source 44
Pricing model and public pricesPer user: lists at $15 a month standalone, or in Microsoft 365 E7.⁠Source 3 Foundational capabilities are free with Microsoft Cloud; premium ones need a license.⁠Source 3Included in every tier; full management of external AI needs a separate license.⁠Source 16 ServiceNow’s community documentation says usage-based costs may apply.⁠Source 21, Source 45
Building
Agent building toolsMicrosoft says the Agent 365 SDK isn’t an agent-building framework.⁠Source 4 For low-code building, the docs point to Microsoft’s separate Copilot Studio.⁠Source 46ServiceNow’s separate AI Agent Studio creates, configures, and deploys agents.⁠Source 47 Creating new custom agents is supported only in the Prime tier.⁠Source 16
Model accessMicrosoft says the SDK doesn’t call or select models; the agent keeps making its own model calls.⁠Source 4, Source 5AI model provider settings cover ServiceNow-supported providers, such as Now LLM Service, and providers your organization configures.⁠Source 30
Integrations and ecosystemLaunched with preintegrated partner agents and agents built on partner agent factories.⁠Source 35, Source 48 Work IQ MCP tools for Mail, Calendar, Teams, and more are in preview.⁠Source 49ServiceNow’s docs list discovery connectors for Agent 365, OpenAI, and Anthropic; its community documentation adds Databricks, Snowflake, and Salesforce.⁠Source 19, Source 24

Which to choose

Choose Microsoft Agent 365 if

  • You use Microsoft’s separate Copilot Studio or Microsoft Foundry, which Microsoft says can provide built-in Agent 365 integration for some scenarios.⁠Source 22, Source 50
  • You want agent identities in Entra, managed with the same Conditional Access, consent, and lifecycle controls as the rest of your tenant.⁠Source 6
  • You want named accountability: each Entra agent identity needs a sponsor, and admins can block or delete agents without owners.⁠Source 6, Source 7
  • You want a public list price, $15 per user per month standalone, with foundational capabilities free for Microsoft Cloud subscribers.⁠Source 3

Choose ServiceNow AI Control Tower if

  • Your ServiceNow tier already includes AI Control Tower, which ServiceNow says ties AI assets to your CMDB.⁠Source 2, Source 16
  • You want one inventory that ServiceNow says covers agents, models, MCP servers, and datasets, with connectors to platforms outside ServiceNow.⁠Source 2, Source 23
  • You want a kill switch that can contain a managed agent and revoke all of its active credentials, with an audit trail.⁠Source 14, Source 15
  • You want AI compliance content: ServiceNow’s pack covers the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, California SB 53, and Colorado’s AI Act.⁠Source 51

Questions buyers ask

Can ServiceNow AI Control Tower govern agents in Microsoft Agent 365?

ServiceNow’s docs say its Microsoft connector discovers and imports AI assets from Agent 365 into AI Control Tower.⁠Source 24 They also say managed ServiceNow agents can be published to Agent 365.⁠Source 52

How is each one priced?

Agent 365 lists at $15 per user a month standalone, or in Microsoft 365 E7; Microsoft Cloud subscribers get foundational capabilities free.⁠Source 3 ServiceNow says to contact it for pricing; every tier includes AI Control Tower.⁠Source 2, Source 16 ServiceNow’s community documentation says usage-based costs may apply.⁠Source 21, Source 45

Do they support MCP and A2A?

Agent 365 controls tool access tenant-wide; registering your own MCP servers is in preview.⁠Source 1, Source 8 Microsoft documents A2A for its separate Foundry and standard-harness Copilot Studio, not Agent 365 itself.⁠Source 37, Source 38 ServiceNow says AI Control Tower inventories MCP servers and its separate AI Agents product uses A2A.⁠Source 2, Source 39

Can either one connect agents across organizations?

Agent 365 admins can deploy partner companies’ agents, and managing agents across tenants they administer is in preview.⁠Source 32, Source 35 ServiceNow’s separate AI Agent Studio can connect external agents over A2A.⁠Source 36 For both, access controlled by the other organization is not publicly documented.

How we compare

Read the full method

Every claim on this page links to a public source. Where none answers a question, the page says so.

We re-check every fact at least every 90 days. This page was last checked .

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Sources

58 public sources, each with the date we checked it. Every one opens in a new tab.

