
AI Agents & the Shift Beyond SaaS
Executive Summary For years, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) transformed enterprise technology by moving applications to the cloud and giving businesses scalable access to specialized software. The emergence of AI agents introduces another shift: from software that primarily waits for users to perform tasks toward intelligent systems capable of understanding goals, planning actions, using tools, and executing multi-step workflows. This does not necessarily mean SaaS will disappear. Instead, agentic interfaces may increasingly operate across SaaS platforms, enterprise data, APIs, and workflows. The result could be a new enterprise software model where employees spend less time navigating applications and more time defining outcomes, reviewing decisions, and handling exceptions. Introduction Traditional enterprise software is largely application-centric. An employee logs into a CRM to update an opportunity, opens an ERP platform to check an order, moves to an analytics tool for a report, and uses another application to communicate the findings. SaaS made these applications easier to deploy, access, and scale, but employees still frequently need to navigate different systems and manually coordinate processes between them. AI agents introduce a different interaction model. Instead of asking users to perform every step themselves, an agent can potentially receive an objective, determine the necessary actions, access authorized tools, execute tasks across systems, and return the result. This shift is creating an important question for enterprise technology leaders: could agents become a new interface for enterprise software? What Are AI Agents? AI agents are software systems designed to interpret objectives, reason about tasks, plan actions, use available tools or data, and execute multiple steps with varying degrees of autonomy. Unlike a conventional chatbot that primarily generates responses, an agent may be able to take actions. For example, instead of simply answering: “Which sales opportunities require attention?” an AI agent could potentially: The defining difference is the transition from generating information to orchestrating actions. Why Could AI Agents Change the Traditional SaaS Model? Traditional SaaS generally requires users to understand how individual applications work. The interaction typically looks like: User → SaaS Application → Feature → Action An agent-driven model can change this to: User → AI Agent → Reasoning & Planning → Multiple Enterprise Systems → Action → Outcome The user may no longer need to manually navigate every application involved in a workflow. For example, an employee could request: “Prepare the weekly account review and identify customers requiring immediate attention.” An authorized agent could potentially retrieve CRM information, analyze customer activity, reference support data, generate the report, and recommend actions. The underlying SaaS applications still matter. What changes is the interface and orchestration layer sitting above them. Are AI Agents Going to Replace SaaS? Not necessarily. The more realistic evolution is that agents and SaaS platforms will coexist. SaaS applications continue to provide important capabilities such as: Agents can provide an intelligent layer that coordinates activities across those systems. Therefore, the shift beyond SaaS is less about eliminating applications and more about moving from application-centric workflows toward outcome-centric workflows. How Do Enterprise AI Solutions Enable Agentic Workflows? Modern enterprise AI solutions need more than a large language model. A typical agentic architecture may include: User / Employee ↓AI Agent Interface ↓Reasoning & Planning Layer ↓Enterprise Knowledge + Memory + Guardrails ↓APIs / Tools / Workflow Automation ↓CRM | ERP | SaaS | Data Platforms | Internal Applications ↓Action + Human Approval + Monitoring Several components are essential. Enterprise Data Agents need accurate and appropriately governed information to make useful decisions. APIs and Tools APIs allow agents to interact with enterprise applications rather than simply provide recommendations. Identity and Permissions Agents should only access information and perform actions permitted for the relevant user or use case. Orchestration Complex tasks may require coordinating multiple models, tools, workflows, and systems. Observability Organizations need visibility into what an agent did, which information it accessed, and why specific actions occurred. What Can AI Agents for Enterprises Actually Do? AI agents for enterprises can potentially support workflows across different business functions. Customer Service Agents can analyze customer requests, retrieve account context, recommend solutions, initiate approved workflows, and escalate complex cases. Banking and Financial Services Agents can assist employees with document review, customer servicing, research, compliance workflows, and operational processes while respecting regulatory controls. Insurance Agents can support claims intake, document analysis, policy servicing, underwriting assistance, and information retrieval. Life Sciences Agentic systems can assist with research synthesis, document workflows, knowledge discovery, and selected operational processes where appropriate governance is established. Retail Agents can support inventory analysis, customer service, product recommendations, merchandising insights, and operational decision-making. These applications align particularly well with INT.’s strategic verticals: Banking and Financial Services, Insurance, Life Sciences, and Retail & Diverse. How Is an AI Agent Different From an AI Chatbot? Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, their intended capabilities can differ significantly. Capability AI Chatbot AI Agent Primary Function Conversation Goal execution Generates Answers Yes Yes Uses Enterprise Tools Sometimes Core capability Multi-Step Planning Limited More advanced Executes Actions Limited Yes, when authorized Cross-System Workflows Limited Key use case Human Approval Useful Critical for high-impact actions A chatbot might explain how to complete a process. An agent can potentially help execute that process. What Are the Business Benefits of AI Agents? Reduced Manual Work Agents can automate repetitive activities that currently require employees to move between applications. Faster Workflows Multi-step processes can be orchestrated without waiting for users to manually complete every stage. Improved Employee Productivity Employees can focus on decisions, relationships, and exceptions while agents handle routine information gathering and coordination. Better Use of Enterprise Knowledge Agents can make approved organizational knowledge more accessible within everyday workflows. More Personalized Experiences Agents can combine contextual information with business rules to deliver more relevant customer or employee interactions. What Does AI Agent Development Require? Successful AI agent development goes beyond connecting an LLM to a business application. Enterprises need to consider: 1. Define the Objective Identify a specific workflow where agentic automation can produce measurable value. 2. Map Required Systems Determine which applications, APIs, databases, and knowledge sources








