Ignite 2025: Microsoft Teams Agents Now Support Third-Party Apps and Agents
Microsoft Teams adds AI agents and third-party app integration for smarter collaboration.
Key Takeaways:
- Microsoft Teams channels now integrate third-party apps via MCP.
- New AI-powered agents debut, including Teams Admin Agent for IT tasks and Sales Development Agent for boosting revenue.
- Copilot enhancements continue, with collaborative features and a new SMB-focused subscription.
Microsoft Teams is once again getting a couple of new updates at the company’s annual Ignite conference for IT pros. This morning, Microsoft announced that agents in Teams channels have added support for third-party apps and agents through Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
MCP acts as a bridge that allows agents to exchange context and data with third-party apps like GitHub, Asana, and Atlassian Jira. It lets users automate workflows, manage tasks, and collaborate across platforms without leaving Microsoft Teams. This new feature is currently available in public preview for commercial customers.
“For example, a user can ask the agent in a channel about blockers and mitigation plans for an upcoming product launch, and the agent will pull risks directly from Jira and then schedule a meeting with the team to discuss a mitigation plan. By connecting with other apps and agents, agents in Teams channels will enable human-agent teamwork and collaboration,” Microsoft explained.
Microsoft Teams Admin Agent
Microsoft has launched a new Teams Admin Agent in public preview in the Microsoft Teams admin center. It helps IT admins automate tasks like meeting monitoring and user provisioning securely and efficiently. This new tool is designed to handle repetitive or complex workflows to reduce time burdens, ensure consistent policy application, strengthen compliance, and minimize risks.
Last month, Microsoft introduced Teams Mode in Microsoft 365 Copilot that enables collaborative AI assistance within Teams channels. This feature allows members to co-create, share context, and work together on tasks directly in the chat environment. The Facilitator agent in Teams also helps run meetings by managing the agenda, taking notes, keeping discussions on track, and handling follow-up actions.
Sales Development Agent
Last but not least, Microsoft has released the Sales Development Agent to help sales teams boost capacity and revenue. This autonomous agent researches prospects, qualifies leads, and engages them with personalized outreach. It connects to sales data in CRM tools such as Salesforce and Dynamics 365, and can take action directly in the Microsoft 365 apps.
Microsoft also announced other updates for Microsoft 365 Copilot, as well as a new Microsoft 365 Copilot Business subscription for small and medium businesses. We invite you to follow our Ignite 2025 coverage on this page.
Rabia has a master's degree in Software Engineering and she has years of experience writing professionally about Microsoft products and other technologies. Rabia has also written for OnMSFT.com as well as Windows Report. She is always up to date on t...