  1. Source 1: Microsoft Agent 365 - Service Descriptions | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abcdefghijkl

  2. Source 2: AI Control Tower - ServiceNow (product page) ServiceNow · checked Back:abcdefghijklmnopq

  3. Source 3: Licensing Documents Microsoft · checked Back:abcdefgh

  4. Source 4: Agent 365 SDK frequently asked questions | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abcdefg

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  6. Source 6: Agent 365 identity | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abcdefghijkl

  7. Source 7: Agent Registry in Microsoft 365 admin center - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abcde

  8. Source 8: Bring your own (BYO) MCP server in Microsoft 365 admin center - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abcd

  9. Source 9: What's new in AI Gateway v3.4 - September 2026 release (ServiceNow Community, AI Control Tower articles) ServiceNow · checked Back:abcde

  10. Source 10: AI Gateway Implementation Guide (ServiceNow Community, AI Control Tower articles) ServiceNow · checked Back:abc

  11. Source 11: Microsoft Agent 365 overview | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abcde

  12. Source 12: Agent Registry convergence with Microsoft Agent 365 | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abcde

  13. Source 13: Governance and Lifecycle actions for agents available in Microsoft 365 admin center - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abc

  14. Source 14: AI agent containment using kill switch protocol manually (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back:abcde

  15. Source 15: Configure AI agent containment using kill switch protocol manually (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back:abc

  16. Source 16: ServiceNow product tiers (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back:abcde

  17. Source 17: ServiceNow Launches AI Control Tower, a Centralized Command Center to Govern, Manage, Secure, and Realize Value From Any AI Agent, Model, and Workflow (ServiceNow news release, investor relations PDF) ServiceNow · checked Back:ab

  18. Source 18: What's new in AI Control Tower for August & September 2026 (ServiceNow Community, AI Control Tower articles) ServiceNow · checked Back:ab

  19. Source 19: AI Control Tower: What's new in the June 2026 release (ServiceNow Community, AI Control Tower articles) ServiceNow · checked Back:ab

  20. Source 20: Policy templates | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back to text

  21. Source 21: AI Gateway FAQ (ServiceNow Community, AI Control Tower articles) ServiceNow · checked Back:abcde

  22. Source 22: Choose an Agent 365 Integration Option | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abcd

  23. Source 23: Discovering AI assets through connectors (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back:abcde

  24. Source 24: AI Control Tower release notes (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back:abcde

  25. Source 25: Microsoft Agent 365: The Control Plane for Agents Microsoft · checked Back:ab

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  27. Source 27: Agent Messaging Endpoint | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back to text

  28. Source 28: Configuring connectors (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back:abcd

  29. Source 29: Data handling, data residency, and compliance in Agent 365 observability | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abcdef

  30. Source 30: AI model providers (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back:abc

  31. Source 31: Compliance - ServiceNow Trust ServiceNow · checked Back:abc

  32. Source 32: Manage agents across multiple tenants in the Microsoft 365 admin center - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abc

  33. Source 33: Control enforcement points (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back to text

  34. Source 34: Configuring trace connections (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back to text

  35. Source 35: Ecosystem partner agents available in Agent 365 | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:abc

  36. Source 36: Integrating external AI agents (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back:ab

  37. Source 37: Connect to an agent over the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol - Microsoft Copilot Studio | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:ab

  38. Source 38: Connect to an A2A agent endpoint from Foundry Agent Service - Microsoft Foundry | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back:ab

  39. Source 39: AI Agents - ServiceNow (product page) ServiceNow · checked Back:ab

  40. Source 40: AI Control Tower (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back to text

  41. Source 41: Preview Agent 365 features through the Frontier program | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back to text

  42. Source 42: Customer Support Addendum (ServiceNow legal schedules, Version 12MAR2025) ServiceNow · checked Back to text

  43. Source 43: AI Control Tower Welcome Guide (ServiceNow Community, AI Control Tower articles) ServiceNow · checked Back to text

  44. Source 44: Activating AI Control Tower (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back to text

  45. Source 45: AI Control Tower Observability & Monitoring FAQ (ServiceNow Community, AI Control Tower articles) ServiceNow · checked Back:ab

  46. Source 46: Get started with Microsoft Agent 365 | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back to text

  47. Source 47: AI Agent Studio (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back to text

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  49. Source 49: Connect existing agents to Microsoft Agent 365 | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back to text

  50. Source 50: What is Microsoft Foundry? - Microsoft Foundry | Microsoft Learn Microsoft · checked Back to text

  51. Source 51: AI Risk and Compliance Content Pack (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release, Governance, Risk, and Compliance) ServiceNow · checked Back to text

  52. Source 52: Publish ServiceNow agents to Microsoft Agent 365 (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back:ab

  53. Source 53: External Registries (ServiceNow product documentation, Australia release) ServiceNow · checked Back to text

  54. Source 54: Your company's private network Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  55. Source 55: Network requirements Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  56. Source 56: Solutions: Agent sprawl Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  57. Source 57: Solutions: Partner networks Blocks.ai · checked Back to text

  58. Source 58: Pricing Blocks.ai · checked Back to text